Words aren't just words, they have power......

I've been meaning to create another post but couldn't quite decide what to write, until this evening when I got home and logged on to Facebook and read about an incident of bullying that nearly sent me thru the roof! Why does society, parents, even children think that the word "retard/retarded" is funny or acceptable to use? It's used in movies like the Hangover to get laughs. People lose something or do something stupid and say "Oh, I'm such a retard" or "that was so retarded". If you are someone who says this, do you ever stop and really think about what you're saying? Do you know how stupid you sound saying this word? If you hear someone saying this, do you laugh at them and think it's funny? Or do you stop them and say cool it? I read today about a dear friend, a sister to me in our fight for our kids with autism, and shared her pain when I read that someone called her son a retard. I've experienced this a few times with Caleb. Christian doesn't want to go back to the local high school basketball camp in the summer because a kid called Caleb a retard last year. Caleb's been called this before, he comes home and tells me, but he doesn't seem to think it's a big deal and maybe that's a good thing. If my child could really, truly understand the true power of this word it would literally break my heart. This word holds so much power because to me, it's full of hate. This word ignites something in me that gets my heart racing and adrenaline pumping like I'm ready to fight the world. Yet, that's what I feel we are doing, fighting a world of ignorancy. It makes me even more angry to hear an autistic child called a retard. Here's a definition of the word retard that I thought I'd share; a person who is stupid, obtuse, or ineffective in some way. Well, my son is not stupid, he is far from obtuse, nor is he ineffective in any way. In fact, most people with autism (children and adults) are smarter than we may ever know. Just because they may at times seem emotionless, afraid of physical contact, or silent, does't mean they're not as smart as you or I. Do you know there is information that suggests Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Mozart, Hans Christian Andersen, Michelangelo, and Thomas Jefferson all showed signs of autism spectrum disorder? So, we have two of the worlds most famous and renowned scientists, a world famous artist, a famous author, a world famous musician and composer, and a president that showed signs of being autistic? Were these people stupid? Obtuse? Ineffective in any way? I don't think so. I am asking that we ALL do our part, assume responsibility for the words that come out of your mouth, educate those that use this word and encourage them to stop, educate children and let them know this word is not okay to say. Words aren't just words. Words have power. If you're someone who throws this word around without thinking, STOP. Think about what you're saying. Think about how you would feel if someone called your child a retard.