Language and the Power It Holds

Let’s talk about language, power, and the direction we’re steering this human ship.

Recently, a public figure praised the resurgence of the word “retarded” as a cultural victory. And we need to call that what it is—not clever, not rebellious, not edgy. It’s a tactic. A deliberate tactic that feeds an old, worn-out system built on hierarchy, dehumanization, and separation.

Language shapes the world.

And this kind of language? It creates tiers.

It says: Some people are less.

It says: If you’re different, you’re a punchline.

It says: We protect the powerful, and we mock the vulnerable.

And that—that mockery, that tiered thinking—is a threat to our collective survival.

Because when we divide, we collapse from the inside.

Empires don’t fall from enemies. They fall from indifference, arrogance, and the internal rot of superiority complexes.

Here’s what we know as educators, healers, and advocates:

The desire to use slurs like “retarded” comes from a lack of education and a lack of imagination.

Every language across the globe has evolved respectful, accurate terms to describe cognitive and developmental differences. They are not insults. They are not synonyms for “stupid.” They are human truths—and they deserve humanizing language.

When someone uses “retarded” to mean “dumb,” what they’re revealing isn’t their edge; it’s their limits.

Limited vocabulary.

Limited compassion.

Limited understanding of what makes us whole.

Diversity of thought and speech is a sign of an expansive mind. Kindness is not weakness—it’s the strongest, most forward-thinking cultural movement we can build.

We can be conscious.

We can be intelligent.

We can be funny, fierce, creative, and critical without cruelty.

We can build a culture that includes all of us—neurodivergent, disabled, curious, evolving.

A culture that reflects everyone in the human species with reverence.

For our differences.

And for our shared humanity.

Because progress isn’t marked by how loudly we mock the vulnerable.

It’s measured by how lovingly we rise together.