Ending the R-word

One thing I don't understand about our society today is why people think that other with mental disabilities are so inferior to them. A person is a person, and it doesn't matter if they have any kind of setback, at all. People use the "R-word" so regularly nowadays, as a way to describe something as stupid or weird. I understand that a majority of people don't mean direct offense when they say it, but what they are implying couldn't get any more rude if they tried.

People think that they have to treat those with disabilities in a different way, but you don't. Having worked with kids who have Autism and Down's Syndrome, I can tell you from firsthand experience that we can all learn something from these kids. They are happy, they live in the moment, they're grateful, and they certainly don't judge other people. 

I think everyone who insinuates that people with mental disabilities are stupid, or never going to make it in the real world should spend time with someone who actually lives with the condition, and then tell us all if they still think they same way. There are so many other words that you can use to imply that you think something is idiotic or stupid, but in doing so, you don't need to cut down something a person can't even control. You don't use slang terms that cut down a group of people who are the same race, so why is it okay to use slang words that cut down a group of people with mental disabilities? Truly, using the R-word in everyday life is nothing but a lack of respect and class, and everyone should think about that before the next time they say.

"Everyone has a gift and the world would be better off if we recognized it." -Timothy Shriver 

(Chairman and CEO of Special Olympics)