Board Thread:General Wiki Discussion/@comment-24011918-20131214001227/@comment-24486926-20131216173317

The Bitter Cold wrote: Noothgrush wrote: Actually, yes it is. Maybe not in mainstream media, but it is used by a huge majority of people to describe those with mental deficencies. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/developmentaldisabilities.html

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/recognizing-developmental-delays-your-child-ages-3-5

http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/dd

http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/devdel.htm

None of these websites use the word "retard," and the last link is careful to mention that intellectual disabilities are historically known as "mental retardation." In fact, contrary to your assertion, the only people who really use the term "retard" are the mainstream media. It does not matter. A doctor can say all they want that "retard" is no longer the word, but that doesn't stop the person from getting offended, now does it?

Especially with people finging it around like "That's retarded" or "X thing is retarded." Means no harm, but it still causes it. If you fling a cactus up in the air just for the hell of it, it has the distinct possibility of hitting someone. Maybe you'll get that analogy.