RETARDED.COM - Should this domain be auctioned in the largest domain industry convention?

[Internet.Domains]

Retarded.com - Should this domain be auctioned in the largest domain industry convention?

The term RETARDED is defined as "offensive" on Dictionary.com, Merriam-Webster.com, Vocabulary.com and Wikipedia.org. The latter one describes it: "The word retard was widely accepted in the late-1900s to refer to people with mental disabilities; however it is now more commonly used as an INSULT. The word has gained notoriety for causing a growing number of mentally disabled people to feel unfairly stereotyped."...

This insulting and offensive domain should not be part of the the largest domain industry convention. This reflects on sponsors and attendees alike. The auction has been advertised as "Super Premium" and there is nothing "SUPER PREMIUM" about offending and insulting mentally and physically challenged individuals. As a person who knows and works with autistic children I kindly ask for this domain to be removed from the sponsored industry event immediately. This domain does not and should not reflect on the entire domain industry, but at this point it does reflect, and it is insulting.... Here is a list of of the top sponsors for the convention that is promoting the auction with the offensive and insulting term to those that are physically and mentally challenged, through no fault of their own.

Uniregistry
RightOfTheDot
Namejet
Rightside
Verisign
Radix
InternetX
Affilias
GoDaddy
Escrow.com
101Domain
DomainSponsor
.WS
Donuts
CentralNic
.Blog

 

[Dun]

Ethics?
hahahaha gimme a break!
Anyone would be truly retarded if not thinking to bid on that one

 

[Internet.Domains]

Whether it's an attempt to censor or not, that's exactly what you're suggesting. To censor is to remove or eliminate words, images, etc. that are deemed to be unacceptable.

I'll ask the questions again, which you conveniently ignored:

Where does it stop? Where is the line that determines if a domain is or isn't too offensive to sell at a public auction? And who decides it?

Education is great. I fully support your efforts to make people aware that this word is offensive and hurtful to people. Censorship, however, is a tool of the ignorant and fearful.

In reply to your first statement.There are lots of different types of censorship and they all have different meanings. The type I have been referring to is called MORAL CENSORSHIP. It is different than the type of censorship you are referencing. (I could have been more clear about that)....Where do we draw the line you ask?.....That would depend on many factors. One thing to remember is the English language is always evolving. The N-word at one time was widely acceptable to use. You could say the same about the word in our subject. Only time will tell what word is next to become socially and morally unacceptable to use.... To answer your other question about who decides what domain to sell in a public auction, that would depend on what the decision maker finds morally acceptable to him/her.

 

[Internet.Domains]

You find the question manipulative because there is no good answer. And that's exactly the problem: there is no good answer. Someone will always be offended. That's why censorship resolves nothing. Bend to one complaint, and the next one will be in line demanding equal treatment.

If society deems this word to be unacceptable, then the name will eventually disappear into domain purgatory, and the rantings in this thread will serve no purpose but to draw extra attention to the word.

Here's an idea... Wait to see what's done with the domain. If you don't like it, don't visit it. If you find it really offensive, petition others not to visit it. If society is as advanced as you folks claim, you have nothing to worry about. And if not, don't try to force it... because then you'll be fighting people like me, who otherwise couldn't care less either way, but are now offended that you think we can't make our own decisions about what is and isn't morally acceptable.

You mention, "If society deems this word to be unacceptable"........
Society has already deemed this word unacceptable. You are free to choose your own morals. Meanwhile, society chooses it's morals, and currently society has deemed this word unacceptable, hurtful, painful and it is offensive and an insult. If you don't like societies morals, you are welcome to not join society. The Alaska bush is a good place to start if you choose to not join society.

 

[Internet.Domains]

You don't speak for society. Nor does the owner of this domain, nor the organisers of the auction.

Let business take its course, and let people decide where they will give their attention and spend their money.

THAT is how society speaks.

You say, "Let business take its course, and let people decide where they will give their attention and spend their money.".....We have a free market and an open society. However, society decides what can and can't be in a free market. For instance slaves are not allowed in a free market, because society deemed it unacceptable. Child pornography is not allowed in the free market, because society deemed it unacceptable. Again, it's society that has deemed the R-word morally unacceptable. Although not illegal, it is socially unacceptable to use the term. Recently, Amazon and Walmart took products off their shelves containing the R-word. That is because the term is socially unacceptable. Business tends to follow the rules of society, both legally and morally....

 

[mad409]

And while on the subject of good business decisions that's the reason for this thread.

Should this domain be auctioned in the largest domain industry convention?

 

[wormfood]

Okay, didn't need to compare rape.
Those were bad choices.
Thanks for clarifying though.

Maybe things like fatass, the n-word, and some others would make more sense.. can't think of many. Don't feel like continuing that

Just found this
https://flippa.com/5992318-retard-com

http://domaingang.com/domain-news/retard-dot-com-domain-auction-suspended-at-60000-dollars/
Oh you commented on that too..lol

https://flippa.com/6257587-retard-co
"I have owned this domain for 6 years now and am not qualified to develop it to it's full potential. I believe the domain has great potential in the right hands."

 

[Dun]

Retarded? God knows how blessed they are : )

 

[mad409]

If it's going to fail then let it fail. Relax.

I'm relaxed...

 

[mad409]

I don't like names that are offensive or illegal or whatever, however thinking positively that perhaps the purchaser of the name retarded.com will use the name to promote something positive when they take possession- and a group that supports autism as an example might benefit.

I don't see any potential for it being used in a positive way.

Has anyone heard of Rosa's law that Obama signed? If not you can learn more here:

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2010/10/05/obama-signs-rosas-law/10547/

https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/2781/text

 

[mad409]

Per the Terms of Use at NameJet.com they don't allow antidiscrimination domain names on their site. If one could ever be that this is one of them, discriminates against the handicapped etc..

Obama did pass Rosa's law, therefore maybe NameJet.com would like to respond on what their Terms of Use mean when it comes to words like this, or is it just overlooked sometimes?

If this one doesn't apply to their terms I'd sure like to see the ones that do.

6.2 Restricted Activities. Your Information (or any domain names that you list for auction on our Site) and all of your activities on the Site shall not: (a) be false, inaccurate or misleading; (b) be fraudulent or involve the transfer of hijacked or stolen domain names; (c) infringe any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy; (d) violate any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing export control, consumer protection, unfair competition, antidiscrimination or false advertising); (e) be defamatory, trade libelous, unlawfully threatening or unlawfully harassing; (f) be obscene or contain child pornography or; (g) create any liability for NameJet, LLC or its members, officers, directors, employees or agents, or cause us to lose (in whole or in part) services provided to us from our third party suppliers.

 

[slader23]

Per the Terms of Use at NameJet.com they don't allow antidiscrimination domain names on their site. If one could ever be that this is one of them, discriminates against the handicapped etc..

Obama did pass Rosa's law, therefore maybe NameJet.com would like to respond on what their Terms of Use mean when it comes to words like this, or is it just overlooked sometimes?

If this one doesn't apply to their terms I'd sure like to see the ones that do.

6.2 Restricted Activities. Your Information (or any domain names that you list for auction on our Site) and all of your activities on the Site shall not: (a) be false, inaccurate or misleading; (b) be fraudulent or involve the transfer of hijacked or stolen domain names; (c) infringe any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy; (d) violate any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing export control, consumer protection, unfair competition, antidiscrimination or false advertising); (e) be defamatory, trade libelous, unlawfully threatening or unlawfully harassing; (f) be obscene or contain child pornography or; (g) create any liability for NameJet, LLC or its members, officers, directors, employees or agents, or cause us to lose (in whole or in part) services provided to us from our third party suppliers.

It does not apply to article a,b,c,d,e,f or g.

Molestation.com, Ch*ldPorn.com and PreTeen.com would.

In addition to this Rosa's law is as follows:

“Rosa's Law,” the law removes the terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" from federal health, education and labor policy and replaces them with people first language “individual with an intellectual disability” and “intellectual disability.”

The law itself applies to the language used within federal, health, education and labor policy. It has no jurisdictional power/validity over the actual public use of the term. Its essentially a law that changes how people with intellectual disabilities are referred to when new policies are written.

There is ABSOLUTELY NO CORRELATION with this law and Name Jets Terms of Use and I would be very careful with referring to them in the way you did, its completely out of context and gives them the appearance of being ignorant towards the law, which they aren't.

 

[slader23]

That is not true at all. The words FIRST USE associates with intellectually impaired, with or without intent, unknowingly or knowingly. If you look at the SECOND and THIRD USE, they too are associated to a certain degree.

The words first use does not associate with the intellectually impaired. The words use COMBINED with the word MENTAL/LY associates with the intellectually impaired "Mental Retardation", "Mentally Retarded". From here the colloquialism was made with the word retard/ed.

 

[slader23]

Usage
In the sense less advanced in development than is usual for one's age, retarded dates from the late 19th century. It has acquired offensive connotations and has now been replaced by terms such as learning-disabled or having learning difficulties.

It has ACQUIRED offensive connotations, like I said the offensive use of the term has been a new age colloquialism and not something that was common in the past. Also the latest definition states itself as "DATED, OFFENSIVE", words like redskin are also dated, offensive.

Source: Oxford Dictionary

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/retarded

 

[slader23]

Retardation in physics.

 

[mad409]

LOL!
1. How would I insult "Millions" of people who have no idea who I am, what I'm doing or what I am buying?

Oh OK, now you're showing either your age, or intelligence. You can't even reply to my question correctly.

I understand now, waste of time with you..

Later Albert

 

[slader23]

@slader23

Ha, polls mean nothing Trump won.

Just like I thought couldn't answer what this domain would be good for and at a 10K reserve.

As for what you think of me, sorry ya feel that way but when people speak out of the wrong end when quoted I reply.

This one is a dud, you'll see, bad for ROTD and NameJet for allowing it. BJMO as always..

Are you serious? I answered you directly lol....

 

[CraigAK]

All this thread is doing is giving the domain in question more publicity. Hmmm

 

[slader23]

The only acceptable use of this domain is to redirect it to http://www.r-word.org/

Is it likely that a buyer will pay thousands of dollars to do that? No.

All uses of this word can be replaced with a politically correct synonym or described with more words. The word is unneeded and by choosing to use it anywise, you're tormenting people who are less fortunate than you and causing them unneeded agony, suffering, and distress, both emotionally and physically. That's cruel and heartless.

We all have a choice. Choose to do the right thing.

Since when do you decide what the acceptable/unacceptable use of the word is? This isn't a debate. The right to do anything is in the hands of the people.

 

[wormfood]

One of the better counterarguments I can think of is that since "premium domains" implies they have very high monetary value for whatever reason (or that since retarded.com is among other 'commercial' domains, even if not all are commercial), some people might wonder 'what is the commercial value here?'
The most lucrative development option most people people can probably come up with for this domain is to make it into a video / insult / joke site that could go viral among the right group (immature middle schoolers?).
So if they do come up with something like that, they might also subconsciously feel that NamesCon and the sponsors are supporting such a negative use of this domain, even if it would seem pretty far-fetched when they thought it through.

To me, the very best argument on the other side, which other people probably mentioned, seems to be:
Would you really want this transaction done completely in private? What if the WHOIS was private, and it started to be developed into a horrible site? You wouldn't know who is doing it. You can send all the hate mail you want, but it seems like a better idea to auction it in public. Then you have 'social accountability', if I can call it that (related to social punishment that was mentioned earlier).

Do you really think anyone who bids on this at a major convention is going to go home and make plans to develop it into a nasty site? Even if they believe the word is funny or fine to use (or even have a few friends that approve), they're probably going to lose a lot of reputation since people know they own it.
If they put it under privacy after the auction, claim that they sold it and that someone else developed it, some people will probably still berate them for being so careless and not simply forwarding it to r-word.org or another site (or they won't believe them).
You could have a private sale or auction where the details are still disclosed to domain investors and the public, but if it's done at a large convention, the pressure is even higher on the person afterwards, in my opinion.

If it's sold in private with no details released, it could be developed by someone you would normally respect, and you'll never know.

 

[Jv1999]

Just never ever name your children Dick just because you think it's unfair the name is no longer a name. You'll only bring them more hardship than what's normally in storefor tthem

I totally agree that when the word is used in that context then yes it is highly offensive and should not at all be tolerated.

The thing is tough the actual word itself is not solely in reference to any particular group of people, I get that it is commonly used by insensitive and uneducated idiots to refer to autistic people. However, the word itself can be used for many other uses...

For Example:

Physics and engineering

• Retardation factor, in chromatography, the fraction of an analyte in the mobile phase of a chromatographic system
• Retarded potential, in electrodynamics, electromagnetic potentials generated by time-varying electric current or charge distributions in the past
• Retarded time, time when an electromagnetic field began to propagate from a point in a charge distribution to an observer
• Retardation time

I guess it's almost like a domain like FAG.com (this is an offensive term for Gay people in many countries however in the UK it's a slang for a cigarette)

Even a name like Dick.com (It's offensive because we all know what it can mean but it's also a popular first name)

I think if there is merit to show that the domain name can be used for other purposes other than the blatant offensive purpose then it should be allowed...

Just my 2 cents though....