"Autistic"...the new "retard"?

[Vynny]

It's happened before with the term "retard". There was a stint where "special" was the term used which was inspired by people calling those with some form of mental retardation "special needs", they also used "challenged" which was pulled from "mentally challenged", they even used "short bus" due to special needs children getting their own bus in many schools which was shorter due to the size necessary.

It always follows the same trend, a perfectly legitimate and uncontroversial term is used to describe the mentally handicapped, people use the term in a derogatory fashion; typically against those without any mental handicap in order to make fun of them for doing or saying something that you would expect of a mentally handicapped person, the derogatory usage of the term catches on, a new term starts to be used in order to dissociate from the derogatory usage of the term, repeat.

The thing I never got about it is why does anyone care? I rarely see anyone use a derogatory slur of that sort against someone who is mentally retarded, and even the campaigns against using those terms in a derogatory fashion target things like saying "that's retarded" in regards to something you think is stupid. The point is that I can understand opposing people making fun of mentally retarded people for being mentally retarded; it's an asshole move and they (the mentally retarded person) can't help it., but I can't understand being offended by someone calling something retarded or calling someone who isn't retard a retard for doing something stupid.

P.S.
After reading this, I feel like I have to apologize. Sorry for sperging out on this . . . see what I did there? :P

[Segus1992]

I don't use either term, and find them both highly disgusting to be used in such a way.

And this is why they're used. Because people (thin skin like above or not) will find it offensive.

Same basic premise as trolling - it's done to evoke a response, preferably angry.

[Revi]

I don't think it has replaced retard, the context is different. Autistic is used to mean "socially retarded".

For example: the idea that expressions we use to offend each other should be socially acceptable and inoffensive seems autistic.

[Halyon]

i will insult people with all the words of my choice. ain't nobody gonna tell ME which insulting words i should use!!!

on a serious note. stop caring about insults and you won't be insulted.

But when the intended insult is so entirely boring and uninsulting, I can't help but being insulted that they have so little brainpower to use a proper insult that actually...insults me.

[The Glitch]

And this is why they're used. Because people (thin skin like above or not) will find it offensive.

Same basic premise as trolling - it's done to evoke a response, preferably angry.

Nothing to do with thin skin.

I have a young niece with Downs syndrome, and I see how nasty people can be to her and she is 6 years old. It was worse years ago, the term retard was used directly towards those with Downs syndrome to describe them as a person, hell people use the term Downs to insult others too. There is no need for it, my niece is amazing, a beautiful, bright , wonderful little girl, but people have already made their minds up about her, and people think its ok to say the things they do. Sorry but it's not. Thats my opinion, on it, I do not go around telling people how they can and can't talk, but Myself, I choose not to use those terms because I find them wrong.

But If someone says anything like that to my niece then I will tell them what I think, for sure.

This thin skin crap is just an excuse for those that want to be rude and offensive, gives them way to deflect their nastiness. By all means keep it up, it says more about you as a person than those that find the words offensive.

[Imnick]

Calling someone Autistic instead of Retarded is bad for literally the same reason

[ipaq]

Back in the day when someone did something stupid you could call them retarded, however nowadays that is seen as a major faux pas, and it's heavily fallen out of favor. For a while there was no real replacement, but lately I've noticed more and more that "autistic" is stepping up to take its place. I mean I think the *autistic screeching* meme is the biggest example of this. Whoever made this meme couldn't say "retarded screeching" so they had to go with autistic.

My problem with this is that using autism as a substitute for retard is just factually wrong. Autism is a spectrum...and most of the people who have it aren't at the level of "autistic screeching", not even close. For a lot of people autism basically means #1 You have trouble interpreting social cues and #2 you have extremely specific and intense interests. Most people you meet who have autism you wouldn't know they have it.

But I think more to the point is this...if you are using the word to reference severely autistic people then there is literally no difference between using the word "autistic" and "retarded"...people have just basically found a new way to say the same thing, but it doesn't have the social stigma around it yet so they feel fine saying it. My advice? Just don't use it...because if you're uncomfortable calling someone "retarded" then logically you should have the same moral qualms about calling someone "autistic".

Like someone like you being a cunt about it, which is another way of saying ignorant.

So next time, before talking about shit you got no fucking clue about... get educated first.

[Adolecent]

To scold someone by naming him/her autistic is very hurtful for people with Autism. Is realy doesn't take much empathy to understand that.

[Segus1992]

Nothing to do with thin skin.

I have a young niece with Downs syndrome, and I see how nasty people can be to her and she is 6 years old. It was worse years ago, the term retard was used directly towards those with Downs syndrome to describe them as a person, hell people use the term Downs to insult others too. There is no need for it, my niece is amazing, a beautiful, bright , wonderful little girl, but people have already made their minds up about her, and people think its ok to say the things they do. Sorry but it's not. Thats my opinion, on it, I do not go around telling people how they can and can't talk, but Myself, I choose not to use those terms because I find them wrong.

But If someone says anything like that to my niece then I will tell them what I think, for sure.

This thin skin crap is just an excuse for those that want to be rude and offensive, gives them way to deflect their nastiness. By all means keep it up, it says more about you as a person than those that find the words offensive.

It's a narrow minded view to see it like that. Yeah, obviously it's not a thing you say to people who have some sort of mental condition to their face, that's common sense and common courtesy - for the exact same reason that insults are used in the first place (like @Puupi said, truth hurts). That's going too far, and is obviously not okay.

That doesn't change the usability of the words or the fact that they're used against other people, especially online. It doesn't take much brain power to realise you don't call an ACTUAL retard a retard, that's like telling a person with cancer that you hope they die. You saying your niece is the reason you don't use the words is like people saying they don't rape because God tells them not to.

That said, whoa this post became a bit of a shit. I don't actually mean to offend, just trying to discuss why it is like it is.

[namecraft]

when you lose a debate, just stop bringing new arguments and call people retarded and autistic, and feel smart.

[Thoughtful Trolli]

"lately"

Ohh honey...

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Also something being "retarded" and something being "autistic" mean two completely different things.

Sadly not the case in casual vernacular.

Truly, when people decided to take away my right to call people certain insults, like most people I just moved onto more base insults.

Now I just call everyone pieces of shit and bags of shit and sacks of shit. I can't imagine what I'll call them when they take those away from us, but I'm pretty sure I'll never get witty, because I don't want my targets to laugh; I want them to fucking die.

But when the intended insult is so entirely boring and uninsulting, I can't help but being insulted that they have so little brainpower to use a proper insult that actually...insults me.

Kind of exactly the point. The censorship of what we can say is a direct spiral into base, unthinking slurs. Not a staircase into better people.

The only reason I imagine people claim they "don't know" this is because they want to see society be destroyed. So the censorship continues.

I don't use either term, and find them both highly disgusting to be used in such a way.

If it makes you feel better, the insults are actually being used properly.

People wrongly believe that intelligence involves memorizing facts and studying to know things. The truth is intelligence is rooted in a level of awareness. If someone "very smart" because he knows the entire codex of law for the state of New York fails to notice that there's stool in his drink because he can't taste it, his senses are in fact retarded, and he is retarded.

That's actually how it works, but people these days haven't been taught that. They continue to be mislead, because most people don't like realizing that their senses are no longer what they used to be, that their well-groomed peers can actually sense when there's less oxygen in the room while they struggle to taste the difference between pizzas, and other forms of extra sensory perceptions beyond what most with dulled senses can even imagine detecting, and in grim finality thus also recognize that "intelligence" is simply outside of our control, condemning people who aren't born with it to delude themselves into thinking it's actually something else related to remembering and not being aware.

[GennGreymane]

Blame 4chan

they want to weaponize it

[Halyon]

Kind of exactly the point. The censorship of what we can say is a direct spiral into base, unthinking slurs. Not a staircase into better people.

The only reason I imagine people claim they "don't know" this is because they want to see society be destroyed. So the censorship continues.

There's barely any censorship on adjectives and standard insults like jerk... Creativity exists, slang terms exists. I'm fairly practiced in one-line zingers, so it's not like I'm the ace of insult -users, but even I can see that there's no need to abuse terms that aren't insults, until the term is an insult, just because someone tells you the word you previously used was 'bad'.

[Allybeboba]

Got news for you, "stupid" is the word "retarded" used to be many decades ago. Then stupid became something somewhat socially acceptable that immature people called called someone/something. Retarded has seemed to become that way now.

[Tarx]

Its so annoying people call the others autistic and retard

[Deathquoi]

Ill give you a quick example to illustrate the difference.

Look at the April Fools patch note thread on the WoW forums. Look at the downvoted hidden posts. The people who think they are real and someone accidentally released them? Retarded. The people who are saying things like "reeeeeee why are you using my subscription dollars on JOKES AND HUMOR!?!?!!"? Autistic screeching.

[Aphrel]

Back in the day when someone did something stupid you could call them retarded, however nowadays that is seen as a major faux pas, and it's heavily fallen out of favor. For a while there was no real replacement, but lately I've noticed more and more that "autistic" is stepping up to take its place. I mean I think the *autistic screeching* meme is the biggest example of this. Whoever made this meme couldn't say "retarded screeching" so they had to go with autistic.

My problem with this is that using autism as a substitute for retard is just factually wrong. Autism is a spectrum...and most of the people who have it aren't at the level of "autistic screeching", not even close. For a lot of people autism basically means #1 You have trouble interpreting social cues and #2 you have extremely specific and intense interests. Most people you meet who have autism you wouldn't know they have it.

But I think more to the point is this...if you are using the word to reference severely autistic people then there is literally no difference between using the word "autistic" and "retarded"...people have just basically found a new way to say the same thing, but it doesn't have the social stigma around it yet so they feel fine saying it. My advice? Just don't use it...because if you're uncomfortable calling someone "retarded" then logically you should have the same moral qualms about calling someone "autistic".

This is what happens when SJWs starts banning words. Their use and sentiment gets transferd to a substitute.

[dope_danny]

Retard was incorrect word use to call someone stupid, Autistic is incorrect word use to say someone is either overreacting about something or behaving in a socially retarded, cringe worthy manner.

See Chris Chan.

[Queen of Hamsters]

Being autistic =/= being retarded. Many autistic people have a higher IQ that the average Joe.
People using "autistic" as an insult for pretty much everything, lands in the same ballpark as people using the word "gay" for everything that's negative in their world.

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Ill give you a quick example to illustrate the difference.

Look at the April Fools patch note thread on the WoW forums. Look at the downvoted hidden posts. The people who think they are real and someone accidentally released them? Retarded. The people who are saying things like "reeeeeee why are you using my subscription dollars on JOKES AND HUMOR!?!?!!"? Autistic screeching.

As someone with autism, I appreciate their April Fools jokes.

Going by statistics, most of those people going "reeeeeeeee", are NOT autistic in any shape or form. Not a very flattering fact for the normies.

[Deathquoi]

Being autistic =/= being retarded. Many autistic people have a higher IQ that the average Joe.
People using "autistic" as an insult for pretty much everything, lands in the same ballpark as people using the word "gay" for everything that's negative in their world.

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As someone with autism, I appreciate their April Fools jokes.

Going by statistics, most of those people going "reeeeeeeee", are NOT autistic in any shape or form. Not a very flattering fact for the normies.

I'm well aware that most things that are called "autistic" on the internet are not actually autistic. Most things that are called retarded aren't retarded either.