So, it appears that the movie "Tropic Thunder" is a huge box office hit. Yet, many people with disabilities, their families, friends, advocates and service providers have objected to the film because of the offensive use of the word "retarded." I am writing this letter to inform you of the reasoning behind their objections.

The "R" word was born of oppression - not until 1975, with the passage of P.L. 94-142 were people with intellectual disabilities - ID - even allowed to receive a public education.

For many years, people with ID lived as slaves in large, state and privately run institutions where they were made to work, without compensation, at tasks such as farming, gardening, cooking, cleaning and "taking care of" other residents who could not care for themselves.

While the Ku Klux Klan may not have specifically targeted people with ID, people with ID were the victims of the Eugenics Movement, which permeated society, scientific establishments and state and federal government.

Between 1907 and 1963, more than 64,000 people with disabilities were forcibly sterilized under the auspices of eugenic legislation in the United States. The Nazi architects of the "final solution" honed their skills by practicing first on people with disabilities.

While the word "kidnapping" may not apply, countless numbers of people with ID were taken away from their families and communities and admitted to large public institutions. These institutions could rightfully be described as state-sanctioned ghettos.

People with ID continue to be the victims of violence. Current data on abuse and neglect of people with ID highlights the seriousness of this issue.

This, in a nutshell, is the reason that people take offense at the use of the "R" word.

Rod Patterson

Pontiac

The writer is executive director, Mosaic at Pontiac.