When Coworkers Found a "Retard" Halloween Costume Hysterical, 1 Dad Taught Them an Important Lesson
After her husband came home from work, Shannon was shocked to hear about a conversation he had with his colleagues during lunch. Instead of keeping it to herself and just letting the upset brew, she decided to share it in the hopes of enlightening even one person.
During Dustin's lunch break, he was sitting at a table with about 15 peers. Although these are colleagues that he waves hello to everyday, they aren't people who know him on a personal level and that became startlingly clear when one guy started describing what he thought was a hysterical Halloween costume.
One of the guys starts telling the whole group a story about a Halloween party that he attended this past weekend. The guy says, "OMG, 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!"My 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, "Well, wait, what does a retard look like?"
The guy just said, "I don't know, but he was good! He was the perfect retard."
So 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, "This is my little girl, Raegan," and all of the guys, including the storyteller, start saying, "Awww, she's adorable!'"
Dustin then looked at the storyteller and said, 'Thanks, she is amazing. She has Down syndrome. So, I'm sure you can imagine that I don't appreciate this costume conversation. I'm just wondering, is she what a retard looks like, to you?"
Mouths dropped as Dustin went on to explain why that word is so hurtful and shouldn't be used — especially as a joke or a Halloween costume. While Shannon knows that everyone involved in the conversation must've felt pretty uncomfortable, especially the man who started it, she hopes that all of these adults went home with a better understanding of why the word "retard" is so offensive and hurtful.
"At 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," Shannon told Love What Matters. "There are so many words in the dictionary that you can use in place of the 'R' word. Please, for Raegan's sake, consider using a different one."