Being personal

It’s no secret that I have a real potty mouth. Sure, if you just read my blog and don’t know me in person, it’s not THAT terrible. But in person, I pepper my language with colorful words quite frequently. For affect, you know. It’s not that I don’t know any other words to use, it just packs more of a punch and words are my best way of expressing myself.

But one frontier I won’t cross is using the R-word. Last year, Ann Coulter used it in a tweet referring to the President. And she defended herself against critics after the public backlash.

I used to babysit a boy with down’s syndrome and a very good friend of mine has a daughter with down’s syndrome. I cringe anytime I hear anyone use that as a derogatory term referring to anyone that is not disabled. I know many times it’s just a part of their vernacular and isn’t meant the way it sounds, but that punch is a bit too much for me. Maybe nothing is important until we have a personal connection.

Joe Fox: It wasn’t… personal.
Kathleen Kelly: What is that supposed to mean? I am so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn’t personal to you. But it was personal to me. It’s *personal* to a lot of people. And what’s so wrong with being personal, anyway? 
Joe Fox: Uh, nothing. 
Kathleen Kelly: Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.

~”You’ve Got Mail”