Huge Pet Peeve of Mine

Agreed to everything stated. Where's the humor in comparing someone who may be a person making ignorant choices to someone who has a true mental disability? I have been known to use the word "moron" in the past, but that's an indicator of a person who is capable of knowing better, which is entirely different than someone who simply cannot help themselves. I have never condoned making fun of someone with a mental handicap, and haven't used the word "retard" since was old enough to understand what it meant.

Ditto Tino, it is not as widely used over here, but without wishing to offend Tino of course, I'm a bit younger than him and have seen it start to creep in to UK "culture", much as an Americanism.

As it happens, I can't support this video enough. I'm a mid-20's stroke victim myself, brother to a severely mentally handicapped sister, and have discovered today I'm also a father to an autism-diagnosed daughter (the diagnosis of Daisy as anything on the Autism spectrum is bollocks, IMHO, but there we go).

If I may, I'd like to suggest that maybe "retard" has become like swearing; unintelligent people resort to it because they are not articulate enough to express themselves by any other means.

It really does amaze me that this word is so widely used over there. Its almost obsolete here, I haven't heard it used in the UK for a very long time. Guess you just cant account for ignorance!