Retarded was, and still is, used as an insult for those who are severally developmentally disabled. Those who are literally unable to defend themselves. The people most impacted by this have no ability to take the power back for themselves. You suggest they knew what it meant, but quite frankly I doubt, also having been involved with those with down syndrome. They might have had an idea, but it’s unlikely they all understood all the depths and nuances. And regardless of just down syndrome, there are those with more severe cognitive dysfunction, potentially nonverbal, that literally have no way have reclaiming the word. I don’t think it will become increasingly acceptable, I think it will become increasingly unacceptable.
The other terms you used, while they used to be medical terms, weren’t use in the same connotation to target developmentally disabled individuals. That’s the difference.
Retarded was, and still is, used as an insult for those who are severally developmentally disabled. Those who are literally unable to defend themselves. The people most impacted by this have no ability to take the power back for themselves. You suggest they knew what it meant, but quite frankly I doubt, also having been involved with those with down syndrome. They might have had an idea, but it’s unlikely they all understood all the depths and nuances. And regardless of just down syndrome, there are those with more severe cognitive dysfunction, potentially nonverbal, that literally have no way have reclaiming the word. I don’t think it will become increasingly acceptable, I think it will become increasingly unacceptable.
The other terms you used, while they used to be medical terms, weren’t use in the same connotation to target developmentally disabled individuals. That’s the difference.