I'm Retarded, My Name Is David

Imagine for a moment thirty people gathered inside a meeting room seated in a circle of chairs around the perimeter of the room. Some hold a cup of coffee in a Styrofoam cup. Others take a bite from a cookie they picked up from the table in the back of the room next to a large coffee pot. The sound of multiple simultaneous conversations blending together quickly quiets down as the minute hand on the wall clock finally reaches its appointed time. In the silence that follows, the participants' attention is directed toward one member of the group who rises from his chair. He greets the group with the familiar introduction that all participants are taught to observe as an acknowledgement of their allegiance and membership in the group.

"Hello, my name is David and I'm retarded."

How does that sound to you? Those in the group accept this acclamation as a stark and bold reminder of their disability. They accept it as a blunt and harsh acknowledgement of their condition, lest they forget. They do not shy away from this term of derision. In fact, they embrace it. There is no need to ever remind an outsider to use a more politically correct reference to their affliction should the "r" word ever be muttered. The term is a badge of honor to its members. It's considered as a pure and total honesty rendering it impossible to deny. There is no wavering about the facts. There is no "sugar coating" of the malady. Once uttered, the speaker places the label upon himself with no wiggle room. There is no such thing in this group as mild retardation. No degrees of mental development are tolerated. You are either retarded or you are not. You decide. That's the cost of initiation into the group. Outsiders are either white or shades of gray, but members are black. If the label is uncomfortable for you, then you're in the wrong group. Accept your total retardation, or at least work on the first step of trying to convince yourself that you are completely retarded and should be a full-fledged member of this organization of retarded people.

Words have meaning and connotations. Words can illicit emotional responses. Words communicate our feelings, intentions, judgments, convictions and beliefs. Words stimulate our brain's neural pathways and cause chemical reactions and hormonal releases in our bodies. Words have social implications that can raise the social status of a person or stigmatize a person's status in the society. The power of the words we use should not be underestimated.

It is with good reason that persons who are developmentally challenged are not referred to as retards or retarded, or even developmentally delayed. This is obvious to everyone. One reference is emotionally non-judgmental. The other is emotionally charged with derision, contempt and stigma. It would be odd indeed if the developmentally challenged individual referred to himself by the term with the most negative connotations. It would only reinforce the individual's thinking about oneself as a human being with less worth and value. It is a bizarre act of self-stigmatizing oneself and trying to feel good about it. Is this meant to confuse and confound the afflicted? Is this some sort of behavioral modification technique that uses cognitive dissonance as a method to shape the beliefs of group members by creating a form of "group speak," which those who have read George Orwell's book "1984" would readily recognize?