Jen Aniston sparks outrage after referring to herself as a 'retard' [Honesty is SO last year...]

FOX News ^ | 08/20/10 | Staff

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Jennifer Aniston is in hot water for using a politically incorrect term on “Live with Regis & Kelly” Thursday morning.

While promoting her flick “The Switch,” Aniston discussed her recent Barbra Streisand-inspired photo shoot for “Harper’s Bazaar” on the show. "Yeah, I got to play dress up,” Jen said to Regis, “I do it for a living, like a retard!"

Now, disability advocates are bashing the actress for her word choice.

A rep for the Special Olympics tells “Us Weekly,” "People with intellectual disabilities have fought their whole lives for understanding and recognition. When people continue to use the R word, it's hurtful."

[fhayek]

Nice pic. Was something written on the bottom or something?

[montag813]

Oh will these retards just shut up.

[Ditter]

She could have called herself a redneck and no one would have batted an eye. isn’t that funny how it works?

Maybe us rednecks should start a protest next time we hear that word.

[Slings and Arrows]

Marley and Me did quite well. In fairness, though, her leading man was prettier than she was.

[mountn man]

[libstripper]

Methinks Brad discovered she was a bitch goddess (my apologies to all female dogs, most of whom are far better people than Jen) and dumped her.

[4yearlurker]

I am the father of a 26 year old perpetual child. It does sting when I hear that word. Ms. Aniston should come to one of our ARC outings.

[LS]

It’s re-TARD. Doesn’t she know anything?

[jerseyrocks]

This is to the STFU crowd who sound like they are either clueless or just ignorant. I believe the later to be the case. Children with mental disabilities were labeled the “R” word which outcasted them from schoolmates. As great efforts were made not to use this word and make an “inclusive” environment for children with disabilities, great progress has been made. Why do so-called adults feel the need to use the word in that “meaning”? It seems the youth has more common sense then their parents.

[Mare]

The big difference is that "developmentally challenged" is a description of a person's disability, whereas "retard" is a label used to mean "stupid". Why not just say "stupid" when you mean stupid rather than demeaning people with a disability?

...and this is absolutely NOT about political correctness, but rather about human dignity and refraining from using someone else's disability as a means of insulting people.

"I HATE political correctness more than I could ever HATE being called a retard." Now that's because you are probably NOT retarded, nor do you have a loved one who is. At least I am assuming you're not retarded (sometimes it is hard to know).

Retard used to mean someone who was retarded, and now it has become an insult. Think about it.

"...the politically correct do gooders who have destroyed our language." Please don't get me started on how our language has been destroyed. I'll give you a big hint-----it's not political correctness that has destroyed our language bigtime. Unfortunately, people have limited their own vocabulary.

I've probably given you too much to think about at one time. Sorry.

[mountn man]

Methinks Brad discovered she was a bitch goddess (my apologies to all female dogs, most of whom are far better people than Jen) and dumped her.

For Angelina Jolie???

I think she could ratchet being a bitch up quite a number of spots over Aniston.

You don't pull off this type of attitude without ALOT of "practice".

[Oldpuppymax]

HOORAY!! A PC created victim group can now whine, moan and rend it’s garments on national television! It just doesn’t get any better than that!!! And little “Jen” is no doubt one of the PC leftists who helped bring it all about.

[Piers-the-Ploughman]

Mare, I already posted on this so i won’t repeat much (#47.)

You are absolutely right. We all have free speech but “caritas” trumps. Just as the Moslems have a right to build a mosque on land they own and properly zoned, it is WRONG for them to build it at ground zero.

We may have free speech, but it is WRONG to use retarded persons as props in jokes or banter. the Special Olympics comment by Zero was shocking but further illuminating. FR folks would better advance their agenda by being very respectful of those who through no fault of their own have significant real disabilities as opposed to being lazy. We play into the DU stereotype as people who care about themselves only. It is unbelievable how the majority of comments on this thread are so dismissive and want their free speech respected at the unnecessary cost of ridicule of innocent people. If Jen Aniston wants to say she did something bad she can say “i was as mean as a rethuglican” at least she is picking on someone her own size.

[mountn man]

Do you take offense at words for obese people, or anorexic people, what about the blind, or the physical impared, how about amputees, or the bald, maybe the very hairy, how about ethnicities...ever make a Polack joke?

Do you take offense at blond comments or red head comments, or man comments or women comments, how about little people, or tall people?

Do you take equal offense at all these other types of comments???

[The Comedian]

Anybody who would kick her out of bed is a retard of the first order.

Or a queer.

Well now you've done it. You've insulted all the retards and queers around here.

Now apologize, you coarse ruffian.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[humblegunner]

I believe the later to be the case.

The word is "latter" you retard.

[A.Hun]

[BwanaNdege]

"I am getting so sick and tired of a group of people trying to make particular words in our language off limits by choosing to throw a temper tantrum every time someone says a particular word."

They do not like a particular term that may have negative connotations. So, they promote a new term without those negative connotations, a euphemism.

Some current euphemisms applied to those with impaired mental abilities :

Retarded (not advanced?)

Special (not usual?)

Disadvantaged

Challenged

Me, I'm "vertically challenged". Not my fault, so I don't feel any shame about it.

I'm short, there is nothing that I can do about it, so I'll live my life being CHALLENGED to get items off the top shelf.

I am DISADVANTAGED because I have to find a step stool, or one of those neat little mechanical grabbers.

I'm SPECIAL, because I'm the one who really needs to remember where the step stool is kept.

And I am RETARDED, because everyone else is out the front door ahead of me. They are ADVANCED, if you will, because I am still in the kitchen putting away the step stool.

I am called a SENIOR citizen. Actually, my dad was Sr., I'm Jr. Me, I'm just getting OLD.

The problem with euphemisms is that they, too, eventually acquire negative connotations and must be replaced with yet another euphemism.

Euphemisms prevent us from talking about uncomfortable subjects. Sometimes these are things that should be talked about and understood.

[Hunton Peck]

New rule:

[whence911]

In 1979, there was a secret meeting in the basement of the WH in which president Carter decided that every term used to apply to groups of Americans or certain characteristics would be deemed to be “offensive.” Thereafter, a secret commission went around the country complaining about the old terms and urging protest to change the terminology. It was conceived as a joke, but it was so secretly funded that remnants of it exist today.