01/26/2026
The Renewed Use of the R-Word is Abhorrent and We Need to Stand Against It
Today, the The New York Times reported on the resurgence of the R-word, a term long understood to demean people with intellectual disabilities and one that many of us worked hard to remove from everyday use.
For decades, people with intellectual disabilities, their families, and advocates fought to push this word out of our culture, not because of “political correctness,” but because it hurts. Because it dehumanizes. Because it’s been used to justify exclusion, mockery, and lowered expectations.
At John’s Crazy Socks, we have always stood firmly against the use of the R-word.
Why? Because we know the people it hurts.
Our colleagues with differing abilities come to work every day. They pack orders. They serve customers. They contribute to a growing business. They bring joy, pride, and purpose to what they do. And many of them have heard this word used to dismiss them, laugh at them, or tell them they don’t belong.
This conversation isn’t about free speech. It is nit about wokeness. No one is being silenced.
It’s about leadership, responsibility, and respect.
The Times reports that use of the R-word on social media has exploded in recent years, especially after being used by people with large platforms. What leaders normalize becomes culture and culture affects real people in real workplaces. People use it purposely as a form of power believing they will face no consequences.
When President Trump used the term to insult a governor, we wrote to him, asking him to find different language and we invited him to meet John and our colleagues so he could understand firsthand what people with different abilities can do and how that term hurts them.
We’ve seen the impact firsthand. Hearing this word doesn’t feel abstract to our team. It brings back memories of being bullied in school, excluded from opportunities, or underestimated.
We believe in showing the world what people with differing abilities can do.
Inclusion is not a trend.
Dignity is not optional.
And progress only lasts if we defend it.
We’ll keep standing up.
We’ll keep building jobs.
And we’ll keep choosing words that lift people up, not tear them down.
Because that’s who we are. Please join us. It will take all of us go reverse this trend.
