By Carol Costello and Bob Ruff

What’s in a word? Groups who suffer discrimination see certain words as powerful cultural weapons used by those determined to keep them in their place.

Suffragettes at the turn of the century, civil rights demonstrators in the 1950s and 1960s, and gay rights activists at the turn of the century all understood that educating Americans about the hate and discrimination embedded in certain words was an important step toward claiming their rights under the Constitution.

The targets of the “B” word, the “N” word, and the “Q” word see them as barriers to equality. Now there is the “R” word. It stands for “retarded.”

Most recently, the president’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, was criticized for using the “R” word when describing liberal Democrats. The resulting firestorm of criticism led to a meeting last week at the White House between Emmanuel and Special Olympics. The Special Olympics’ goal is to bring “dignity, acceptance and a chance to reach one’s potential” through athletics to people with intellectual disabilities. It was founded by President Kennedy’s sister, the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

Her son, Anthony Shriver, is the founder of Best Buddies, a nonprofit group that strives to create opportunities for “people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

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