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It’s that time again! Another tough ethical dilemma from the classic ’80s boardgame Scruples™:
“Your retarded brother is a year younger than you, but behaves like an overgrown child. The alternative is an institution. Do you have him live with you?”
Sigh. If only life came with a rule book for dealing with one’s retarded brother.
Lindy West was born an unremarkable female baby in Seattle, Washington. The former Stranger writer covered movies, movie stars, exclamation points, lady stuff, large frightening fish, and much, much more.... More by Lindy West
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He should be useful to society somehow. I say we call on retarded brothers everywhere to serve their country by joining the workforce in the manual and farm labor sector. This will provide a solid base for our economy as well as force all those dirty illegal immigrants back where they came from.
this nation’s a bunch of whiners; let’s work together, people!
comment baiting
this is useless. one was funny, now this is just a waste.
“Behaves like an overgrown child…”
Hey, he’d fit right in Seattle….no one would notice.
Was “retarded” a socially acceptable term in 1986??
Seattle is so lame that John Bailo posts on a Seattle blog every day.
Well, #5 is soooo lame that every day that I post, he posts a post making fun of me.
Yeaaaaaaahhhh.
I would have my mom run for vice president. Then my retarded brother would be a poster child for tolerance.
Are you making fun of the Downs? When I’m president, I’m gonna shut this paper DOWNS! er… down!
Well, let’s settle this once and for all: ask Bailo’s older brother.
Here’s how I feel:
http://you-read-it-here-first.com/viewtopic.php?t=1179&sid=69ae4a98f526eacf68c17163ffe9547d
No. Duh. That’s what mom and dad are for, silly.
This game is actually a pretty good snapshot of social discourse in the late 70’s to mid-80’s. There are a lot of words and modes of phrasing which have dramatically changed for the better in the last 20 years. When people rail against political correctness they are really complaining that they can no longer be overt bigots.
I know how my sister would have answered this question back in the day. “I can put my retarded brother in an INSTITUTION? Mom! Can I? Please?”
Are there no prisons? And the Union workhouses – are they still in operation? The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?
Christ, it’s not even Halloween and Jube is already out with the Christmas merchandise.
Ah, Scruples. Quite the eye opener for me where a certain boyfriend was concerned. It should be re-issued as the “asshole test.” It would save people a bundle in future marriage/couples counseling/divorce expenses.
Every retard deserves a mother and a father, so as long as he’s not shacked up with a queer, does it matter?
(sarcasm)
“Retarded” is such a boorish term. I prefer to call them “broken people.”
The answer is obvious. He can live on the street and beg as an idiot for his living. Not only is it a decent living, but idiocy is also a good career path to take. It’s worked for President Bush and Governor Palin. He’d just need a schtick: e.g. the ability to parrot right wing ideology while imitating a monkey.
That would depend entirely on whether or not said person was Sarah Palin.
Speaking as the retarded brother, no. I just need a little help living on my own, but living with my sister would require too many drugs.