Sticks and Stones
Local organizations
take offense and
respond quickly to title
of Brave New Workshop’s
latest show
by Sherry Gray
Can it really be trendy to
use the “R” word? Apparently so, at least in pop culture.
Certain celebrities, their media watchers, the pop music scene, and
numerous internet blogs are using the word “retard,” alone
or as a suffix to other words, to mock people viewed as foolish. Last month,
Minneapolis-based theater troop Brave New Workshop (BNW) joined in, titling their
show that spoofs celebrities “Rise of the Celebretards.”
The old adage is that words cannot hurt, but groups given negative
labels know differently. Words can and do lead to hurtful things
like limited access to economic and social opportunities and denial
of political rights. That’s why there is another trend emerging:
a nationwide reaction of self-advocates, their friends and families
against this usage of the “R” word.
Quick Response
Response to
the offensive title came quickly; BNW was deluged by e-mails and
letters from outraged individuals and groups. For example, Mound
resident George Linkert wrote on his Web page, “This
is wrong …. use of the word retard in this context is inappropriate,
insensitive, insulting, and offensive.”
In a letter to the BNW,
many of Minnesota’s leading disability-rights
organizations weighed in, “Using the word “retard” in
any reference legitimizes the oppression and ridicule many people
experience on a daily basis. When you attempt to ridicule [celebrities]
by identifying them as “retarded,” you also ridicule
those who have been so labeled throughout their lives and make more
difficult their struggle to be valued for their contributions and
commitments ….” The letter was signed by Self-Advocates
Minnesota (network of 30 self-advocacy groups), Advocating Change
Together (ACT), The Arc of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration
(ICI), Minnesota Disability Law Center, Minnesota Governor’s
Council on Developmental Disabilities, Minnesota State Council on
Disability, People First Minnesota, and Access Press.
Kim Keprios, CEO of
Arc Greater Twin Cities, wrote to the BNW, “A
history of using countless offensive words in sketches and titles
does not justify slurring vulnerable people and using them as the
butt of the ‘joke.’ By using the word, the Brave New
Workshop appears uninformed, close minded and/or insensitive. Worse
yet, some people may conclude that calling others retards is acceptable
social behavior.”
On May 13, Star Tribune
columnist Doug Grow (“Brave New Workshop’s
Satire Title Hits a Nerve”) asked if the BNW has “gone
a step beyond too far?”
A Pioneer Press editorial
on May 18 (“A Bully Word”)
called the BNW show title “stupid, unfunny, and offensive.”
Responses also came from outside Minnesota. This author posted the
show title on SibNet (listserv for and about adult brothers and sisters
of people with special health, developmental, and emotional needs
at www.siblingsup port.org/) provoking protest e-mails to the BNW
from around the country.
Don Meyer, director
of the Sibling Support Project in Seattle and a former special
education teacher in Hopkins, Minnesota, wrote, “As
a young teacher….one of our favorite entertainment venues
was Dudley Rigg’s “Brave New Workshop.”… I
could count on comedy that was, well, brave and new. Consequently,
it pains me to see you are staging a show that is called ‘Rise
of the Celebretards.’ If you don’t know how offensive
this title is to people with disabilities and their families, try
this: replace the “retard” in Celebretard with the n-word
or other racial or ethnic slur of your choice. It really is that
offensive. Instead of being brave and new, BNW is taking a giant
step into the bad old days of the 50s.”
Marisa Wiesman, of St.
Paul, agreed, “It hurts me deeply to
hear people use the terms ‘retard’ and ‘retarded’….[It]
disappoints me to see that the ‘R’ word is so carelessly
and publicly used in a community as progressive and supportive to
people with disabilities as the Twin Cities.” Cassie Quinlan
from Massachusetts challenged the BNW’s comedic sense, writing, “Seems
to me like a cheap shot - a way to have a cool, catchy title to promote
your show ….” And Nora Fox Handler of Seattle suggested
that BNW “...try a word that does not offend people with disabilities
and their families.”
Response from BNW
The BNW defended
the title by highlighting their mission of producing “original
social and political satire.” In reply to one of the letters,
Erin Farmer, BNW’s director of marketing/audience development
said, “…we sometimes use language that many consider
offensive, for the purposes of satire and parody, or simply to mimic
bad-taste cultural references as a mirror of society.”
In response to another
letter, Julia Schmidt, BNW’s president,
indicated that they were “considering doing a community dialogue
around this issue.” They have since set up a Web-based forum.
Protestors noted the
irony of the forum’s ground rules, which
state, “… We want to make sure the discussion remains
civil and productive, so please, no personal jabs at any other participants ….”
Next Steps, Local and National
Many
individuals and organizations are interested in doing more to combat
the rising use of the “R” word in media and
society.
On May 30, representatives
of ACT, the Arc of Minnesota, the ICI, and the Metropolitan Center
for Independent Living met to discuss a coordinated response to
the BNW situation. The group recommended a three-step project.
The first step will be for ACT and other groups to host a community
dialogue and invite BNW staff to participate. The purpose of the
dialogue will be to respectfully share views and clarify issues.
The meeting will be videotaped and used for the second step: The
creation of a short, educational video. The purpose of the video
will be to raise challenging questions about the “R” word,
but not to decide the issue for viewers. The third step will be the
development of a tool kit (including the video) that community groups,
schools, and churches can use to host discussions.
Other local groups are
working to educate schools and local media outlets about the “R” word and provide them with inclusive, “person
first” language guidelines. For example, Joe Bissen, sports
copy editor of the Pioneer Press and parent of a child with a disability,
has been charged by the paper’s newsroom style committee to
draft a proposal on reporting about people with developmental disabilities.
In recent years, groups
around the country have successfully fought the use of the “R” word. Several major media outlets,
including Fox network and the New York Post, have adopted policies
against its use. Many states have taken action to remove the “R” word
and similar offensive terms from all state laws and policy documents.
Organizers in the Twin
Cities will contact counterparts around the country about working
cooperatively on this issue of oppressive language, perhaps by
forming something like a “Persons With Disabilities
Anti-Defamation League.”
Every protestor interviewed for this article expressed hope that
this controversy will lead to a positive outcome, whereby our disability
community can illustrate the powerful role of language in defining
and creating an accepting society. ![]()
The “R” Word Debate Online
• UPI on Fox TV banning the “R” word: www.upi.com National
Down Syndrome Society successfully petitions Fox Broadcasting
to ban the use of the word “retarded” (March 2006).
• The Boston Globe: www.boston.com Beverly Beckham, columnist
for The Boston Globe and grandmother of a child with Down
syndrome, writes about the “R” word going mainstream in
pop culture.
• Urban Dictionary: www.urbandictionary.com Online slang dictionary created by web users which includes
the term “celebretard.” Click on link for “retard” and you
will find a debate on the term.
• SFGate.com (San Francisco Chronicle):
www.sfgate.com Short
editorial statement with web user comments highlighting debate
over the term “celebretard.”
• The BBC (UK): www.bbc.co.uk Results
of poll done by Ouch!, the BBC's Web site for the disability
community, to determine the words most offensive to their
readers.
• The Huffington Post: www.huffingtonpost.com Rick
Cardenas of ACT sent this link highlighting various usages
of the “R” word in
recent news stories and online blogs.
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