As adults, weโd often like to believe that bullying and insensitivity were left in the schoolyard playground, maturity ultimately breeding empathy and suddenly enlightening us to the plight of others.
Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
In a post that has now gone viral on the Love What Matters Facebook page, Shannon Morgan Daughtry shared an event that occurred at her husband Dustinโs place of work. While eating lunch with a large group, her husband, Dustin, overheard a story from one coworker. He was describing a Halloween party he attended recently where his brother went dressed as a โretard.โ
Shocked and offended by those laughing at this story, Dustin stepped up and took action. As a father of a daughter with Down Syndrome, Dustin felt compelled to stand up to such ignorance.
Read below to hear what happened:
โSo, I just canโt shake this sad feeling I have had since my husband told me this story today. I wasnโt going to share it, but then decided that if it could enlighten one person, that it would be worth it. My husband, Dustin, was at work yesterday, sitting at a big lunch table of about 15 people. These are all guys that he waves hello to but doesnโt really know on a personal level.โ
โAnyway, one of the guys starts telling the whole group a story about a Halloween party that he attended this past weekend. The guy says โOMG, my brother came to the party and had the best costume. He went as a RETARD! Oh man, it was hilarious!!! He was awesome. He looked like such a good retard!'โ
โMy husband was totally taken aback and just sat there pretty stunned for a moment while he gathered his thoughts. Meanwhile some of the guys were laughing at the story, while some were just listening. So Dustin, almost giving the impression that he was going along with it said, with a small smile, โWell, wait, what does a retard look like?'โ
โThe guy just said โI donโt know, but he was good! He was the perfect retard.'โ
โSo a couple seconds go by while Dustin took out his phone and pulled up this picture of our daughter and then pushed his phone to the center of the table. He said โThis is my little girl, Raeganโ and all the guys, including the storyteller, lean in to look and they all start saying โAwww, sheโs adorable!โ โWow, Cute kid, manโ etcโฆ โ
โDustin then looked at the storyteller and said โThanks, she is amazing. She has Down syndrome. So, Iโm sure you can imagine that I donโt appreciate this costume conversation. Iโm just wondering, Is she what a retard looks like, to you?โ Of course, mouths dropped and there was total silence while the guy tried to say that wasnโt what he meant, on and onโฆ.โ
โDustin just went on to explain why that word is so hurtful, shouldnโt be used, and especially how insulting it was to use it as a joke and a costume. Yeah, Iโm sure it was pretty uncomfortable for everyone involved. But I think that those people at the lunch table probably went home with a little better understanding of why that word is so offensive and hurtful, especially to a family like ours. And I think one guy in particular probably went home feeling like a total jerk.โ
โAt least some good came out of it, but it still makes me feel so sad that some people look at our kids as a joke. Iโve said it a thousand times. There are so many words in the dictionary that you can use in place of the โRโ word. Please, for Raeganโs sake, consider using a different one.โ
Please SHARE this touching story with everyone you know. Itโs important more people realize the hurtfulness of such words!
[Source: Facebook โ Love What Matters]
