There are so many ugly things to notice lately, but one stands out. First, let me introduce you to someone. This is Anna, my daughter.
Anna is a tard.
Calling someone a 'tard' is suddenly fashionable again, used in the most forward-hating forums. '-Tard' blended with another word is used to slur some person or group of people:
• Republitard
• Libtard
• Christard
• Muslitard
• Fantard
• Mactard (yes, even in the choice of computing devices)
'-Tard' is used in online forums, political arguments, by some in government, in my cousin’s thread on Facebook, and in countless memes. It might look like just another insult—an attempt to paint someone as laughably ignorant.
But “-tard” does nastier work than that. Go one layer down. What you find is far uglier. It doesn’t land on the person you’re trying to insult. The blow lands on people with intellectual disabilities.
This is dehumanization—not of the political opponent or troll—but of people like my daughter. '-Tard' is hate aimed in two directions but only lands on one: vulnerable people with intellectual disabilities.
My husband, Dr. Otis Fulton (Anna’s stepfather), is a psychologist. He puts it this way: “Dehumanization happens when we stop seeing people as individuals and start seeing them as symbols or stereotypes. It allows us to justify mistreatment—because we’ve convinced ourselves they don’t feel pain the same way or that their worth is somehow less. When people use slurs like ‘-tard,’ they’re reinforcing the belief that some lives are less valuable. That’s not just cruel—it’s dangerous.”
The suffix '-tard' comes from 'retard,' once a clinical term, now rejected by medical and advocacy communities. Today, '-tard' is just a slur—a way to say someone is stupid, less than, incapable. Whether used in jest or mudslinging, it sends the same message: people with disabilities are acceptable punchlines and ultimately become punching bags.
Next time you see '-tard' used, know that the person being hurt is someone like Anna.
We send the message—especially to young people—that some lives matter less, that intelligence is the only value, and that cruelty is fair game.
This isn’t about hurt feelings. It’s about our culture. Words shape our worldview. Normalize slurs, and you normalize exclusion. You normalize hate.
I’ve used “-tard” so heavily that no algorithm will help spread this message. I hope you will.
The tard’s mom,
Katrina Alderson VanHuss
President of the Board
The Arc of Hanover