A mom in Forest Lake, Minnesota, addresses the local school board with a grave concern – protecting her right to use the R-word:
I am totally supportive in creating a great place for everybody, but I just think we have to be cautious that it’s not going to violate religious freedoms and freedom of speech. An example of a violation of freedom of speech, I recently learned from one of my kids in high school that a word that I regularly use that I think is a regular word is apparently on the don’t use list. So, I learned that from my high school children, which is the word retard. Retard means slow. It’s in the dictionary. It literally, you know, retardant slows down fires. And I did not and I did not realize, no, you cannot control my speech, Mr. Rafael. So, you cannot. I can use the word retard. OK, so this is one of those violations of freedom of speech that really concerned me. So, I really think there needs to be a lot more caution placed on specific parameters so that you respect those other constitutional rights.
That woman – who might be a mother but definitely ain’t no mom – feels it’s her constitutional right to use a slur on a regular basis. In reality, it’s not a right. She has no more right to use the R-word to insult someone than she has the right to refer to someone using the N-word. Even if it is in the dictionary.
