Why f*cktard ain’t cool anymore…(not that “ain’t” has been cool, like ever)

I had a very different post planned for tonight.  So different, in fact, that I’m not even sure I’ll finish the crappy drawings by tomorrow.  Here’s the thing.

The word “retard” is bad.  For a lot of reasons.  I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve used its funnier brothers “fucktard” and “fuckwit.”  Because, well, they seemed funny.  But not anymore.  Any word that has any “retard” connotations just isn’t funny anymore.

You guys have heard me spew the amazingness of two of my special needs mommy blogger friends a lot, here, because they are two that I found early on.  Ones that made me feel less alone.  They have amazing voices.

They both posted about the r-word yesterday.  Jillsmo at Yeah. Good Times. said “I am not asking anybody to change; I am asking you to think. If, after reading this, you will still go about your life calling your friends retards, well, that’s your choice, of course. But you’re an asshole for it.”  She’s right.  Read her post.

And Ellen, at Love that Max, posted a test about its usage yesterday and wrote an amazing article on Babble today.  She wrote “…in hopes of helping lots of people get it, I asked parents of kids with special needs to speak their minds—and their hearts—about why the word “retard” is so, so offensive.  These are the reasons they can’t stand the word. Read. Absorb. Understand.  Thank you.”

I know.  Goosebumps, right?  She was kind enough to include a brief quote from me and a photo of Tucker and me.

Thank both of them for being smarter and wiser than the rest of us.  And THINK about the next time you use the r-word.  Kids like mine might someday be gutted by it.

Please.  Think about it.

And tomorrow, I promise crappy drawings.  Maybe even later tonight.