Students use words like “faggot” and “retarded” as insults in everyday conversation, which gives the impression that it is okay to mock someone for being gay or mentally disabled.
Society needs to stop accepting these words as insults. The Butler Community of Care celebrates tolerance, which is exactly what those words do not promote.
“Faggot” is an insult for someone who is homosexual. Slurs like this are hurtful and intolerable.
Nobody has a right to put people down because of who they are as a person, so nobody should use the word “faggot.”
Even using the word out of its correct context is morally wrong. People tell each other, “You are so gay,” or  “You are a faggot,” to insult them for reasons that have nothing to do with sexual orientation.
These phrases imply that being gay is synonymous with doing something stupid or embarrassing, which creates an atmosphere of intolerance.
I believe Macklemore said it best in his song “Same Love.” The lyrics say “faggot” is “a word rooted in hate.”
Every time someone uses a homophonic slur to insult someone for any reason, the world seems a little more hateful and prejudiced.
The word “retarded” has similar effects.
When people tell each other, “You are retarded,” after doing something dumb or making a mistake, they are saying being mentally disabled is the same as being stupid or thoughtless.
These words are used inappropriately and out of context all the time. It is important to stop and think about how words will affect other people before they are said.
Being gay is not synonymous with doing something stupid. Being mentally handicapped is not synonymous with making mistakes.
Using “faggot” or “retarded” as insults implies these correlations. At Butler, intolerance and hate are not acceptable. All students deserve respect for who they are as a people.
Hold each other accountable. The next time someone calls a friend a “faggot” for killing them in a video game or “retarded” for making a wrong turn, ask them why they chose that word.
I hope students here do not truly mean these insults. I also hope they stop using them carelessly.
Society needs to find new methods of expressing frustration instead of using words that promote intolerance or hate.