Used as an insult, the word "retard" or "tard" is common slang for someone or something that is considered stupid or dumb. Even on the red carpet, "retard" has been known to make an appearance. Lindsay Lohan took to the term, calling everything from the paparazzi to the allegation of having breast implants "retarded."
The R&B group, the Black Eyed Peas, also chose to make use of this word in the song "Let's Get Retarded" on their 2003 album Elephunk. But unlike Lindsay's use of the word, the Peas weren't saying something or someone was stupid or dumb, but rather that they wanted to party and get stupid, in a wild or crazy way (if you get us...). And while celebs may throw this word around, many people (like health officials) are uncomfortable with the term and believe that it's disrespectful to those who suffer from mental disabilities.
Originally, the word retard was used to define a person who was developmentally handicapped. According to the American Association of Mental Retardation (AAMR), mental retardation is when a person has an IQ score of 70 or below. This usually means that the individual may lack certain skills many people have--like the ability to speak clearly, read, write, follow directions or even perform basic living activities.
While the AAMR still uses the word "retardation," many health professionals have tried to discourage the use of the word and prefer to treat it as a term of the past. For example, the ARC (begun in 1952 as the Association for Retarded Children) prefers to use the word "developmentally disabled" and even called out Lindsay for her frequent use of the word "retarded." Lindsay replied that she didn't mean to offend anyone and that the term was just used as slang. The Peas were no different--the song was changed to "Let's Get Started" after pressure from activist groups.
