Politico reports that, during a recent podcast appearance, Sen. Chuck Schumer used the word “retarded” when talking about “the challenge of overcoming community resistance to certain housing initiatives.” He should have just called it Neanderthal thinking and no one would have thought twice about it.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer used an outmoded word to refer to developmentally disabled children during a recent podcast appearance https://t.co/KDknb0v1UG
— POLITICO (@politico) June 14, 2021
“When I first was an assemblyman, they wanted to build a congregate living place for retarded children — the whole neighborhood was against it,” Schumer said. Politico further notes that “In 2010 President Barack Obama signed a law striking the term ‘mentally retarded’ from the bulk of federal statutes and replaced it with other terms, and New York enacted a similar law in 2011.”
Ben Shapiro notes that if a Democrat says it, it’s an “outmoded” word, not hate speech.
Interesting how it's just "outmoded" when a Democrat says it https://t.co/hiZYAPhZ2D
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 14, 2021
Do a search and see how many "news" sites even reported this. I'll wait.
— Cr3wlsh03s (@Cr3wlsh03s) June 14, 2021
https://twitter.com/CurtisN23351049/status/1404560568351068162
This "outmoded" word was one of the first ones to be considered unacceptable in polite society along with faggot. Both have been used to mean something other than the original context but yeah classic fail.
— Los Vikingos (@loshelmetwingo) June 14, 2021
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Twitter will suspend you for using the word “pansy.”
Yeah, wasn't "retarded" discouraged about 35 years ago?
— Andrew Moore 😷🇭🇰 (@erzigant) June 14, 2021
“Hunter Biden used outmoded word in text messages with lawyer…”
— Tim Bryant (@TimBryantRadio) June 14, 2021
Outmoded. Sure is funny the lengths they go to provide cover.
— Mike Brazell (@BrazellMike) June 14, 2021
You would have screamed, cried & fallen on the floor having a fit if Trump said this #Hacks
— SeldenGADawgs (@SeldenGADawgs) June 14, 2021
I'm a lifelong liberal voter, but I have to ask:
Why is it that for Schumer we're saying "outmoded" word, when if a Republican said it, we'd be saying "offensive" word?
— KellyInPA (@SteppingBackOut) June 14, 2021
This is the type of Pulitzer winning journalism I'd like to read! Brave reporting from the frontlines
— mich gold (@michgold1) June 14, 2021
“Outmoded” means you’re not canceling him
— Anthony Bialy (@AnthonyBialy) June 14, 2021
I feel like if this was McConnell on the podcast the headline would be slightly different.
— Tuckerrr🐶 (@Tuckerrr333) June 14, 2021
Meanwhile Amy Coney Barrett says “sexual preference” and people from sea to shining sea were clutching their pearls and falling onto their fainting couches
— •h a r p e r• (@AshbyHarper) June 14, 2021
Wait just one second here. Are you telling me that there's a member of the Senate that seems to be disconnected with with general society who would say something insensitive because he's too old to know better? Thia may lead to big problems.
— DangerMcAwesome (@warmbrownlovin) June 14, 2021
Headline tomorrow: "Republicans pounce on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for unintentionally using an outmoded word to describe to disabled children."
— James Anderson🇺🇸 (@realjamesthe5th) June 14, 2021
Paging Dr. "He Comes From a Different Time" you're needed in the press room.
— Tua Itfa (@LUMINOU_s2) June 14, 2021
OUTMODED? Try actively offensive to those of us who are autistic or have other developmental disabilities!
I'm one of @SenSchumer's constituents, and this gives me more motivation to be involved in the campaign for whoever challenges him in his next primary.
— Karistina the Autistic Fae | Christina Gleason (@RealKaristina) June 14, 2021
I'm a lifelong liberal voter, but I have to ask:
Why is it that for Schumer we're saying "outmoded" word, when if a Republican said it, we'd be saying "offensive" word?
— Dr. Fauci (@jakUbak2mars) June 14, 2021
This word has been out of common use for at least a decade. It's one thing if crazy grandpa next door says it. But the Senate Majority Leader should be expected to know better. If his age is an impediment to knowing better, then it's an impediment to being SML.
— Justin Smith (@JustinS65097428) June 14, 2021
Has @AOC launched a twitter thread yet?
— Mr Brooder 🪓 (@mr_brooder) June 14, 2021
Strange that Politico chooses to simply characterize the word as “outdated” when @MerriamWebster lists the word as “ outdated” and “offensive.”
— Edrick the Wise (@EdrickTheWise) June 14, 2021
We’re familiar with Merriam-Webster … within an hour they’ll have replaced “offensive” with “outmoded.”
Related:
School’s IT department suggests inclusive replacements for offensive terms like ‘picnic’ and ‘brown bag’ https://t.co/MnMNWTHtbX
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) December 24, 2020
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