I wasn’t trying to defend it’s usage as an insult, rather I pointed out that more likely than not, you wouldn’t have cared if he used any other term that is interchangeable in that context.
I choose this word carefully - don’t be an idiot.
I can understand this, but Frink can never shut up about how [phrase or word used] is offensive. It seems to me that he’s just one of those people, and like I said, I don’t want to sound offensive, but he just has to read stuff that way. You do realize that there are almost zero insulting phrases that don’t originate from an illness, mutation, or sex. The word “dumb” is the same, just like “stupid”, “idiot”, etc.
Words like “dumb” and “stupid” and “idiot” are not interchangeable with “retarded.” That’s the whole fucking point. No one says “there’s a girl in our class who has a teacher’s aide with her at all times, I think it’s because she’s an idiot.” If you are interchanging words that are used as insults with the word retarded, you’re the idiot. But you aren’t retarded.
I meant they are interchangeable as insults, not by literal definition. Don’t be an idiot. His statement was an “or do I sound retarded?”. In this context, you can switch “retarded” with “stupid”, or “like an idiot”, or “like a moron”.
“or do I sound stupid?”
“or do I sound like an idiot?”
“or do I sound like a moron?”
This is what I was referring to. My original post on the subject was saying that if it was any of these alternate insulting terms, you probably wouldn’t have seen the offense in the post, because modern culture is hypocritical.
EDIT: Just remembered that my original post didn’t say exactly that, so I’m not sure why I wrote that at first:
…except the use of “retarded” which I continue to be offended by.
If he had used the word slow, I doubt you would be offended.
I’m obviously not getting through to you. If he said “I acted like an idiot” of course that’s fine. He’s insulting himself by saying what he did was stupid. If he says “I acted retarded” then he’s insulting himself but insulting mentally retarded people by association at the same time. “I acted retarded” and “I acted stupid” are not interchangeable because only one applies to people who are mentally retarded. Again, no one calls a mentally retarded person “stupid” unless they’re complete assholes. Most people who use “retarded” as an interchange with “stupid” are not assholes, but just don’t think about what it means. When it’s pointed out to them, some people apologize, and some people dig their heels in for some goddamn fucking stupid reason. You seem to be the latter.
And before you bring it up, I know you apologized, but I sensed it wasn’t genuine, and it’s been borne out that I was right.
FWIW, I think “slow” is in a grey area because it is sometimes used synonymously with “stupid” and sometimes with “retarded.”