TL;DR: “R*t*rd” is on the same level of hurtful and offensive as “f*gg*t”, and is definitely more so than harmless words like “f*ck”. Torn censors slurs and “swear words”, and has rules against using harmful and discriminatory language. Why is “r*t*rd” fine by their book? Also personal story at the end if you’re into that.
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Hey. Without going into specifics, I’m mentally disabled. A while ago, there was this this thread about the enforcement of rules around permissible language on Torn. A lot of people, other mentally disabled people included, agreed that it’s pretty messed up to so heavily enforce things like not saying “f*ck” while allowing blatant slurs like “r*t*rd”.
I know some people disagree with the whole notion of censoring. Without getting into that debate, Torn has been very firm on its position that censoring is necessary for maintaining civility, and this is extremely unlikely to change. Bogie on the f*cking issue. Some words, e.g. “f*ck”, are censored because Torn is not 18+ and parents might get mad their kid is seeing swears in an online video game. Like whatever sure. Others, like “f*gg*t”, are censored because of the history behind them and how they’ve been used to hurt marginalised people. Respecting these rules is a non-negotiable requirement of playing the game.
[image: profileimages.torn.com]
Which is why it’s really weird that “r*t*rd” is tolerated when other slurs are not. It suggests that Torn doesn’t take the dignity and well-being of mentally disabled people as seriously as other marginalised groups. I’ll reiterate here what I said in that thread:
Some people might argue that asking for more censors leads to a slippery slope of censoring everything that’s vaguely mean. Two things:
1) You can still use the words, they just get little stars on them. Unless they decide to go the same route as “f*gg*t” and censor the entire thing, which I wouldn’t mind honestly.
2) I really don’t think this is true, partly because Ched does want the game to piss us off and cause drama (I can’t find the link for the exact quote from Ched, if someone could that would be great), and partly because people will push back on that. Trolling and in-game conflict is a big part of Torn culture, and I don’t really want to see that go away, either. But there’s a difference between being recreationally annoying and being actually hurtful to the real human players. Torn has been moderating the difference in most cases except this one.
Idk, I think this is a really small thing to ask for. Nobody’s game experience is going to be ruined by putting little stars over the word “r*t*rd”, and a significant number of people are going to feel more like the devs of Torn actually give a shit about us as people playing their game, and about upholding their own anti-discrimination rules properly.
I’m genuinely not sure how this will go, but I hope enough people care (or just shrug and chuck an upvote) that this can get looked at.
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Edit:
Okay it’s been five months and 41 pages of discussion since I wrote this post. I thought I’d properly disclose my personal stake in this.
I’m autistic, among other things, and currently doing my PhD in adolescent health. Throughout my life, I have been insulted and put down for having a different cognitive profile than other people, because I seem slow, thick, inattentive, careless, lazy, etc. However, if I had the option to choose not to be autistic, I would not take it. Yes, it is disabling, because it is hard to navigate the current modern world with my neurotype, but I love the way I view, experience and interact with the world; it is quite literally who I am. The problem is how other people view and treat me. It’s not just about intellectual disability; there is a real stigma and prejudice against anyone who seems different from the normative neurotype. If you were to apply the word under discussion to people with similar traits to me because you think my traits are undesirable, you are marking people like me as undesirable, and that is why it is a slur.
Alright, going to sink back into the void of the internet while y’all keep doing your thing in the comments. I appreciate the engagement and support, regardless of whether this actually gets implemented or not.
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Hey. Without going into specifics, I’m mentally disabled. A while ago, there was this this thread about the enforcement of rules around permissible language on Torn. A lot of people, other mentally disabled people included, agreed that it’s pretty messed up to so heavily enforce things like not saying “f*ck” while allowing blatant slurs like “r*t*rd”.
I know some people disagree with the whole notion of censoring. Without getting into that debate, Torn has been very firm on its position that censoring is necessary for maintaining civility, and this is extremely unlikely to change. Bogie on the f*cking issue. Some words, e.g. “f*ck”, are censored because Torn is not 18+ and parents might get mad their kid is seeing swears in an online video game. Like whatever sure. Others, like “f*gg*t”, are censored because of the history behind them and how they’ve been used to hurt marginalised people. Respecting these rules is a non-negotiable requirement of playing the game.
[image: profileimages.torn.com]
![[image: profileimages.torn.com]](https://profileimages.torn.com/31b800d7-bcd1-777b-1835557.jpg){kind=link}
Which is why it’s really weird that “r*t*rd” is tolerated when other slurs are not. It suggests that Torn doesn’t take the dignity and well-being of mentally disabled people as seriously as other marginalised groups. I’ll reiterate here what I said in that thread:
People have done, and still do, despicable things to mentally disabled people. “R*tard” is a slur for the same reason “f*ggot” is: because its use as an insult suggests that being mentally disabled or being gay makes you less than others and deserving of ridicule, abuse, and ostracisation.Also, I don’t think those parents unhappy about little Timmy seeing “f*ck” uncensored online are going to be super chuffed about Tornizens’ profligate use of “r*t*rd”.
Some people might argue that asking for more censors leads to a slippery slope of censoring everything that’s vaguely mean. Two things:
1) You can still use the words, they just get little stars on them. Unless they decide to go the same route as “f*gg*t” and censor the entire thing, which I wouldn’t mind honestly.
2) I really don’t think this is true, partly because Ched does want the game to piss us off and cause drama (I can’t find the link for the exact quote from Ched, if someone could that would be great), and partly because people will push back on that. Trolling and in-game conflict is a big part of Torn culture, and I don’t really want to see that go away, either. But there’s a difference between being recreationally annoying and being actually hurtful to the real human players. Torn has been moderating the difference in most cases except this one.
Idk, I think this is a really small thing to ask for. Nobody’s game experience is going to be ruined by putting little stars over the word “r*t*rd”, and a significant number of people are going to feel more like the devs of Torn actually give a shit about us as people playing their game, and about upholding their own anti-discrimination rules properly.
I’m genuinely not sure how this will go, but I hope enough people care (or just shrug and chuck an upvote) that this can get looked at.
———————————
Edit:
Okay it’s been five months and 41 pages of discussion since I wrote this post. I thought I’d properly disclose my personal stake in this.
I’m autistic, among other things, and currently doing my PhD in adolescent health. Throughout my life, I have been insulted and put down for having a different cognitive profile than other people, because I seem slow, thick, inattentive, careless, lazy, etc. However, if I had the option to choose not to be autistic, I would not take it. Yes, it is disabling, because it is hard to navigate the current modern world with my neurotype, but I love the way I view, experience and interact with the world; it is quite literally who I am. The problem is how other people view and treat me. It’s not just about intellectual disability; there is a real stigma and prejudice against anyone who seems different from the normative neurotype. If you were to apply the word under discussion to people with similar traits to me because you think my traits are undesirable, you are marking people like me as undesirable, and that is why it is a slur.
Alright, going to sink back into the void of the internet while y’all keep doing your thing in the comments. I appreciate the engagement and support, regardless of whether this actually gets implemented or not.