Healthcare professionals using insulting language

[cayenne06]

What is up with educated professionals, especially HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS, using terms like gay or retard as insults? Don't we know better? Listen, if you are someone who uses either of these terms in a derogatory way, you need to check yourself and realize that it is thoughtless and mean to do so.

I like this article:http://phoebeholmes.com/2011/12/23/being-retarded/

Please discuss.

[SDALPN]

I chose to watch what I say at work....I work with peds and I'm careful with the language I use. I also am careful because I can influence kids without realizing it.

However, as with ANY word we use, it is a sound. If a sound is offensive to you, there is a much deeper issue. As an adult you can ignore it or realize that chances are the person meant no harm. The person making the comment (sound) had no intentions of insulting your family/friend and it wasn't directed at them. Language will continue to change and one day we will laugh at those words as being offensive and have new words that are offensive. Look back at old words that were offensive that we laugh at today. Too many people are way too sensitive. I don't care what a nurse or any other person has to say....someone will be offended in some way. Quite annoying in my opinion. If people weren't so sensitive, this wouldn't be an issue to begin with.

I work with mentally challenged kids. I simply don't use the word "retard". Haven't said it since I was a kid and it was an accepted word at the time. But if I heard another nurse use the term or even a family member, I'd just ignore it. Its the adult thing to do.

[sutelibunn]

So you could easily use the term retarded in front of a mom with a mentally and or physically challenged kid and not feel akward?

No, not if I used it to mean slow, delayed, hindered, or impeded, because that's what the word "retard" means. The definition by which you and other people are getting upset about is the slang definition. You can take any word and make it an insult if you tried hard enough. It's all in the connotation implied by the speaker and the interpretation of the listener. I once saw a person berate a British man for walking up to a friend and asking for a "***". He was asking for a cigarette, because that's the common colloquial term where he comes from, but this other person didn't know that and didn't bother to attempt to decipher the meaning behind his use of the word. All they heard was what they misinterpreted as a "bad word", and that required, in their mind, a good and thorough reprimanding. It was a glorious display of ignorance and foolishness but a good laugh was had once the situation was carefully explained to the myopic person.

[giveface]

And sidenote: I made for some serious awkwardness the other night. My hubs had 2 friends over to watch a big bball game on tv. I was watching with them and one of his friends said "something or other blah blah f**got!" ummmm I muted the television STAT. I told him that is not a word we use in our house and if he feels the need to use it again to please step outside. Sorry I just couldn't hold my tongue... Something about f**got just really hurts my heart extra deep. Oops! I guess that friend will either respect me more now or not come hang out anymore at our house... Either way, works for me!

Bravo RN in training. Your response to this ugly word warms my heart during a blizzard outdoors. You rock!

[giveface]

All I can say is that it is the group being in which the comment is being said about that gets to decide if it is hurtful or not. I personally am a gay man and I liken the use of the word f**** with the "N" word. You just absolutely never, under any circumstances use it. You just don't use it! At least to me. These are words that have historically been used to silence, trivialize, demoralize and otherwise dehumanize a specific group of people. If those who said these things only realized how they cut like a knife. I now call out other grown men on the use of the word F****. I tell them it is extremely offensive, which it is!

[rubato, ASN, RN]

I think the word "retarded" has a place in society. It has a definition of: slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic progress. However, to use the word to mean "stupid" makes me furious. You are insulting the truly developmentally challenged by grouping the stupid acting people in with them. My husband used to say the word that way. When I explained that, to me, the word is not insulting, but the way he uses it is, he stopped immediately. Same for the word gay. There are gay people. To use it to insult someone is horrible, but the word itself is not a bad word.

The one that I'm having trouble with now is the word ginger. My son is a red head. When did the word ginger become a "bad" word. They have banned the word in his middle school!

[Merlyn]

I've always told my children that using words like these in a way to hurt others, as well as curse words, is simply a sign of a poor vocabulary and limited intelligence. Of course, my oldest can now insult people in such a way that they don't realize they've been insulted, but that is another battle altogether

He practices Irish Diplomacy= The ability to tell a man to go to Hell, so he looks forward to the trip.

[Merlyn]

I think the word "retarded" has a place in society. It has a definition of: slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic progress. However, to use the word to mean "stupid" makes me furious. You are insulting the truly developmentally challenged by grouping the stupid acting people in with them. My husband used to say the word that way. When I explained that, to me, the word is not insulting, but the way he uses it is, he stopped immediately. Same for the word gay. There are gay people. To use it to insult someone is horrible, but the word itself is not a bad word.

The one that I'm having trouble with now is the word ginger. My son is a red head. When did the word ginger become a "bad" word. They have banned the word in his middle school!

Tell your son to be Proud. Many Pharaohs of Egypt were red headed including Ramses the Great, The Tudors of England, Thomas Jefferson, Aristotle, Napoleon and yours truly. We are a fiery lot.

[rubato, ASN, RN]

Tell your son to be Proud. Many Pharaohs of Egypt were red headed including Ramses the Great, The Tudors of England, Thomas Jefferson, Aristotle, Napoleon and yours truly. We are a fiery lot.

Yes, he is in great company! And boy is he fiery!

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

No, not if I used it to mean slow, delayed, hindered, or impeded, because that's what the word "retard" means. The definition by which you and other people are getting upset about is the slang definition. You can take any word and make it an insult if you tried hard enough. It's all in the connotation implied by the speaker and the interpretation of the listener. I once saw a person berate a British man for walking up to a friend and asking for a "***". He was asking for a cigarette, because that's the common colloquial term where he comes from, but this other person didn't know that and didn't bother to attempt to decipher the meaning behind his use of the word. All they heard was what they misinterpreted as a "bad word", and that required, in their mind, a good and thorough reprimanding. It was a glorious display of ignorance and foolishness but a good laugh was had once the situation was carefully explained to the myopic person.

Why not simply say challenged/slow other than retard? There are other words you can use, as you just mentioned.

For the record, I'm not myopic, but I do know where to draw the line and sound like an educated individual.

[nursel56]

I think the word "retarded" has a place in society. It has a definition of: slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic progress.

I rarely hear it used in the context of human intelligence anymore at least when my son was being evaluated by Special Ed. I discovered a blizzard of new terminology and alphabet soup of the various Learning Disabilities. "Retarded" will probably follow the fate of the words "imbecile" and "idiot" and "Mongoloid". Those were once considered medical terms as well.

The one that I'm having trouble with now is the word ginger. My son is a red head. When did the word ginger become a "bad" word. They have banned the word in his middle school!

South Park? Season 9 Ep 11 November 9, 2005.Not a show appropriate for middle schoolers! Do parents think animated means safe stuff like Bugs Bunny or Toy Story? Anyway I adore red hair - I think people who have natural red hair are lucky. Wear sunscreen! ! (that's my prior job in dermatology talking) :)