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November 9[edit]

Word: "humped-over retard" in Sling Blade[edit]

Doyle says to Karl, an intellectual disability is staying in his garage:

Doyle: You think I'm scared for you to stay here? You just a humped-over retard.

What does "humped-over retard" mean? Google thinks this term as "over the hump" everytime. Rizosome (talk) 03:59, 9 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I'm curious, just what did you search for? When I search for "humped over", I see a lot of things referring to postural deformities, and nothing about "over the hump". --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆𝄐𝄇} 04:14, 9 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I searched Google without the quote marks in the UK and almost all the first page referred to "over the hump", but there was a single article on kyphosis from the British NHS. The equally unpleasant term hunchback is sometimes used here; I've never heard "humped-over" used in that way, but it seems to make sense. Alansplodge (talk) 11:01, 9 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

As in, Karl's bent over with a "hump over" him? 惑乱 Wakuran (talk) 11:37, 9 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

As in "hunched over", "stooped over", or "bent over". --Khajidha (talk) 21:36, 9 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

So "humped-over" means hunchback in the given context? Rizosome (talk) 12:22, 9 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

So that would be a slur for physical disability used with the sense of mental disability, if I understand it correctly? 惑乱 Wakuran (talk) 12:53, 9 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The speaker is using insults and slurs to refer to Karl's physical and mental disabilities. Not one or the other. Both at once. Karl is a hunchback. Karl is mentally impaired. The two together make him a humped-over retard. --Khajidha (talk) 15:25, 9 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

If you're watching the movie Sling Blade in which the dialogue is spoken (as opposed to just trying to guess at a contextless set of words) then it is clear that the character Karl has an intellectual disability, AND as you watch Karl, you see that he holds his head unusually, and walks a bit with a "hunch" or a "hump". Words take on meaning when you hear them in the context they are spoken, and in the context of the film, Doyle is clearly insulting Karl; he uses a highly offensive word used to insult those with intellectual challenges, and the phrase "humped-over" simply refers to Karl's posture. There's no need to guess at the meanings if you are watching the film when it is spoken. --Jayron32 13:10, 9 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]
- You're assuming the viewer speaks English. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:52, 9 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]
  - I did no such thing. I am assuming the people answering speak English, and those bending-over backwards (pun intended) to provide convoluted definitions and unlikely origins of terms are doing the OP no service. Explain what it means and move on. --Jayron32 12:51, 10 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]
    - Meanwhile, we wait for the non-English-speaking OP to tell us whether he gets it now. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 12:53, 10 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]
      - Not going to happen. Rizosome will just move on to another question about movie dialog that would seem to be absolutely clear, but appears to confuse him to no end. --Khajidha (talk) 13:51, 10 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Habitually assuming a humped-over posture way may lead to a lasting physical disfigurement.^[1] The term is used for people bent over material they are studying.^[2][3] Perhaps – I have not seen the scene – Karl fears that Doyle may physically attack him and assumes a protective posture. --Lambiam 10:36, 10 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]