Thursday, December 18, 2008
Lottery - "Retarded"
At several points in the novel, various characters use the word “retarded.” How do you feel about this word and the other words that we use to describe mental and physical challenges?
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This is certainly a hot button issue. Is it true that "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me" as the children's rhyme says? Depends in the times. It is a little strange that Perry can come up with definitions for other words that unmask and disempower people's bad intentions but the word "retarded" unhinges him. Why didn't he just redefine that word instead of accepting others' definition? On the issue of disabilities I once came across the saying that we are all disabled in one way or another; some people's are just more obvious. I try to use the politically correct term rather than risk insulting someone but it can be overkill. There's something to be said for simplicity.
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