US EditionThe ‘r-word’ is back. How a slur became renormalized
- In 2025, prominent figures including Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, and Kanye West publicly used the r-word on popular platforms like X and podcasts.
- This resurgence follows a background where the r-word was partly retired by federal law in 2010 via Rosa's Law, but usage never fully disappeared and has increased since Musk's January 6 post.
- Researchers observed the slur's usage more than doubled on X shortly after Musk's post, and experts say such language appeals to transgression and courts outrage for engagement.
- Adrienne Massanari described this trend as symptomatic of a deeper problem, calling it an 'apparent death of empathy' linked to a movement normalizing casual cruelty and hate online.
- Advocates like Sophie Stern, who has Down syndrome, and others urge resistance and caution against engaging with the r-word, emphasizing offline conversations and continued courage to counteract harm.
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The "R-Word" Is Back: How an Insult Became Normalized Again in Public Discourse
By Scottie Andrew, CNN On an April episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the host used a slur in the first 45 seconds of the show. “The word ‘retard’ is back, and it’s one of the great cultural wins,” Rogan said with a laugh on the April 10 episode of his popular podcast. “Probably driven by podcasts,” he added. A few months earlier, on January 6, Elon Musk used the word in response to a Finnish researcher who called him “the biggest disinforma…
·Idaho Falls, United States
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Total News Sources15
Leaning Left1Leaning Right0Center13Last UpdatedBias Distribution93% Center
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- 93% of the sources are Center
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C 93%
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