OT: Remember that time Joe Flacco said "the R-word" ... ?

**Sgt CouchPotato** · 05-21-2013, 05:44 PM

calling the word retard "the r-word" is retarded....

**Paintballguy** · 05-21-2013, 05:47 PM

Was it really a big deal? Flacco apologized after.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**Ravenalytics** · 05-21-2013, 05:50 PM

Joe as a public figure carries the responsibility to be a role model for the fans, and is a representative of the city of Baltimore. It's alright for you or I to toss the word around when we're at the bar, but imagine being a mentally handicapped kid back home in Maryland and seeing one of your heroes use a word you've been called and made fun of all your life for.

Imagine the backlash if he had said playing a SB in NYC would be "gay." Same idea. It's not hurtful to most people because the majority of us aren't affected by it. But precisely because in America we value the minority opinion and their right to live free and unencumbered by stigma, we should make sure our public figures exercise more discretion.

**ActualSpamBot** · 05-21-2013, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by Paintballguy

Was it really a big deal? Flacco apologized after.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No one is jumping down Joe's throat here, if anything the thread seemed to start out by praising him or clearly knowing it was a mistake to say it and further praising him for choosing to use his mistake in a positive way with this campaign. Some posters now seem to believe that this is somehow evidence that Joe is being mistreated and having his rights restricted.

**alien bird** · 05-21-2013, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by Paintballguy

Was it really a big deal? Flacco apologized after.

Yeah, it was a pretty big deal considering he was an official spokesperson for Maryland Special Olympics at the time he said it. That's quite a gaffe, and to his credit he realized it the moment he said it. He didn't mean to be insensitive, but that's what he was and he knew it. Forgivable, but still notable.

It's one of those words that's ingrained into our speech but probably shouldn't be. Had he called the selection of NY as the Super Bowl site "gay", people would have had a huge shit fit, so using "retarded" should elicit a similar outcry. It's not about being PC; it's about respecting people who aren't like you.

**Ravenswintitle** · 05-21-2013, 06:13 PM

If this offends you, you better not listen to rap

**Mista T** · 05-21-2013, 06:16 PM

Originally Posted by Losac

This thread is retarded... Oops.

Boy, you aren't kidding! "Retarded" was never a negative connotation until the fucking liberal profs decided to annex it into their dictionary of offensive terms (even though the majority of Americans were never offended).

To anyone who wants to deny my right to state what's on my mind: Fuck off!!!!!!

btw: this asinine thread goes right to Politics where y'all can hurl PC insults at each other while normal Americans go about their business w/o being guided by the Nazis on the Left who want to tell you how to speak.

**alien bird** · 05-21-2013, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by Mista T

Boy, you aren't kidding! "Retarded" was never a negative connotation until ....

So much irony there. It never had a negative connotation, yet that's exactly how people used it - to negatively describe something one didn't like.

Originally Posted by Mista T

even though the majority of Americans were never offended

That should never be the standard for determining acceptable behavior. I'll bet a majority of Americans aren't offended by a lot of things that offend minorities. Doesn't make it right.

**mmi16** · 05-21-2013, 06:35 PM

Freedom of speech does not grant one freedom of responsibility for what they said.

**HoustonRaven** · 05-21-2013, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by mmi16

Freedom of speech does not grant one freedom of responsibility for what they said.

This

**akashicrecorder** · 05-21-2013, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by ActualSpamBot

No one is jumping down Joe's throat here, if anything the thread seemed to start out by praising him or clearly knowing it was a mistake to say it and further praising him for choosing to use his mistake in a positive way with this campaign. Some posters now seem to believe that this is somehow evidence that Joe is being mistreated and having his rights restricted.

Correct. A few months ago when the board was discussing the word, I was in praise of Joe. This thread is not about rehashing that incident to bash him, because Joe handled himself immediately well when it happened.

This thread is WAY more about getting another active thread going on the OT board, as well as :DeadHorse:. Tee hee.

No but seriously, don't use the word "retarded" to disparage things. It makes you look bad and insensitive.

**Rookie** · 05-21-2013, 07:47 PM

I'll be honest. When I heard Joe say it the first time I thought "What's the big deal? He's just voicing his opinion strongly". But the points in this thread make sense.

While in theory it alright to say the word, think about people that do suffer everyday by being called "retarded" or "gay" or any other insults. If you care about those people then don't use the word because then you're supporting the hate culture that discriminates against those people.

If you don't care about those people then that's fine too. But when one day you either have a son or daughter who might be either retarded or gay/lesbian, or if you yourself one day have cancer or become an amputee and people make fun of you for it, don't go whining and complaining because you were with that same mob harassing other people.

Don't do to others what you don't want to be done to you.