Neurodivergent on Yik Yak | My gf is autistic with a high IQ and when she calls herself a R I remind her that mental retardation actually means an IQ of < 70. Since many autistic people have high IQs, it’s just an incorrect diagnosis, like being called insane when you’re illogical.

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Neurodivergent 8w

My gf is autistic with a high IQ and when she calls herself a R I remind her that mental retardation actually means an IQ of < 70. Since many autistic people have high IQs, it’s just an incorrect diagnosis, like being called insane when you’re illogical.

Neurodivergent 8w

Seeing all of the people under this post actively defending the R slur and calling the people pointing out it’s offensive the r slur is so painful and discouraging. Crazy it had almost gone out of use and now people want an excuse to say it so bad.

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Anonymous 8w

This is my thing: most of these mfs trying to “reclaim” it don’t even fall under the umbrella of people to whom this slur actually applies. As a sibling of a brother with Downs it pmo so bad because the voices of the folks most affected by this are just completely drowned out by this co-opting.

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Anonymous 8w

I don’t know what my IQ is but I know a lot about my special interests (Disney Theme Parks, Anime, Sports, and Video Games.), and really…… only that. I hate when people call me “stupid” or the R slur because it’s the same thing to me.

Anonymous 8w

What did you mean by “being called insane when you’re illogical”? I don’t understand this analogy

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Anonymous 8w

Well, i doubt she means it by the the technical definition of the word. for example- i was in all honors classes in high school and minored in writing in college yet i still call myself illiterate and an idiot plenty despite knowing that i am not actually either. That being said, i also don't condone the use of the word. especially since we as a society understand neurodivergent minds a lot better than we used to. people used to genuinely think that anyone autistic was an idiot, now we know just

Anonymous 8w

Hey OP, I’m gonna shoot straight with you. It’s not about misdiagnosing anything. Frankly her IQ doesn’t matter. She knows she’s not experiencing a disease or disorder; only a momentary Faux Pas, the issue is frankly it’s a cruelty to call their everyday as what you would define as an error or mistake.

Anonymous

#1 8w

Like the intellectually disabled are some of the most vulnerable and voiceless among us, and this false narrative of “reclaiming” the r slur or whatever is actively harming and silencing them.

Anonymous

#1 8w

honestly to me it just seems like they want their own “n” word or slur to reclaim so desperately which is literally so tone deaf like why are people so desperate to say slurs in the first place if they really affected you you’d never even wanna say them atleast thats my experience

Anonymous

#2 8w

No literally! There’s deadass people doing the whole “I have adhd so I can say the r slur” nonsense in the comments of both the OP and the OOP it’s a plague

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Anonymous

#4 8w

how smart they really are. the word, unless being used in an actual professional setting talking about it as a diagnosis, is unnecessary and harmful. we really have no need to use it and should just let it go

Anonymous

#1 8w

it makes zero sense too because i have adhd and i am in no way intellectually disabled or have i ever been called that due to my adhd like id never think to say that word or think it applies to me

Anonymous

#1 8w

Personally I was called that for years by my peers despite being smarter than them, but I also have to say I’ve met many people with Down Syndrome who were incredibly smart, just unable to vocalize everything, most NT people nowadays would fit the term better IMO, most of the ones Ive had the displeasure of dealing with were barely smarter than chimps.

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Anonymous

#2 8w

oh bruh if someone with/claiming to have just adhd tries that that’s just weird and like y’all said they just want to be able to say the word

Anonymous

#4 8w

Yeah, while I generally agree with OP’s point, I think the use of the r-word as a slur has left the bounds of its old use as a diagnosis, and is often used to bully anyone who is viewed as unintelligent or weird. This isn’t even limited to people with cognitive disabilities or autism. I frequently see the r-word used to demean trans people.

Anonymous

#7 8w

This doesn’t mean I think anyone has the ability to reclaim it, but I do think that the people it affects exceeds the group it at one point described.

Anonymous

#6 8w

If someone is acting illogical, just not making sense, or simply being very emotional in an argument, it's fairly common for their opponent to call them insane. Like, "you're being insane," "you're acting insane," etc. Insanity used to be a real diagnosis and it's still used as a legal status, but it's not in the medical books anymore. So it's a colloquial insult in the form of an improper diagnosis. Just like if someone with autism is called a R.

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Anonymous

#7 8w

oh I absolutely agree

Anonymous

#7 8w

Also, “mental r-tardation” isn’t used medically anymore. It replaced words like “moron”, “idiot”, “imbecile”, “cretin”, and “feeble-minded” which had previously described IQ classifications but had become derogatory, and then r-tard itself became derogatory. So it’s not like that classification actually even exists anymore. You can’t be a diagnosed r-tard today. But you can still be harassed using the word.

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Anonymous

#7 8w

tbh wasn't really aware of that. thank you for clarifying! the idea of it as a medical diagnosis has never made any sense to me anyway

Anonymous

OP 8w

Ohhh ok. Thank you for explaining!🥰

Anonymous

#4 8w

It was actually used for eugenic purposes and for doing horrible things to people deemed “unfit” for society

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Anonymous

#7 8w

yes, i am aware of that. though i would like to clarify my comment, as i've realized that it could very easily come off as ignorant. i was aware that it wasn't a commonly used term anymore but i was unaware of whether it had technically been removed or just faded out of practice, if that makes sense.

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Anonymous

#4 8w

especially since this is the same healthcare system that would still rather tell a woman that she's being dramatic/over exaggerating or just straight up lying about being in pain instead of actually figuring out what's wrong