Information On The R Word Pledge

By Lisa Brooks


The R pledge is basically an ongoing campaign that seeks to raise the awareness and consciousness of people in the society about the hurtful and very dehumanizing impacts of using the R letter retarded. It also aims at encouraging citizens of United States to shun using the word retard or any of its forms. The R word pledge is also primarily intended to engage different school organizations as well as communities to pledge their divine support in aiding to build a community of inclusivity and acceptance for everybody.

This advocacy forum hence is dedicated to ensuring that all and sundry respect all the members of community, their intellectual, personal or developmental problems notwithstanding. The advocates behind this movement also hold very strong opinions that mentally impaired persons should not be sidelined or overlooked under whatever circumstances, since it is not by their fault that they are the way they are, but is a natural force or fate.

It is also important to look into the history of this said pledge or movement. It was basically established in the year 2009 during Special Olympics World Youth Summit at the winter games. It was solely created by the youth suffering from intellectual impairment, as well as those that do not. The main motivation and inspirations of this campaign was literally powered by united passions to promote positive impacts made by intellectually disable persons.

The sole motivation for the inception of the campaign was largely fueled by a common and united passion to foster or promote the ideal positive contributions made by persons having intellectual disabilities. The advocacy against the usage of the r term retard was also meant to symbolize the positive change in attitude, and also make the current world more accommodative for all people, regardless of their intellectual capacities.

There has however been controversy that elicits from the fact that people are not sure of the intentions of the movement, and whether it seeks to ban the term retard completely, or if the term can be applied under certain contexts. The effort and intention of the advocacy is usually aimed at drawing the attention to the reality that large numbers of people living with intellectual impairments are normally hurt and feel offended when they are called retards. The main goal is to raise as much awareness as possible on the adverse impacts of this demeaning term.

To clear on this, the pledge has time and again made it clear that it only intends to discourage as many people as possible from including the offensive terms such as retards in their speeches, whether formal or informal. This is because such terms demean them hence making them feel inferior and unwanted. It is very wrong to ridicule people because of their various conditions, not matter what.

The general aim of the initiative is to let the society know that using this word is highly offensive and wrong, and so people can think way before they speak and also realize their words possess a lot of power. The campaign encourages people to have conversations about using the said term, so that they realize whoever is listening whenever they use the R word, and also who they might be hurting.

In conclusion, the most important thing to always remember is that all of us are one people, and therefore every person should and must always come before their state or particular condition, however complicated it could be.




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