Disabled people and advocates fought to make “the R  word” unacceptable by working and following both  the Stop the R Word campaign and the Spread-the-Word-to-End-the-Word campaign.

Then there’s Elon Musk. He makes me furious.

Elon Musk is one of the most powerful people in the world because he is very close to President Donald Trump. Musk also owns X (formerly called Twitter).

A lot of people listen to Musk, and he has been posting the “R” word on X to describe people with whom he disagrees. Two weeks ago he tweeted the “R” word three times. The use of “R” on X has increased by other X users people because they think it’s ok to use it since Musk uses it. The fact is, I am disabled, and this is all hurtful to me many other people.

“Musk is making the use of derogatory ablest comments acceptable” said Lisette Torres-Gerald a disabled scholar activist. The disabled community is worried that the changes Musk is making to the Federal Government will affect people with disabilities by reducing Medicaid and Medicare. They are also worried that getting rid of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will make things even harder for the disabled.

Content adapted an article in USA Today, Feb. 25, 2025