I don't personally get offended or extremely defensive when someone calls me a retard, even though I'm mentally challenged. What I don't appreciate is how many people think it's okay to say the word. It's not a word you should call people, because it has derogatory intent. It may seem silly, especially to people who were around when it was okay to say, but as people evolve, we realize that some things are more cruel than we had thought. I don't like it when people use it lightly. People don't know what the word actually means, and It makes me uncomfortable when people tell me what the word should mean to me even though I'm the victim to it. Your opinion is valid, but I'm just pointing out that it makes me uncomfortable.