We have, right now, in our care, men and women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and above whose real honest-to-God documentation states that their disability is “severe mental retardation.” Is the language outdated by our current standard? Yes, but our system will not be taking them in for reevaluation when there isn’t any benefit to be had to either those people or their caregivers.

We will not have alternative terminology for people who will never be reevaluated. Mental retardation is their diagnosis, and you’re the mean little prick trying to justify using a diagnosis as an insult when it costs you literally nothing to pick a different invective. You’re trying to seem so intelligent- use better, more creative language instead. Or don’t. I’m not your mother.

But you’ll likely continue to face pushback for this until either our older population (the real people with this real diagnosis) all die, and the word does become completely outdated, or until you lobby for legislation to have each and every person with this diagnosis reclassified based on current medical knowledge, regardless of it’s benefit, just so you can use their disability as a swear.