Strapping Young Lad wrote:
A global radio show is about as inclusive of an audience as you'll find, therefore he is using the word in front of handicap children, adults, and parents of the children.
The word was not used in a derogatory manner. It would never have been mentioned on the program had the PC crowd not tried to use the Rahm comment as a political wedge.
The word "retard" is shortened from Mental Retardation so, in fact, it's unlike the use of the word moron, idiot, or whatever else.....
So. You think that makes it any different. It is just like the term moron. Moron was once a scientific term used to describe a mental condition. At some point it became an offensive term. Retardardation is also going in the same direction. Government agencies meant to deal with the mentally disabled are dropping retardardation. In Ohio what used to be MRDD is now DODD.
Wikipedia:
"Moron" was coined in 1910 by psychologist Henry H. Goddard[3] from the Ancient Greek word ????? (moros), which meant "dull" (as opposed to "sharp"), and used to describe a person with a mental age located between 8 and 12 on the Binet scale.[4] It was once applied to people with an IQ of 51-70, being superior in one degree to "imbecile" (IQ of 26-50) and superior in two degrees to "idiot" (IQ of 0-25). The word moron, along with others including "retarded", "idiotic", "imbecilic", "stupid", and "feeble-minded", was formerly considered a valid descriptor in the psychological community, but it is now deprecated by psychologists.[5]
I'm certainly not PC, but poking fun at the less fortunate is not my idea of entertainment and certainly not in the middle of the afternoon. Satire involving handicapped people is about as low as it gets, so it doesn't shock me that Rush is involved. And it also is not surprising that Palin is selling-out to the talking head of Republican douchebaggery.
Rush was not poking fun at the less fortunate. If you believe that you are reading some media bastardization (Oh no! Did I just offend illegitemate children) of his comments. I am sure you can't stand Rush and I can't stand Rahm, but neither of them would ever poke fun or disparage those less fortunate. I refuse to buy into the PC winds of the day. You can make your own choice.