There’s a clear campaign against the mentally ill with the global rise of fascism. Lots of it shows up in anti homeless rhetoric, but you can see it in the MAHA and anti vaccination movements.
There’s no reason to use the word “r-tarded” to describe someone. As someone who’s worked with the intellectually challenged, it’s an insult to them to compare them with people who are willfully ignorant.
It’s funny how this thread is full of, “But muh euphemism treadmill!” and “if you stop using that, you’d also have to stop using words like ‘idiot!’” Well then, maybe we should take it further then.
Most of the time, when I have a problem with someone, it’s not really about their intelligence, which isn’t really something they can control or change. More often, it’s because of things like chauvanism, arrogance, or willful ignorance and anti-intellectualism.
I’m certainly not perfect in that regard, but in principle, the language that we use shapes our thoughts more than we realize, and attributing problems to people’s lack of intelligence rather than accurately identifying what the problem is generally isn’t very constructive or productive. There are valid reasons to avoid such language.
The reasons for using it are much less valid, and generally boil down to “but I don’t wanna!” “But then it might be extended to other words, and I don’t wanna!”
The point of an insult is to insult someone. You’re not going to rile anyone up calling them a chauvinist, arrogant, willfully ignorant, or anti-intellectual. It’s the intention and emotion behind the words that matter, not necessarily the words themselves. If anything, it’s our thoughts that shape our language more so than the other way around.