Rahm Emanuel, President Obama's Chief of Staff, is being criticized for referring to a plan by liberal special interest groups to run ads against some conservative-leaning Democrats opposing health-care reform as "F*****g retarded". He has come under fire for his use of the term "retarded", notably from Sarah Palin. Palin has equated the term "retarded" with the n-word, and called for Emanuel to be fired (link here). 

Should Emanuel be fired? Is saying "retarded" the same as using the n-word?

In a word: No.

"Retarded" is offensive, yes. Absolutely. It shows a lack of judgment on Emanuel's part, and he deserves criticism for it. He should issue a general apology (he already issued an apology to Tim Shriver, CEO and Chairman of the Special Olympics).

However, there is no comparing "retarded" to the n-word. The fact that we typically write or say "the n-word" (as Palin herself did in her written comments) when we refer to it instead of simply saying the word itself demonstrates that.

The extraordinarily violent and oppressive history of racism in this country that the n-word arises from and evokes puts the word in a category of its own. And frankly, opportunists like Palin who draw comparisons between the n-word and other terms whenever it is politically useful for them to do so exhibit a deep insensitivity to that history and what the n-word means for so many people. In my view, Palin deserves a lot more criticism for her inane and disingenuous comments than Emanuel deserves for his.