Edito-Blog: More than Words

Here’s a thought that’s been nagging me in the back of the head for a while, which a very persuasive lady recently convinced me to speak my mind about. After all, it DOES pertain to freedom of speech, and so should I feel completely free to talk about it.

Like most members of our community, I’ve dwelled on other forums and message boards before and since registering on QSS. It always seemed to me though that QSS is quite different than other sites in that personal attacks and general nastiness are far less rampant than elsewhere, hence my involvement in this forum as opposed to others. Some say that it’s because there’s much less freedom of speech on QSS, which I disagree: I found myself writing things I never would have elsewhere and did so without a hitch, because it wasn’t a personal attack nor overtly offensive. I would hope that bad attitudes are lesser in our community because its members are quite simply civil.

Still, even in QSS, I keep bumping into attitudes and expressions that are offensive to the point of literally making me sick, and sadly, I get sick increasingly often. Case in point, in the last 7 days I read the word “Retard” a whopping 5 times on the forum. As a father of two autistic children who never did anything to anyone and surely didn’t ask to be special, that’s just a stab to the heart. Even moreso when it’s allowed to be perpetrated repeatedly. Every time I read “What a retard”, what’s actually being said is “Look, that’s exactly like Arn’s freaky kids who are too stupid to talk, and walk like they have a broom up their ass and will never be able to have a job or get married or put on their own socks”.

Of course, I’m using that one word as an example since it’s the one I spot the most. Having special children is a little bit like buying a new car; with the car you think everyone’s got one so much you spot them on the road, and with special kids everyone seems to look at you funny everywhere you go… Point is, there are probably dozens of such slurs generously sprinkled around like doesn’t matter, and to the particular sprinkler it effectively doesn’t; those little slurs and expressions are sometimes anchored to deeply in pop culture in general that we just don’t really care it might actually be hurtful to the extreme. Some might not even care KNOWING that it is.

Freedom of speech is one thing, but should it really encompass the right to say anything at all without a shred of regard to morality and decency? Shouldn’t the freedom of one be weary of where the freedom of others begins? At the very least I feel I should be able to roam the QSS forum without seeing my children’s condition used to describe blatant and voluntary stupidity. Right?

 I’m guessing at I’m not entirely paranoid on the issue though, since someone posted an even more eloquent ode to THAT word on our dear beloved QSS forum. Here is my friend PEGGS, in her own words (which, truth be told, I support to the Nth degree).

This word has been used by a few people at QSS. Wich we have the right to freedom of speech last time i checked. But there is so many words that can be used insted of the word that has been surficing alot in the past and now in the future, here at qss. There are people that are contributers that have autistic children and you know what that is one word we here on a day to day basis. My son has Asburgers wich is social development he has trouble interacting with other children. It is hard i guess you just have to be in your my shoes because sometimes i sneak to the school and watch him at lunch and recess and you know what it breaks a moms heart to see your sun off playing by himself and children pointing at him and some even have the gaul od laughing. He is soon to be 12 he should be out playing with kids his own age and ridind bikes but you know what the only time he plays with kids is when i dish out a couple of hundred dollars to throw a birthday party so that he can hang out with the kids from his class.
So this is peggs one of the contributers here at qss saying please stop using the word that some of us hear on a day to day basis that discribes our children. One more thing if you are not already sick of readin this Autistic children are like any child just a little more unique.

Oh and for those who are having a blond day the word is Retarded.

Peggs

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