the commonly accepted definition of retarded, for anyone who's unaware:
Mental retardation is a term for a pattern of persistently slow learning of basic motor and language skills ("milestones") during childhood, and a significantly below-normal global intellectual capacity as an adult. One common criterion for diagnosis of mental retardation is a tested intelligence quotient (IQ) of 70 or below.
In England and Wales the Mental Health Act 1983 defines mental impairment and severe mental impairment[1] as "a state of arrested or incomplete development of mind which includes significant/severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning and is associated with abnormally aggressive or seriously irresponsible conduct on the part of the person concerned."
People with mental retardation may be described as having developmental disabilities, global developmental delay, or learning difficulties.
if you don't think this is going on in our inner cities and that things like the lead paint problem are a HUGE epidemic that is a catastrophe of enormous proportions in itself (and has been for many generations).. then you need to open your eyes. numerous articles have been written about the issue over the years... but it's a problem too big and for many people, it's too late. by the way, i also knew a several people (who happened to be white) who were significantly brain-damaged from being beaten almost to death by gangs of blacks. (but that's a whole different story).
as for your earlier post... you ask who is going to help these children... well, in baltimore there were countless individuals trying to help,, but again the problem is too overwhelming and out of control to even put a dent in it. of course, if you can get through to one young person,, that's great.. but what about the thousand upon thousands of others..... and that's just ONE city. then there was the teacher who was dedicated and worked for years in a rough inner city school.. who LOVEd her job and her students.. always went a mile beyond.. and treated all her students like her own kids... and some kid shoots her in the head in her car, for no reason (or he may hev been trying to rob her.. can't remember).. and she took a long time to recover, with many surgeries.. and she faced him in court and told him tearfully what impact it had had on her.. and he did that typical stone-faced, no remorse thing.. i think he even laughed or shrugged.. totally inhuman. i'm sorry, but there ARE people who are not human.
anyway.. i certainly don't look down on anyone who's mentally retarded (my own brother is)... or anyone who is making an effort to act like a human being, not doing or selling drugs, not robbing, raping and murdering people. anyone who's just trying to be a decent human being is alright with me. anyone who fits the last description, YES i certainly do look down on them!!! why shouldn't i.....????
but if you have spent significant time in an american ghetto and been immune to anything bad happening to you,, then consider yourself incredibly lucky. nobody i knew was 'looking down on anyone'.. when we got mugged, robbed, raped (i didn't get raped- someone else i knew did and they tried to beak her neck too).. etc.. usually people were just walking down the street minding their own business, or walking up to their house, etc. in fact when i got jumped by 3 guys who robbed me, i had just walked by them and said "hi, how you doin'" and the second i walked by they trailed me surrounded me and threatened to kill me if i didn't give them everything (which wasn't much.. but enough for them to buy a vial of crack i guess). however many others who this happened to in baltimore did not survive.. they were shot point blank, oftentimes while they begged for their lives, saying they had children at home, etc... these are just regular people leaving work walking to their car, or whatever. you get really sick & tired of hearing this kind of thing day in and day out.
sad, but true. but don't blame me, i did not create the situation... i'm just relaying the message.. a message that most of america doesn't want to hear or think about.
] with respect, and they did the same to me.
Love thy neighbor people.
