New York Times Opinion
Region: US
Friday 23 January 2026 12:05:22 GMT
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donnade5 :
this ties in neatly with the "everyone is 12 now" concept
2026-01-23 16:41:54
5740
goodfellowglenn :
They’re trying to convince us that being cruel is in again.
2026-01-24 06:36:48
8755
Dr. BBL, PhD :
Ableism, guys. We’re looking for the concept of ableism.
2026-01-24 02:42:24
7160
johnwatersmustache :
even left leaning people I know are like dropping it and then laughing like ?????
2026-01-23 21:18:14
2811
katieditty :
Obama signed Rosa’s Law into law in 2010 to replace that term with “intellectual disability” in federal legislation. They’ll do anything to undo progress from the Obama administration 🙄
2026-01-23 19:19:12
1468
jess 🍃🌸 :
Why are we so obsessed with using words that hurt people
2026-01-24 12:28:18
985
zerocool ☭ :
Elementary teacher here, this type of language has completely made its way back into these kids vocabulary. Same thing with slurs. They think it's cool and funny.
2026-01-24 14:22:18
880
bree :
last year i had THREE (3!) different men just casually drop it in convo within a month period i was like am i losing my mind???
2026-01-23 22:04:51
1080
that1guyjd :
I 100% believe that Elon’s dad called him the R word when he was a kid bc of his neurodivergent condition. He grew up angry and resentful of that. He uses that word now in an attempt to make ppl feel how his dad made him feel.
2026-01-23 18:39:58
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AllDogsAreBongos :
I eliminated this word from my vocabulary 20 years ago and It's not coming back. And I will call someone out for saying it.
2026-01-24 05:53:44
448
quirkytofurky🍉🏳️🌈🇨🇦 :
we are entrenched in fascism
2026-01-23 14:38:56
453
Heather :
I've been appalled lately at the way people have been using this word. We were taught in the 80s and 90s that it was not ok to say it.
2026-01-23 19:42:05
357
☠️ :
I am 50. Even when I was a kid, this word was meant to be a cruel insult. What a victory for them to have brought that back. 🙄
2026-01-23 18:08:00
1486
jlanceimaging :
Trump has normalized the things that are inappropriate
2026-01-23 14:49:24
923
K33f :
Early Gen X here. We used that word a lot back in the day. Not acceptable anymore, obviously. People that still use it have not developed mentally or emotionally.
2026-01-23 23:09:46
180
K :
I miss decorum, even the illusion of it since crassness has always been bubbling beneath the surface
2026-01-24 13:19:28
196
✌🏼✌🏼 :
Trump is an 80s guy in the worst ways
2026-01-23 16:58:00
402
maggie :
The true celebration of the most uneducated timeline. So much progress eroded away by the presidents willingness to exploit it. Heartbreaking on so many levels.
2026-01-23 13:03:18
282
Goldy :
People never stopped using that word. They're just more open about it now.
2026-01-23 18:02:31
268
Lisa :
My late father would be absolutely disgusted with the chronic use of this term. My sister was both with brain damage and physically handicapped and passed away in 1973 at the age of 13. My father lived his entire life as her advocate and all who were 'mentally challenged'.
2026-01-23 15:48:37
139
ekbanksy :
I used to use it pretty frequently. Then o had a job where I worked with adults who had developmental disorders. And I saw how it hurt them, how they understood that it meant them and it meant bad. So I stopped. But I care about learning to be a better person, and a lot of people don’t care much about anything outside their little circle.
2026-01-23 14:06:56
890
915SCG :
The hateful words spoken behind closed doors are embraced and celebrated now. They can be openly hateful because they aren’t being shamed anymore.
2026-01-24 15:15:02
5
sherrypmac :
I remember my daughter taught me not to say it when she was in junior high. Probably 2008 ish. She had a little bracelet that said “spread the word to end the word” you’ve got it kid, I’ll never say it again. Until now, i guess….
2026-01-24 01:40:48
113
Yvon :
"recreational transgressions" 😭
2026-01-23 13:39:38
55
Violet Key 🇨🇦 :
I called the r-word out on Instagram about a week ago and everyone in the comments absolutely dog-piled me about how it isn’t inappropriate at all. I could not believe it. It was stunning how quickly people have turned.
2026-01-24 02:37:40
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