this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2025
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[–] Auli@lemmy.ca -2 points 6 days ago (3 children)

How could this word even be removed. Unlike the N word it actually has legitimate uses. I didn't even know it was "bad" to say.

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[–] ceenote@lemmy.world 211 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It must be nice to have so much money and freedom from consequences that that's the kind of thing that bothers you.

[–] gamer@lemm.ee 71 points 1 week ago

Or such little money and brain cells that that's the thing that inspires you to go out and vote against your own interests

[–] Norin@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I’m absolutely convinced that there’s a certain threshold of money/power/privilege that just destroys a person’s humanity.

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[–] Tempus_Fugit@midwest.social 190 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Lol, I'll never understand these people. The word "retard" was never gone. At no point was it illegal or impossible to say it, similar to any other word. The worst consequence for saying something that's bound to piss people off is just that, pissed off people. You never faced jail time and I can't think of anyone "canceled" for it.

[–] resipsaloquitur@lemm.ee 62 points 1 week ago (2 children)

They want to drop the hard R with zero blowback.

[–] Tempus_Fugit@midwest.social 36 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Unfortunately for them they don't get to control how others feel about it. They're free to say it at any time though. All the redneck cowards I live near use it all the time, when no black people are around.

[–] resipsaloquitur@lemm.ee 24 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Racists and cowards. Lovely.

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[–] Scott_of_the_Arctic@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Ain't no-one calling me ginger and getting away with it!

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[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago

The word "re----" was

The gusp I gasped was so intense that I broke the pearls I was clutching.

[–] Yoga@lemmy.ca 17 points 1 week ago

Reported to the FBI for saying the R word

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[–] circuitfarmer@lemmy.world 88 points 1 week ago (10 children)

It never left. Using it still makes you look like an asshole.

All these "free speech absolutists" still don't realize that free speech does not mean immunity from consequences of that speech from your fellow citizens. It's almost like they just haven't paid attention for their entire lives.

[–] SoupBrick@pawb.social 44 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I mean, their position falls apart when you ask them what they think about the college students being oppressed for protesting.

They do not care about free speech. They care about experiencing social consequences when using hate speech.

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[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 70 points 1 week ago

Make Hate Great Again?

Some fucking people man... Their entire identity is hatred and gargling Trump's balls...

[–] lobut@lemmy.ca 58 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Joe Rogan also claimed Musk did a roman salute and how we are all crazy for thinking it's a nazi salute.

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 52 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] el_bhm@lemm.ee 18 points 1 week ago

Lets call it N word salute and see what the ratards do.

Goodness gratious, comedy is alive again.

[–] My_IFAKs___gone@lemmy.world 49 points 1 week ago (6 children)

How about it's just in poor taste to use it and its use probably says more about the user than the target?

And, if you use it, just be prepared for someone to take exception to you using it and you might just trigger yourself an ass beating or some other adverse consequence. Kind of like playing with fire crackers or bullet ants. Maybe, just maybe, you can find a better way to insult someone that's a little more clever and incisive and makes you look like less of an ignorant asshole.

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[–] ajay1@feddit.uk 42 points 1 week ago

Divorced middle aged dad energy

[–] djsoren19@lemmy.blahaj.zone 37 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Wonder how long he would think this if everyone just started introducing him as "The Retard, Joe Rogan." I'd bet the very millisecond it started to affect him personally, he'd be changing his tune. These fucking ghouls don't want freedom of speech, they want the ability to police OUR speech.

[–] Scott_of_the_Arctic@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Isn't that how people already refer to him?

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[–] Geetnerd@lemmy.world 30 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

I'm not a Rogan fan, and don't agree with him on almost anything.

However, I'm a few years younger than him, and grew up with the word as an insult, the same as him. This was back when the absolute worst insults you could call a dude was the "F" bomb, and a girl the "C" bomb. The "R" bomb was fairly tame. It was a mild insult between friends, like "idiot," "dumbass," or "asshole."

So, I really don't have a problem with it, EXCEPT when it's used to hatefully mock an actual retarded person, THEN it's a different story. A furious different story. I had an older uncle who was severely retarded, and a girlfriend whose sister who was, also.

And yes, I know times change, and yes, "If it was about somebody you cared about..." I get it. It still doesn't bother me unless it's to harm someone actually that way. And yes, I realize he's stated what he stated to get attention. Fuck him.

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[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 29 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It never went anywhere, there was just a heavily monied effort to quite literally equate it with the n-word.

In the immortal words of George Carlin "it's bullshit, and it's bad for you."

This entire subject is a distraction. Stay focused on the major problems these clowns are creating, and we can all have a war of words when the fascists have been expelled from the highest eschilons of the US government.

[–] Red_October@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Just in case anyone had begun to consider that Joe Rogan is anything but an absolute infected boil on the ass of civilization.

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[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 26 points 1 week ago

The only way I'd be ok with Rogan using that term is if he publicly discloses the results of an IQ test and he got sub 70...

And even then, it would only be ok if he was self identifying as that label, not calling anyone he can't understand that.

[–] DrownedRats@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Honestly, if the culture war has been going on this long and the "greatest victory" they can show for it is feeling comfortable using the r slur again, thats just deeply sad for them lol.

[–] witnessbolt@lemm.ee 31 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (9 children)

I think wayyyyy more people than you realize say it. Even people you think are raging leftists. Most of us got quiet because we in general agree with left leaning things. Feel free to skim my profile...

But man... fucking EVERYONE says retarded. I'm very left leaning. Once I got away from a few select people... it was genuinely kind of a culture shock for me how many people say it lol.

I'm not advocating for people to just sling it like crazy.. and I know in a way that's kind of what's gonna happen to SOME EXTENT... but as someone who tried to push other folks toward not saying this in the past....

I 100% think it's a lost cause. I don't think it's going away. I don't personally think it's ableist and never did.

To make a comparison, from my perspective, it's kind of like turning the word "insane" into a slur.... we did some reaaaal bad things to people under the veil they were "insane." We put people in jail and mental hospital for most of their lives. We fried their brains with medication and lobotomized them both chemically and physically. It's not as common, but it is 100% an insult to tell someone they are insane or acting insane (I mean if they're bashing their skull into a tree or somethin that IS insane but that would also be an extreme example to call someone retarded over)

But we don't get upset about calling people insane today... everything has context and I think the context of retard has moved on from why people are offended.

A more apt comparison is being equally mad you called someone slow... I mean... retard is literally a word for slow in French... it kinda really only become ableist when someone wants it to be interpreted that way. At what point is simply calling someone stupid not also then ableist? Are we gonna crucify people if they use any other insult beyond "ignorant" that doesn't indicate the insultee's willingness in their stupidity? Or is "you lack/display a lack of intelligence" (the definition of stupidity) somehow more classy than slow and retarded in your eyes?

My 2c is that unless you expect to erase the word (you're not going to) you're better off helping to change the meaning in common view (most of us just think it means ya RLY RLY fkin dumb but use a word beyond stupid or idiot) and steal it back from them. Grinding to death and dividing OURSELVES internally over shit this nonsensical is killing us.

It's an easy code switch that uses their language against them and makes you more credible in their eyes 🤷🏻 as an ally I'm just saying not every battle can be won the way you originally wanted it to be

TLDR: bunch of different justifications for why I call MAGATs retards when they make stupid points in arguments

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[–] tacofox@lemm.ee 24 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I hate this guy almost as much as Asmond Gold. Who I fear is much more insidious going after young impressionable “gamers”

[–] PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 26 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Asmond Gold sounds like the cheapest pack of cigarettes.

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[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 24 points 1 week ago

As the saying goes:

Don't mock bacteria, it's the only culture some people have

[–] doingthestuff@lemy.lol 23 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Honestly it was the politically correct word in the 80s, although it was simultaneously used as a slur. A lot of those people are still alive and just hate having to constantly change to new language.

[–] FlyingSpaceCow@lemmy.ca 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Every time we come up with a technical term to describe people with medical impairments to their intelligence, people begin using it as an insult.

I guess here's hoping "intellectually disabled" doesn't catch on (hopefully too wordy).

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[–] dumblederp@aussie.zone 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Personally I don't really care about these words getting used outside of hateful intent, except that their continued casual use leaves the door open for haters to use the words. I grew up with a bunch of aboriginals who used abbo, widely considered a slur in Australia. I don't use it anymore because it leaves the door open for haters to use the word. I will call some of my gay friends poof, another semi slur, but only in private. It's not about your intent when using the word, it's about the effect on society when the word gets used.

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[–] rustyfish@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago

So the steroids got to his last brain cells. Good for him.

[–] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

is this where i say that we should cal him "Whee Rogan The Little" ?

using WRTL as an abbreviation is permitted and encouraged.

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[–] Gates9@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 week ago (5 children)

I’ve had a bad habit of using the word and every time I do I feel like an asshole, attaching Rogans name to it is an excellent deterrent mnemonic device.

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[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 16 points 1 week ago

Was he really slammed though?

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