In the first minute of Thursday's episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, its host declared that the re-emergence of the disability slur "retard" is "one of the greatest cultural victories."
"We were just talking about that," Rogan said, after using the slur to describe political commentators. "The word 'r––ded' is back, and it's one of the great culture victories that I think is spurred on, probably, by podcasts."
Long associated with mocking and demeaning people with intellectual disabilities, the offensive term fell out of use, deemed "politically incorrect." A widespread backlash to "PC policing," often associated with President Donald Trump's base and embraced by podcasters like Rogan, has ushered in its return.
Trump reportedly considered calling Joe Biden "Retarded Joe" during the 2024 campaign before aides coaxed him instead toward "Sleepy Joe." At a campaign fundraiser in September, Trump reportedly used the slur to insult Vice President Kamala Harris.
Billionaire advisor to the president Elon Musk is also a fan of the word. Musk's 2022 purchase of Twitter and the subsequent changes to the platform's hate speech policies has given him the ability to post the word quite frequently to his 219 million followers.
Though Rogan didn't seem particularly impacted by the word's hiatus, he is now celebrating its return, and crediting podcasts like his for paving the way.
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