Ok, I appologise for the lack of thought I gave to posting that picture. I didnt realise that so many people would take offence at it. It was not intended to take the mickey out of people with disabilities, children with Downs Syndrome or anything like that. It was posted to make the point that it is exactly what it says on the tin. I posted this image to demonstrate the futility of arguing on the internet! Winning an argument on the internet simply means you can put a case across better than the person you argue against and nothing more. It does not make you a better person, or more able.
Obviously, I misjudged the tone of the thread that the picture was originally posted in. (As others have misjudged the context in which it was posted). I appologise for the offense many people took of it. It was not intended in the manner in which it was taken.
As an ex-nurse I have worked with many people who endure the insensitive and uneducated comments made by others about their conditions, including mental illness and physical disabilities, and I should have realised that the posting of that particular picture may not have had the effect I intended.
Oh, and MJH, your main beef seems to be the picture itself. I thought the little boy in the picture was a beautiful image, full of joy at winning a race. May his life be filled with such moments. The context in which I used this particular image was inappropriate and thoughtless I agree. Oh, and the word retarded is still used in American mental health literature to describe a person whos mental development has been slowed or reached a reduced level due to physical or psychological processes.
