this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2026
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Leopards Ate My Face
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The "r" word isn't specific to mental shortcomings. That's slang and is shortened from the actual mental-specific terms. It is used a lot for its proper meaning in many fields, one of which is obviously medicine.
Just like any sound that comes from a mouth, it's not the letters, it's the intent. If we start erasing words because people lack any knowledge of them, we'd need to readdress the entire language. In this case, people use a short-form of it (the word only) to incorrectly disparage a person with a condition they do not have. Such as idiot, moron, spastic, etc. which all have the same historical weight and use as retard, so are no different. The only difference is a lack of knowledge and defaulting to being offended, which is exactly what the person saying it as slang intended.
That intent could be with any word.