The R-word has been considered taboo for several years, as a slur against people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Now, the
Growing up with Down syndrome, Liz Etmanski says she was called plenty of derogatory names in school — but the main one was always the R-word. “[It’s like] having the wind knocked out of you, like you're not visible to them. It's really like an attack to your heart,” said Etmanski, an artist, writer and advocate in her 40s, living in Surrey, B.C. “People that use it think they can get away with it … all they're doing is putting you down.” The R-word has been considered taboo for years, used as a slur against people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In the 2010s, celebrities including the Kardashians and basketball player LeBron James issued apologies for using it publicly. But the slur appears to be making a resurgence, despite its ongoing capacity for harm. It’s been frequently used by high-profile figures like Elon Musk and Joe Rogan, while U.S. President Donald Trump levelled it against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in a Thanksgiving Day post last year. People appeared to follow his example in the weeks that followed, Montclair State University tracked a more-than-threefold increase in the word being used on social media platform X.
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