Category: Tiktok Related FAQs
What is the R-word on TikTok? As you scroll through TikTok, you may have come across people referring to the R-word or the R-slur.
But, what does it mean?
The R-word is slang for the word ‘retard’ or ‘retarded’, and a number of videos have recently emerged that see TikTok users warning against the use of the word, fearing that it has been normalized on social media.
The word ‘retard’ was first introduced as a medical term in 1961 to refer to people with mental disabilities.
However, after the term began being used negatively, Barack Obama signed Rosa’s Law in 2010 which changed the term ‘mental retardation’ to ‘intellectual disability in U.S. federal law.
TikTok users are currently urging others to stop using the R-word on social media, as despite being a word that is often thrown around casually, it is actually very offensive.
Using the R-word is a derogatory and ableist phrase that prejudices people with disabilities.
TikTok users are becoming very concerned that the term has been normalized and its hurtful meaning has been lost.
In 2009, the Spread the Word: Inclusion campaign was created to encourage organizations, schools, and communities around the world to act and raise awareness of the harmful effects of the R-word. As of January 2021, more than 800,000 people around the world have taken an online pledge to end the use of the R-word to ensure that people with disabilities feel included and accepted around the world.
