I KNOW "peruse" was a typo and we all make them, but for the life of me I cannot imagine what the real word was.

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I too have a sister who is mentally retarded, although she is "severely mentally retarded". I wholeheartedly agree with your point. I sometimes think people who use euphemistic or politically correct terms use them because they are uncomfortable with things that are tabu. Also, Just because some people use the word "retard" to degrade people does not make the word itself incorrect. It's the mean or ignorant people who give a word a negative connotation who are the problem, not the word itself. Changing words or terminology does not change the minds of ignorant or mean people.

When I was growing up people made fun of me because I was really skinny. I had no problem with the word, I just had a problem with the jerks who made it their business to point it out.

I grew up with a sister who at the time was referred to as "mentally retarded." It meant simply that, her mental functions were retarded or "slow compared to the norm." It was not offensive then, and I do not consider the term offensive now. Words are simply words, they become offensive only in the context or tone they are used in. To say a child with brain illness is "mentally retarded" is simply statement of fact. To label someone you don't like a "retard" could indeed be offensive. But to label a word offensive when it's just being used with its defined intent is offensive in itself.
We now have a culture where "PC," Politically Correct, has just become to pervasive. To the families and friends of mentally handicapped people, they are mentally retarded, accept that fact. The term is not derogatory, it is simply a statement of fact.

While I'm not one for censorship...people ARE offended by words...and we should use discression and tact when using certain words....and ALSO make sure we are NOT quoted out of context.

That being said...here are some other RACIST words that are commonly used in conversations and even in media:

GYPPED
PADDY WAGON
HOOLIGAN
WASP

Yet we NEVER question when those words are used....!

Teabagger?

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Ah the good old days when ni--er and fa--ot were used in their intended ways.

Peruser? That's an insult?

What'samatter with you? You some kinda... intellectually challenged guy?

this whole issue is retarded.

Certain individuals in society are retarded; that is to say their intellectual, emotional, or physical growth has been stunted (birth defect, brain injury, etc...) in some way making them fall below the average for the remainder of society in certain areas.

Granted it is frequently used to mean something other than its original intended meaning, but so are a lot of words- nigger, faggot, peruse, sociopath, psychotic, etc...

This is what happens when the uneducated are allowed to dictate the vocabulary of those who understand the meanings of words.

Referring to a handicapped child as exceptional or special does them a disservice because it allows society to dismiss their unique needs. All (well most) members of society have value and need to be viewed as they are- not according to some politically correct bullshit.

What's next?

Pretty soon the JJ won't even tell us the ethnicity of violent crime suspects walking the streets....

Oh wait......

The reason this effort has been started is to combat the negativity of people who would prefer to classify intellectually challenged individuals as "retards" or "retarded". Not only is "retarded" a highly subjective and pejorative term it is also medically inaccurate in many instances.

No one is asking for any special status or privileges for those with special needs or challenges. Just an opprotunity for these folks to get the services they need to become productive members of society. Or we can just revert to the good old days when the "retards" were locked away and were the dirty family secret.

Sorry,
The word SPECIAL already has a meaning; it means extraordinary.
And so does the word retarded; it mean SLOW.

The word retarded may be "hurtful" but only because it decribes pretty well the hurtful situation with these unfortunates. Calling them something they are not, like the silly word SPECIAL, tries to make them into something they are not and it spoils the meaning of the word when used to describe a great human being who really IS special.

A parent who tells these retarded kids they are just as smart as everyone else is not doing any more good than a parent telling a child he does NOT have leukemia when he does, or even calling a short child TALL.

I am tired of people mangling the language in an attempt to disguise reality. And it's happening more and more.

Don't click if this topic offends you:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29257

It's okay when your a political humorist using satire.
Sarah Palin said so.

Jersey-City schoolschildren launch campaign to stop using the word "retarded"

Monday, March 08, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Singing along to the '70s Queen song, 2,500 Jersey City school children "rocked" the Victor R. Yanitelli Center at St. Peter's College on Friday, as part of a campaign against the word "retarded."

They performed original skits, read poems and belted out Aretha Franklin's hit asking for a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

The event, a partnership between the Special Olympics New Jersey and the school district, is part of the Special Olympics' national campaign to stop the use of the R-word.

While it may not be a curse, to the Special Olympics, the word "retarded" is hurtful. So the organization has launched "Project Unify: Spread the word to end the word."

The New Jersey chapter chose Jersey City to launch its campaign because the city has partnered with the Special Olympics for 30 years.

Marc Edenzon, president of Special Olympics New Jersey, said he hopes Jersey City will serve as a model for other district. He said the district has inclusion classes that integrate special education and general education schools.

The program at St. Peter's, which seemed more like a respect-themed talent show, exceeded his expectations. "Not only did they (the students) embrace it (the message), but I think they demonstrated probably at the highest level a sincere understanding of what needs to take place when they go back to their school," he said.

Nine-year-old Dana Abdelsalam, a third-grader at School 33, said"I realized the more respect you have the better you are."