While I am one to stress at the very highest degree the right of any person to exercise their freedom of speech, I have to put my fist down when it comes to the use of the word “retarded” at school. It has passed the phase of being a minute nuisance in the back corner of a classroom and become a problem that merits response.

Where it originated, I will never know. Teenagers (as well as teachers) used to throw the term “gay” around in a derogatory sense (and they still do) but not as much as they do the r-word. And I never will understand that.

Who ever said that it would be appropriate to use a term- that so negatively paints an unknowing person- as an adjective to describe situations that hardly are as much of a problem that students make them out to be? Are there just no more words? Or is it that people are just past that point of laziness where looking up words that they are in obvious need of is a day-long chore? There is absolutely no reason for people to use the word that I am referring to. It makes you sound uneducated. Among other things.

When will we see the end of the r-word? It won’t ever disappear from the world, but it can disappear from North. Let this mark the beginning of the end for the r-word here. I challenge you: you teachers, you students, you people, I challenge you to wipe the r-word from your vocabulary. It is filth. It is rude. Let it also be gone.

Kevin Beerman