Next time you jump in a thread a day late Orcish, read the whole thing so you know for sure what you're arguing against and what my stance is. Most of what you wrote doesn't apply, isn't about what I am saying or was already thoroughly discussed.

Thanks.

To no one in particular, just want to post this:
"To call you a retard would be an insult to all retarded people around the world!"

:-D

Language evolves, and true meaning isn't marked by dictionary, but by the way majority of people is using and understand the word. Because that's how the word will be known in the next edition of dictionary, which will be outdated as well. It might sound bad by 'everything needs to have a strict meaning' line of thought, but it's actually not - people are not slaves of a language, it's the other way around. Argue all you want, that's just how it is.

Possibly, especially in nerd culture, because dwarves are very cool creatures indeed.

If only Ann Coulter had actually been born autistic she would not have used any relative language in an expression that could be so largely misinterpreted by multiple perspectives. Who is the r*t@rd now?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHWjlCaIrQo&t=3m34s

Ann's new book sales were probably a bit slow and so she got the liberal media to help her out a bit - that's a 2fer.

Noone makes a big deal of the word "idiot" - the classification for an individual with an IQ under 30 (or 20 something, I can't remember).

Slurs are odd. They can literally be any word tainted with malicious intent.

No, Jamy is right about this, that word is no longer in common use for that. Sort of like how idiot, imbecile are no longer commonly used technical terms.

I can't recall the last time I heard anybody use the term to mean anything other than as an insult.
Indeed. that one surprised me a bit as in the US spastic isn't something which is used very often. I love the phrase "spastic and nonsensical" but I wouldn't use it in the UK because it's not worth the headache and the extra connotation.

I've read through the thread and you're just being obtuse. The term has become tightly associated with slurs that it's use to describe people is a slur. The only reason why flame retardant and retarded growth aren't so similarly afflicted is that they're generally used to refer to things that are not people.

And really this whole premise for the thread requires one to ignore the way that most people seem to use the word without providing for any evidence that there are sufficient numbers of people using the term in a different way.

Dictionaries always follow the usage of the vocabulary as they wouldn't know what to call a doohickey without something to attest it to.

Or maybe you could appropriately elucidate your thoughts to start out:)

6 pages of you trying doggedly to justify your rather unjustifiable position really didn't change much from your original point, though.
In general you're right, but you assume I want to convince someone who is probably not "convince-able", I just want to succinctly put into words why I think he is wrong in the hope that others might come along and actually understand why something they've never considered very well actually might not be what they always assumed.

I used to think calling my buddies "fags" to play around wasn't a big deal at one time, too. When I thought about it, I realized I was wrong. No amount of twisting logic involving cigarette butts and bundles of sticks was going to change that fact.

Since your post showed you have no fucking understand of my position or the meaning of the word in question I don't really give a shit what your opinion is.

To be blunt.

That's nice.

Next time someone uses the term flame-retardant I hope you tell them they're offending the mentally handicapped.

I think the whole thread has made it clear you don't give a shit about anyone else's opinion... well, unless they're reinforcing your own.
Wow, back to the whole "fag==bundle of sticks" argument... lol, the funny thing is how circular this thread is, only 3 more pages to get back to this exact same point!

I'm confused as to whether you want people to stop using "retard", or that you are trying to let others know that it isn't a slur?

As for the fire business. I once saw an extinguisher that said "In case of fire, strike knob hard"......Seriously.