Everyone should read this.
The following is a guest post in the form of an open letter from Special Olympics athlete and global messenger John Franklin Stephens to Ann Coulter after this tweet during last night’s Presidential debate.
Dear Ann Coulter,
Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?
I’m a 30 year old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public’s perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow. I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you. In fact it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.
I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child…
View original post 260 more words
The Laughing Housewife 
Hubby’s sister was tested and her IQ was 70, considered low but educable. After her parents went to a nursing home, she was fortunate to find an apartment in a sheltered building. She supported herself as a janitor at various places, the last one being KFC. In 2007, she died from internal bleeding. We miss her so much. She was mentally retarded, yes, but everyone who knew her loved and admired her. The church was packed with friends attending her funeral.
LikeLike
As one public figure after another embarasses them self with a dumb tweet, I think folks may need to step back and take a deep breath. Look at it this way, at least she did not send a photo of her naked body. Dianne
LikeLike
I went to the site to read this tweet. AC was referring to Mr. O, not people with disabilities. The term is juvenille and used to mock, does not refer to any person with a disability these days.
It is disingenous to assume Anne was referring to those with disabilities. The term is anitquated and says more about Anne’s age than anything as it was a common insult back in the dark ages.
We are not all politically correct. However, my daughter teaches kids with disabilities and no one uses the R word around her. It is terribly out of date and they could die.
LikeLike
This …Anne, is the one with a problem – she shouldn’t be allowed to be a lawyer and definitely not an official chosen person.
Terrible .. this is bullying. The whole word “retard” should be forbidden – we are all on different levels of IQ, but we all have a place and a purpose – it’s an insult to any living soul.
Good on John!!
LikeLike
Ms C has an eminently foot-sized mouth, and doesn’t waste it.
Hey, why am I not getting notification of your posts? According to the heading I am a fully-paid-up and accredited follower. Anyway, I was just wondering where you wos, as our local Injuns say, when a comment on my blog was from a blogger blogging on the subject of … YOU! And of a freaky incident concerning you, just to add to the synchronicity.
LikeLike
I genuinely did not know what the “R” word meant, and had to follow all the links to find out. Sometimes these instant and facile social networks can do real harm in stirring up aggro. I’d love to meet that John Stephens chap – he seems really nice from his writing.
LikeLike
Thanks Tilly for the reblog. It’s important.
LikeLike
Good for John, an excellent piece by him, taking her apart without being in any way as offensive as she was.
LikeLike
Such a polite response from John to such a X#$%^%$##$%%^wit
LikeLike
TY for adding your voice to the list of people who have responded to that insensitive woman… Sadly, she persists. 😦
LikeLike