In my experience, I think perceptions very widely but things are slowly moving in the direction of it not being offensive

 For the last few years, I had the same experience, but recently I've heard more people using it, even more socially progressive people, which makes me wonder if it's shifting in the other direction now. I think this has been a low-simmering flashpoint among socially progressive folks for a while, whether or not it's okay to say retarded

 i've had the opposite sensation. It's going in the direction where people think it's a taboo word.

It is widely considered offensive and seen as a word that should not be used

Perceptions vary widely; there is no general consensus

It is not considered offensive by most people

Related questions