By Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson.

Refuting an op-ed in support of the use of the word “retard,” Gerson says what is worst about the current public conversation is “a dismissive attitude toward the struggles of the disabled.”

People who wish to understand the context of the current debate, Gerson says, would do well to study a prominent 20th century American movement that sought to direct human evolution by eliminating the supply of people with developmental and physical disabilities in the population. Called the eugenics movement, it targeted for elimination a number of groups identified as “socially unfit,” including the “feebleminded,” “epileptics,” the “insane,” the “deformed,” and the “deaf.” Forced sterilization of the “unfit” was endorsed by the U.S. Supreme Court and did not end in the United States until the 1970s.

An excerpt:

Given this history, the r-word does not seem so innocuous. And defending it does not seem so heroic. [Christopher M.] Fairman can have his cherished f-word, which merely soils and trivializes the sex act. But defending the r-word is not the protection of free expression; it is the defense of bullies.

… There is not an exact correlation between vileness of speech and vileness of character, but there is a rough correlation. Words such as the r-word and the n-word often reveal aggression, contempt and hatred. They are a form of verbal violence. In these cases, what Fairman calls “self-censorship” is really kindness and moral judgment. And what he regards as free expression is just rude, abusive and cruel.

… Yes, government involvement in the censorship of words is dangerous. But what the Special Olympics is proposing –- encouraging people to take a personal pledge against the derogatory use of the r-word –- is not government censorship, it is social stigma. In this case, such stigma is a sign of moral maturity.

I have signed the pledge at www.r-word.org. I hope you do as well.

Related columns by Michael Gerson.

Roy Richard Grinker, writing an op-ed in the New York Times, endorses a proposal by the American Psychiatric Association to fold Asperger’s disorder into the broader category of autism spectrum disorder. An excerpt:

The change is welcome, because careful study of people with Asperger’s has demonstrated that the diagnosis is misleading and invalid, and there are clear benefits to understanding autism as one condition that runs along a spectrum.

… We no longer need Asperger’s disorder to reduce stigma. And my daughter does not need the term Asperger’s to bolster her self-esteem. Just last week, she introduced herself to a new teacher in her high school health class. “My name is Isabel,” she said, “and my strength is that I have autism.”

Grinker, a professor of anthropology at George Washington University, is the author of “Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism.”

In a letter signed by CEO Peter V. Berns, the Arc of the United States has invited talk show host Rush Limbaugh to meet personally with a group of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their parents and siblings to discuss his repeated use of the word “retard” on a recent radio broadcast.

An excerpt:

Self-advocates, parents, disability rights activists and others are rightly concerned that your comments simply serve to further degrade and denigrate the 7 million individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who struggle on a daily basis to be included in society.

… I cannot understate the effect of a word many consider an epithet –- it is deeply offensive to people that are living with intellectual disabilities, and the tens of millions of their parents, siblings, family members and friends. It is a harsh reminder of the institutionalization, sterilization, abuse, discrimination, violence and exclusion they have faced, and continue to face, as they merely seek to live typical lives.

From Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Miami Herald:

In the wake of the flap over Rahm Emanuel’s use of the word “retard,” Sarah Palin has served notice that she’s not happy with another public figure who used the slur. Only this time, her target is on the Republican side of the aisle.

Palin, who is campaigning this weekend for Rick Perry, condemned remarks that the Texas governor’s top political adviser made on a conference call with a Dallas television station. Complaining about some campaign arrangements. Dave Carney said, “That’s just retarded. That’s the most retarded thing I’ve ever heard.”

Spokeswoman Meg Stapleton said Palin was not calling for Carney to lose his job. “Gov. Palin believes crude and demeaning name-calling at the expense of others is disrespectful,” Stapleton said. A spokesman for Perry confirmed that the remark had been made, and said the governor was “extremely disappointed.”

Politico blogger Ben Smith reports that rocker Ted Nugent, who is scheduled to play the national anthem at Sunday’s Perry/Palin event,  also uses the word “retarded” in a way that might be considered offensive.

He told Royal Flush Magazine in December that hunting is “the last pure perfect function of mankind.

“That’s killing deer and eatin’ ‘em,” Nugent said. “It’s perfect. It’s untouchable on all levels. Unless you’re retarded.’

Boston Herald columnist Lauren Beckham Falcone says White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is getting a much-deserved dressing down for his use of the slur “f — ing retarded” during a strategy meeting. An excerpt:

A discreet “my bad” just doesn’t cut it anymore when it comes to mocking the intellectually disabled.

Here’s the deal: the R-word is not an innocuous euphemism. It’s as hateful and belittling and bullying as racial slurs and homophobic epithets and sexual harassment. Yet people still think it’s their God-given right to ridicule those with learning disabilities. “Ava-tards,” “celebu-tards.” Even President Obama compared his poor bowling skills to those of Special Olympians.

Every time someone uses the R-word it reduces a group of people — people who struggle to learn, to keep up, to belong — to nothing. The R-word serves only to remind them they are worth less than everyone else.

Emanuel’s crash course in civility isn’t party politics or political correctness. It’s about respect.

And the last group to get any is the intellectually disabled.

Until now.

(Boston Herald photo)

Advocates equate ‘retarded’ with hate speech

Rahm Emanuel’s criticism of some liberal Democrats as “f — ing retarded” is “shining a spotlight on just how pervasive the R-word is in American conversation and how offensive it can be for millions of Americans,” reports Devin Dwyer on ABC News. Dwyer describes Emanuel’s comment as a “verbal indiscretion.”

Advocates say the furor over Emanuel’s remark demonstrates the need for a change in social sensitivities. An estimated 35 states have enacted or introduced legislation to remove the word “retardation” from government agencies and programs.

An excerpt:

Several advocates for the disabled noted that just as derogatory terms for African Americans, Jews and gays are often associated with periods of oppression and prejudice in the country’s history, the word ‘retarded’ can elicit an equally emotional and visceral response.

“It’s a reminder to [intellectually and developmentally disabled persons] of all the suffering they’ve experienced and all the ways they’ve been excluded from society,” said Peter Berns, CEO of the advocacy group, The Arc of the United States, who is attending [today's] meeting with Emanuel. “Every time they hear the word all these images flood back to them about how they’ve been laughed at, pointed at, made fun of, sterilized.”

Officials at The Arc of the United States demanded an apology today following a news report that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel used the epithet “f–ing retarded” to criticize a proposal in a strategy meeting.

The advocacy organization said the report in the Wall Street Journal amounted to “the second  serious verbal miscue by the Administration about people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.” President Obama apologized last year after he equated his poor bowling performance with the Special Olympics in an appearance on The Tonight Show. An excerpt from the Arc statement:

Mr. Emanuel’s use of hateful language would suggest that it is the White House staff that needs to be taught a lesson in respect for people with disabilities.

Statements such as these – particularly when used by someone at high level – amplif[y] pervasive societal attitudes that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities somehow don’t measure up – that their lives are worth less.  “Using a slur about people with intellectual disabilities to criticize other people just isn’t right,” said Peter V. Berns, chief executive officer of The Arc of the United States.  “For people with disabilities it is disrespectful and demeaning and only serves to marginalize a constituency that already struggles for empowerment on every front,” Berns added.

… The more than seven million individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families demand an apology for Mr. Emanuel’s use of language that denigrates our constituency. The White House needs to lead by example and demonstrate through words and actions that it is not acceptable to use people with disabilities as a source for ridicule. To condone this language is to deny opportunities for people with disabilities in the workplace, in the community, in school, and in every other quarter of society.

The Arc of the United States is an advocacy organization that promotes the human rights of Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, and actively supports their full inclusion in the community.