Writer's misuse of word angers, offends student

I would like to take up this short piece of newspaper space to point out an extremity in Friday's paper. A certain senior columnist referred to a particular issue as "retarded". What does the word retarded actually mean? According to dictionary.com, retarded means — adj: relatively slow in mental or emotional or physical development. Now, let me ask this person a few questions. What sort of retardation does "Sweetest Day" have? Does it have a form of down syndrome or cerebral palsy? Or is it a physical deformation? I find it aggravating when people, such as yourself, use serious words that describe entire segments of people as negative adjectives, thus insinuating that the word "retarded" is a negative connotation. Would you ever use such a word when speaking to a parent of a child that has a disorder of any form? My guess is most likely not. Maybe next time you will take into consideration the minorities and refrain from using their actual names as adjectives describing things you find to be ridiculous. Oh, look, there's a word for you to use, ridiculous.

Jennifer Robb

Freshman, School of Liberal Arts

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Writer's misuse of word angers, offends student

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