tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post5579751637463374843..comments2024-03-28T03:35:52.176-04:00Comments on Love That Max : The shocking word in a bestselling book for kidsEllen Seidmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01433429847255621203noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-38433130266930024732014-12-31T09:54:26.576-05:002014-12-31T09:54:26.576-05:00I put down "If I Stay" for exactly this ...I put down "If I Stay" for exactly this reason. I was engrossed in the story, I liked the characters and BAM the word "retarded" seemed to be in bold print. Good for you for standing up when it mattered.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05615930943939757293noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-26349359231483405382014-12-31T07:32:18.669-05:002014-12-31T07:32:18.669-05:00Eri, I couldn't have said it better myself. Sa...Eri, I couldn't have said it better myself. Sandra, if you read this blog and others by parents of kids with special needs (or, as here, generally considerate people), you'd see that this is just one of many conversations we have about how people treat those with disability—not the <i>only</i> one.<br /> Ellen Seidmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01433429847255621203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-90417953814512438912014-12-31T07:28:42.493-05:002014-12-31T07:28:42.493-05:00Amen, Anna!!! Amen, Anna!!! Ellen Seidmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01433429847255621203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-47734124536268876902014-12-29T23:24:29.832-05:002014-12-29T23:24:29.832-05:00I am not sure that anyone in this space has opted ...I am not sure that anyone in this space has opted to "die" on this proverbial hill, to the exclusion of other disability rights issues. <br /><br />Either it be use of the r-word, employment discrimination and/or hate violence, all stem from the systemic, institutionalized devaluation of people with disabilities. That the r-word is maintains such a common, thoughtless presence in our daily lexicon shows how desensitized we are to that devaluation. As Josie noted in her piece, language plays an important role in producing this situation. <br /><br />Critiquing the r-word cannot be the end of the conversation, other words will simply replace it; but to have the conversation without it would be to ignore a major way in which our cultures treats people with disabilities as less than. And in part because it is so pervasive, because it is so often used without ill intent, it is a good place to start the conversation. The r-word is something most of us have said at one point or the other, without thinking; by calling out its use, we have the opportunity to challenge as many people as possible to begin thinking about why. Erinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-57243159111832322502014-12-29T22:53:18.699-05:002014-12-29T22:53:18.699-05:00Josie, Ellen and anyone else is certainly entitled...Josie, Ellen and anyone else is certainly entitled to be offended that the r-word was used in this particular children's book -- to protest it's use, to demand libraries not stock it, heck, even to write the author and tell why you really, truly, deeply wish that she would change it in all subsequent reprintings of this book. It is a free country, after all.<br /><br />I do get that the r-word is offensive and Josie, Ellen et al are entitled to want folks to stop using it.<br /><br />The part that I don't get is why given the myriad of ways that individuals w/disabilities are discriminated against in this country, why the r-word is the specific (proverbial) hill you've chosen to die on.<br /><br />(I ask because Ellen's admitted, more than once, that she used the r-word prior to having Max and didn't consider it to be a big deal -- that she, pre-Max, admits to using it... in a manner that in no way was aimed at hurting individuals w/intellectual disabilities. This certainly suggests that had Ellen's son Max been born neurotypical, she may well still be using the r-word).Sandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12797662195741285445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-35015823233826104512014-12-29T18:04:25.780-05:002014-12-29T18:04:25.780-05:00Thank you for voicing your thoughts! It is only wh...Thank you for voicing your thoughts! It is only when we will all move from being bystanders to upstanders that we will see social change. <br /><br />Quick note - you described Nikki's life as "crazy". Many people find using crazy and insane to be similar to using the r-word, because they take terms that initially described people with real illnesses (mental illnesses like bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder) and use them to describe things that we don't like, that are bad, that are ridiculous and other forms of unpleasant. With one in four adults and one in ten people under the age of 18 experiencing mental illness, there's almost always someone in the room who could be hurt by it, too. <br /><br />Keep speaking up. Erinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-57074576451649480192014-12-29T14:10:59.166-05:002014-12-29T14:10:59.166-05:00Thank you for speaking up - so many kids wouldn...Thank you for speaking up - so many kids wouldn't have done that. D Marcottehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967899523022149905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-43221259001874623462014-12-29T13:00:37.389-05:002014-12-29T13:00:37.389-05:00What a well written and thoughtful essay. Thank y...What a well written and thoughtful essay. Thank you Josie! Great job sticking up for disabled people, like my son. Tina Mcgrevyhttp://www.tinamcgrevy.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-58741150340606414972014-12-29T11:52:38.403-05:002014-12-29T11:52:38.403-05:00Thank you so much for speaking up Josie! I am alwa...Thank you so much for speaking up Josie! I am always thrilled to see outspoken young women who use their intelligence and passion to help stand up for others!Hillary Savoiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11518454468752819000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-568836061288998332014-12-29T10:32:31.647-05:002014-12-29T10:32:31.647-05:00Bravo Josie! This is incredible. I am also a passi...Bravo Josie! This is incredible. I am also a passionate teenage advocate against the r-word and commend your response to the other student. That is the only way people will become educated about this awful word. Kathrynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-69467509841559028642014-12-29T10:23:31.248-05:002014-12-29T10:23:31.248-05:00It's shocking to see that authors of school bo...It's shocking to see that authors of school books want to avoid promoting diversity. If there were more strong characters with disabilities in these types of books, it would promote respect for the disability community and, perhaps, mankind as a whole. I find it weak when people turn the word "retard" when there is a plethora of non-demeaning alternatives. Words are powerful tools and sometimes we fail to realize this and use the excuse "It's just words" to cover it up. Civilization itself was built from language; society as we know it would not exist without words. A punch physically injures, but words can scar the soul. In the hopes that more people realize this, keep voicing your thoughts as that is the only way they'll be heard.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616282351291824392noreply@blogger.com