I few months back I had to shut off all of my sources of news because all the Palestinian horror stories were fucking with my head. I wanted to in touch with what is happening in the world but it was all too much.
I have to agree with the post on being "properly bored" too. I've been dealing with general burnout too and spending time doing nothing and getting lost in my own head has done wonders.
I grew up using this word all the time. It's just one of the dumb words we said all the time. I only found out within the last couple of years that it's considered a slur. Idk, I feel most people who are actually considered retarded and are competent enough to understand don't actually care. But the reality is that any sort of "name calling" isn't necessary. I grew up with a culture of all sorts of name calling, but just because I grew up with doesn't mean it's right.
But ultimately, language and the world changes and it's just not acceptable to say anymore because it is derogatory towards a particular group.