The “R” word? What the heck is the “R” word?

Oh. “Retard.” We’re referring to that by its initial now.

The story:

Jennifer Aniston is being criticized for an off-the-cuff remark on Thursday’s “Live! With Regis and Kelly.”

Aniston, there to promote her new film “The Switch,” was talking with host Regis Philbin and a guest co-host, L.A. radio personality Kristin Cruz, about the actress’s recent Barbra Streisand-inspired photo spread in Harper’s Bazaar.

“You’re playing dress up!” Philbin remarked. Aniston replied, “Yes, I play dress up! I do it for a living, like a retard!”

Uh oh. She said the “R” word. Anger quickly followed:

“Frankly, someone in her position ought to know better,” Peter Berns, chief executive of The Arc, told Us magazine. “She is using language that is offensive to a large segment of the population in this country. We estimate that there are probably in excess of 5 million people in the country with intellectual disabilities, and when you think about all of them, their family members and friends, you’re talking about tens of millions of people who find the use of that term to be really offensive.”

Thoughts:

People who “dress up” “for a living” are called models, you ret…um, you intellectually diabled person.

Can we still call people morons?

One might think that, given past brouhahas over similar verbal slips, people would learn. Especially people who frequently speak in public. But, like President Obama (who didn’t actually use that word), people don’t tend to think in politically correct terms all the time, even when they’re on TV.

Maybe especially when they’re on TV. You’re nervous, you know? You’ve gotta have something to say, and sometimes “something” turns into “anything.”

Which is also why I never say anything stupid, inflammatory, or demeaning* on this blog: I’ve got plenty of time to think about what I’m going to say before I say it.

* Opinions may differ.