Issue No. 4: The It’s Not Just That You Used a Slur, It’s That You Doubled-Down on Your Offensive Language Edition

In which The Crip responds to a Daily Kos writer’s post and subsequent comments America’s Next Top Jackhole, Louis CK, who ordinarily one would have thought came from was Republican author, given the writer’s intransigence to making a change that was so easy, obvious, and respectful. would shut the fuck up, in general, and definitely about disabled people, in particular.

The Top 5 Reasons Why Everyone (Me) Knows You Never Use the R-Word in a Careless and Lazy Fashion and Also Just Don’t Use It

1. Presumably, you want people to respond to the actual topic of your article, which you’ll notice I’m not doing.

I’m a disabled person who loved Tropic Thunder and your post, sir, was no Tropic Thunder. That movie created an entire comic world to support the risk that came with using the r-word.

You, on the other hand, merely swiped a punchline that was not only unnecessary to making a point in your article but that erased its value by using a slur.

Also, Tropic Thunder came out in 2008, more than 10 years ago. A number of word-things are different now, as any conversation with my younger relatives reminds me. Are you putting lipstick on a pig at this current time? Chatting about the Octo-Mom?

Also, many disabled people hated Tropic Thunder in 2008, just as they hate it now. If you’ve lost me on this — and you have –you don’t have a chance.

2. If you’re going to punch down, choose your targets wisely. Florida, for example. Better yet, punch up.

I enjoy all kinds of edgy humor but that doesn’t mean I’d slip a context-free quote from, say, Strangers With Candy into just any article.

3. Usage changes. Deal with it.

I must applaud you for your fearless refusal to remember that there are lots of words used in lots of movies over lots of years — words that you somehow chose not to use. I’m sure it had nothing to do with an assumption that there’s a general powerlessness associated with the r-word.

4. Cheap shots waste language’s richness.

To quote, well, myself:

Stop using a disability label when you’re calling out a failure of character….Instead, you could use more appropriate terminology like: jackhole, hateful, traitor, obnoxious, lying, scurrilous, mendacious, quarrelsome, peevish, pussilanimous, cowardly, craven, viperous, ratsbane, toady, or greedy.

Language is rich. Don’t use it to take cheap shots at disabled people.

5. It will make me go full-Malcolm Tucker.