But stupid, moron, imbecile, idiot are all okay, right? They meant the same thing as retarded, but we still use them today, because there wasn't big pushback against their use and they melded with language. If the same didn't happen with the word, 'retarded,' then I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be offensive in a way that 'stupid' isn't.    Thanks to those charities that take donations in order to discourage the use of 'retarded,' it's been given power and maintained popularity. Ironic, yet sustainable.