Poor GRIMES
Banned
It's something I've been noticing this year. People online (and in "real life") seem to be using "retard" or "retarded" in greater frequency recently. I don't know if there's been any official NeoGAF policy change in this regard but I assumed this forum was a place for relatively diverse discourse that refrained from personal attacks.
I'm not mentally handicapped in any way. With that said, I work with children and young adults who may be on the spectrum or intellectually handicapped. When I talk to them, I notice that some of their refuges seem to be gaming communities. These are their "safe spaces"; places where they express themselves in earnest. It disheartens me to see places like NeoGAF (and every other gaming forum, let's be real) devolve into places that mock any and every sort of neurodivergence. I don't want to pick on any individual poster (let's be real AGAIN, it's been an overarching trend that I've noticed) using less than inclusive language, but I just wanted some of your thoughts.
In the wake of the 2016 election, we have been discussing identity politics in regards to race and gender, but I honestly believe there hasn't been enough focus on neurodivergency. Yeah "Trump mocked a disabled reporter" was a hot headline for a few days, but now that he's president, what exactly does that signify for the populace that might need assistance in that manner? Are we becoming so desensitized to Trump's behavior that we start to accept the R-slur even in progressive havens like NeoGAF?
I'm not mentally handicapped in any way. With that said, I work with children and young adults who may be on the spectrum or intellectually handicapped. When I talk to them, I notice that some of their refuges seem to be gaming communities. These are their "safe spaces"; places where they express themselves in earnest. It disheartens me to see places like NeoGAF (and every other gaming forum, let's be real) devolve into places that mock any and every sort of neurodivergence. I don't want to pick on any individual poster (let's be real AGAIN, it's been an overarching trend that I've noticed) using less than inclusive language, but I just wanted some of your thoughts.
In the wake of the 2016 election, we have been discussing identity politics in regards to race and gender, but I honestly believe there hasn't been enough focus on neurodivergency. Yeah "Trump mocked a disabled reporter" was a hot headline for a few days, but now that he's president, what exactly does that signify for the populace that might need assistance in that manner? Are we becoming so desensitized to Trump's behavior that we start to accept the R-slur even in progressive havens like NeoGAF?