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This is the argument I see to defend use of the word and I’ve never understood it. Where I am (west coast-ish of the US), the word is used very specifically to mean autistic. If you ask someone not to say retard, they say autistic instead. If you ask them not to say autistic, they say special education. If not that, slow. If not that, someone who takes the short bus. Unambiguously the people here use the r slur as a slur against autistic people. They use it as an insult towards allistic people to degrade them as lesser. Same as calling a straight person the f slur. Maybe it’s different in other parts of the country, but the r slur is absolutely used as a slur against autistic people where I am.
That’s still 200+ deaths who were registered. And my understanding of Saudia Arabia in this context is that they don’t always permit Muslims from certain countries, so they have no choice if they want to make their pilgrimage. This is a once in a lifetime event that some people may plan out years in advance. I don’t think it’s fair to blame them for not registering, especially when in some cases they can’t.