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Campaigners say the term has been used for decades to 'bully, humiliate and dehumanise' neurodiverse people.
Love on the Spectrum star Dani Bowman has condemned the casual use of the r-word on screen after the ableist slur was featured in Euphoria. Sydney Sweeney’s character Cassie declares she is “not a r*****” in an episode of Sam Levinson's HBO drama after being accused of sounding like a Democrat. Bowman, who is on the autism spectrum, described it as “painful” to witness the word becoming “socially acceptable” again, adding that the “dehumanising” term “should be banned”.
“We worked way too hard for inclusion and acceptance to normalise the R word again,” the 31-year-old campaigner told TMZ. “That word has been used for decades to bully, humiliate and dehumanise neurodiverse people, and bringing it back like it’s edgy or funny, it’s not progress. It’s a step backwards.”
Bowman emphasised that campaigners like her have “spent years trying to educate people that these words hurt real human beings”. “Representation means nothing if respect disappears the second people think it’s trendy to mock disability again,” the star added. The Independent has contacted representatives for Sweeney and Levinson for comment.
Bowman also addressed Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s use of the word during jokes about NBA player Draymond Green at Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart. “I respect Dwayne Johnson and everything he’s accomplished, but using the r-word, even in a joke or skit, is disappointing,” she said. “Words like that have a real impact because they’ve been used for years to mock and tear down people with disabilities and neurodiverse individuals... Comedy can still be funny without targeting a community that’s fought hard to be accepted.”
Bowman added that she feels “totally disrespected” by the use of the slur on mainstream television and streaming platforms. “This word should be banned,” she stated.
The star’s remarks are the latest in a series of controversies surrounding the release of Euphoria’s third and final season. OnlyFans models have criticised various inaccuracies in Sweeney’s depiction of working on the platform. Meanwhile, The Guardian’s Louis Staples claimed that the show’s misogyny “feels like the manosphere’s wet dream”. Nevertheless, The Independent’s Nick Hilton praised the series in his four-star review, dubbing the programme “a vapid show about vapidity, a materialist show about materialism: Euphoria owns its contradictions, and, in this final season, shows it’s mastered them.”
