Oh brother, do I need to start mentioning I am on the autism spectrum everytime I do a joke about AS or about a character having it so no one wouldn't misinterput my joke. 
At work, I said the other day 'oh my God, I'm so retarded'....then (when I realised where I was, and they don't know I have AS) I said, "oh, sorry, that's not very politically correct, is it", and they said, no, you shouldn't say retard.
I kind of thought it would be funny if I got called up to HR about it and tell them that I DO have something that puts me technically in that category, so I can call it what I want.
Autism and mental retardation are two entirely different things.
It's possible to be both, but I think many autistic people who are classified as mentally retarded aren't really, since IQ test results can be so easily skewed by many factors.
Retard;
1. to make slow; delay the development or progress of (an action, process, etc.);
hinder or impede. –verb (used without object) 2. to be delayed.
–noun 3. a slowing down, diminution, or hindrance, as in a machine.
4. Slang: Disparaging. a. a mentally retarded person.
b. a person who is stupid, obtuse,
or ineffective in some way: a hopeless social retard.
- I know the word is used in a derogatory sense in our society, however, I am quite comfortable in using it when referring to myself when I make a silly mistake. It's society that I think has used it in a derogatory sense as some sort of insult.
I doubt I would use it as a spiteful term against someone else, generally speaking, nor would I encourage it to be used against someone else...
But then again, I'm quite comfortable calling my vagina a cunt. Other people aren't. That's more my point.
