"As far as the Special Olympics is concerned, Kid Rock has a lot to learn. During an appearance on Fox News show Jesse Watters Primetime last week, the rap-rocker-turned-conservative-troll joke that he was going to be a "r--" for Halloween while brandishing a mask more recently associated with COVID-19 prevention (Rock's history of disdain towards vaccine mandates is well-documented). His callous use of the slur caught the attention of Lorretta Clairborne, vice chair of the Special Olympics organization, who's doing her best to make the unfortunate situation into a teachable moment."
""I'm writing to you personally with an urgent request: please acknowledge the hurt caused and use this moment to stand with us in rejecting that word and the prejudice it represents," the letter reads. "People with intellectual disabilities, one of the largest groups of people with disabilities in the world, have suffered generations of discrimination and humiliation. In the 21st century, we're still continuing to fight for the simplest form of justice: the recognition of our full humanity, a recognition you undermine when you use the word retard.""
Kid Rock used a derogatory slur on Fox News's Jesse Watters Primetime while brandishing a mask tied to COVID-19 prevention. Lorretta Clairborne, vice chair of Special Olympics, condemned the language and emphasized the slur's long history of belittling and dehumanizing people with intellectual disabilities. Clairborne urged acknowledgment of the hurt, rejection of the slur, and recognition of the full humanity of people with intellectual disabilities. She invited Kid Rock to discuss the movement for inclusion and respect that has changed many lives. Kid Rock had not responded to the open letter and remains focused publicly on ticket-broker activism.
Read at Consequence
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