MovieChat Forums > Nell (1994) Discussion > She Went Full Retard

She Went Full Retard


You never go full retard.

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Retard. What an insulting, offensive word. Why would anyone in this day and age need to use such a word? Mentally challenged is a good substitute.

But when I find someone using the word "retard", it tells me a whole lot about that person and their ignorance.

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I lol'ed

and for the record. It's a quote from a movie, didn't you know?

what are you a tard?

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Okay, here's a more serious response.

Intelligence is valued in our species/culture, as well as competence and our ability for self reliance. Being of a lower intellectual bracket than the norm on a normal curve could collectively be regarded as a less desirable state than being intellectually or functionally in the same group as your peers. Consider the tragedy of those who suffer a debilitating closed head injury. It is truly sad to see someone who was once bright, and had real potential, unable to realize that potential.

Now, based on that premise, comparing a person of normal intelligence to being of significantly lowered intelligence is (and always will be) offensive to the one being insulted. Terms like "imbecile", "moron", and "idiot" were once medical terms to describe degrees of mental retardation. Then, the public colloquialized these terms and used them to make deep cutting insults.

Renaming a condition will never solve the problem of lessening the fact that being mentally challenged is a burden for the one with the condition. Going from "imbecile" to "retardation" to "mentally retarded" to "mentally challenged" and now "intellectual disability" is becoming common. If this tend continues, one will have to spin a multi-sentence phrase to describe something that could easily been given a couple syllable word.

Regarding jokes... it's gonna happen. It's gonna happen whether you're in the room or not. I'm pretty lenient with people's intentions regarding edgy-comedy. What's important is to give charity with one's intentions regarding a joke. As long as one's not making fun of the disabled to their face, or maliciously spoken... let it play for god's sakes. Have some charity with humor, and don't make other people afraid to tell a joke in front of you.

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Quintpalm2, I completely agree with you. Good post.

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Well i feel its more offensive when you say mentally challenged, retard is the same word, if i now was a retard i would hate you if you tried to be nice by saying mentally challenged. And i know alot of retards who think that. And it is a different thing when you try to be offensive, the OP is just quoting a film.

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She was not mentally challenged. She had lived in isolation with her mother and had no experience with the world. She needed exposure but not the kind she did in the pool hall. She was totally naive as to the social customs, mores, and rules. She was socially unsocialized.

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people who are offended by words(regardless of context) are retards

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You don't seem to understand what "retard" means.

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she was not retarded her mother had an stroke she was raised by her without any other influence so she learned the same language the mother spoke.

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Jodie definitely overdid it in this role. It's like she's trying to be a retard but can't figure out the best way to do it. Which makes her even more retarded, and is insulting to people who are mentally challenged.

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Who cares if she went full retard. What we really want to know is if Jodie went full frontal.

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