Inconceivable

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." -Inigo Montoya

-The Princess Bride. Dir. Rob Reiner. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corperation, 1987. Videocassette.

OK wrong quote...no one is gonna die here!

Today is March 7th, 2012.  It is this year's official Spread the Word to End the Word Day.  I have read lots of posts about this topic since Alexi was born, and wrote this one a little while ago but never posted it because it never felt "finished."  Well, today is probably the best day to share it, since it's pretty relevant, so here you are:

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." -Inigo Montoya
-The Princess Bride. Dir. Rob Reiner. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corperation, 1987. Videocassette.

Such a great film. Amusing the way this man (Vizzini,) who thinks he is the smartest man alive, seems to have a tough time using a simple word correctly. I am reminded of this often, when people around me use another word incorrectly.

If you're guessing, you've probably guessed right. The word I am referring to is RETARDED. Or even the root word, retard.

My daughter is retarded.

"slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic progress" -Merriam Webster Dictionary

It sounds like I am degrading her, but that is because this word is mostly used to insult or degrade a situation. I can not think of one negative way to describe my daughter (aside from stinky when she needs a diaper change.) She is an innocent little girl who works extremely hard just to reach her goal, of achieving things that come naturally to typical children. It's true, she is retarded, though most times we use the word, it is inappropriate. I say 'we' as I have been guilty of this my entire "pre-Alexi" life.

There are so many words that are misused in daily conversation. These become habitual as they go uncorrected.

When you order a burger with onion, and it comes to you with onion, that's a mistake, not retarded.

When you can't get a rusty bolt to come loose, that's frustrating, not retarded.

When your friend rides an office chair down a hill without a helmet, he's an idiot, not a retard.

I can't even count the times I have made these errors, due to my own ignorance.

Ignorance - "lack of knowledge, education, or awareness" -Merriam Webster Dictionary

I'm here to extinguish a little bit of this ignorance. I'm not asking anyone to change what they do or say. That's up to you. I am just saying that intentional ignorance is inconceivable.








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