On the advice of Michael Bérubé, I'm retiring the words "retard", "moron", and other similar words used to deprecate another person's intellectual character. Instead, again on his advice, I will use the term "jackass". (When and if I refer directly to animal-rights activists, I will use the term "jackass-American".)
While I don't agree wholeheartedly with Bérubé's argument, the new term adequately expresses my dislike and contempt of people whose intellectual and moral character I strongly disapprove of, and it avoids offending those who I do not wish to offend and (justly or unjustly) who do take offense at the retired words. It's much easier to switch terms than to continue to argue the point, and I don't sacrifice the clear and direct expression of my indignation.
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