I know, right? Its like they’re whining “Awww, but I want to keep being an ignorant, callous asshole! Not fair!”

it also blows my mind how many people (as evidenced by this comments section!) are so dedicated to using the word as a derogatory term! this should not be a fight you or i or anyone else should have to have! empathy is a good thing!

it is truly baffling that this is not every single person’s response to this type of comment - whether it be in person or on the internet. thank you thank you thank you for this.

At some point, someone’s going to say something about how political correctness denies them the right to say things that used to be OK...

And the thing is, what they really mean is, they’re not smart enough to be able to not be an asshole. When they look at someone, all they can see is the surface and that scares them,…

We did screen and our kid is amazing - another silver lining!

My younger brother is autistic with cerebral palsy. My older brother and I always looked out for him. We all had each others back. When the older one and I went off to college ( 2 years apart), we couldn’t always be there to protect the young one from jibes and humilation that others forced upon him. My younger…

I loved this. Thanks for sharing!

I read the book. It’s actually quite good. The best part was when she paddled up the Amazon river, was attacked by alligators and rabid penguins, but was saved when she rode away in the pouch of a giant kangaroo. Those are all animals I have seen on TV, so I am sure it happened for real.

Not at all painful, asshole. First, you realize that not every condition is the same, right? And second, regardless of the condition that someone has, they’re entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. That is, until they demonstrate that they’re nothing more than a subhuman piece of shit, like you. Then I’ll…

I hope your guess was sarcastic. If not, please turn the greys on and be prepared for sorrow.

So go ahead and mock people who have cognitive or physical disabilities for whatever it is that they’ve done that deserves mocking, NOT for the fact of having a disability. How is that distinction difficult for you to understand?

In the same position, as I posted in reply to someone else’s comment above. It’s not the physical aspects of his disability that scare me, it’s the knowledge that he’s going to face this kind of bullying at some point in his life. Best of luck to you and your son.

Feel free to say what you want, and the rest of us will feel free to conclude you’re an asshole. There’s no difference. Both instances are intended to mock someone by insinuating that they’re a person with cognitive disabilities, and by extension, that people with cognitive disabilities deserve mocking. So fuck you.

I have a cousin who is a high-functioning person with Down’s Syndrome. Our families are close, so I’ve been around him my entire life. Probably because of my experience with my cousin, I’ve spent much of the past decade regularly volunteering for Special Olympic events throughout my state and local region.

Thank you for this. I fight with people all the time about saying “retarded”. It blows my mind how many people still say it.

Also unacceptable: spaz. It derives from spastic, which is a valid medical term referring to muscle tone, but was often used interchangeably with cerebral palsy, eg Sean’s a spastic would mean Sean has cerebral palsy.

Thank you for this. My youngest son was born with slew of medical conditions. He’s two now, and right on track intellectually, but he’s far behind from a physical perspective. I dread the thought of him dealing with this kind of bullshit, but fear that it’s inevitable at some point in his life.

thanks for sharing man. i don’t think i was ever the kid who mocked disabled kids at my school, but i was certainly one of the friends who laughed along even though i knew it was wrong. for that i truly and sincerly apologize. i’m teaching my children to do better than i did.

Spoiler: he dead.

In tribute to Ms. Linton, I am also announcing my new memoir, recounting the time I sailed up the Congo River to search for a mysterious ivory trader named Kurtz.