Yes, it is becoming longer between personal blogs, but there has been so much to do that I just don't have time to sit and write. But today I managed to get a few minutes and I thought I'd go on about something that happened recently.
So in recent times, I have been going to karaoke on Wednesday nights at DT's, and it isn't too bad. What I find, however, is that the mass majority of the crowd are the thin twinky types with their stereo-types and ideals of perfectionism for other people based around themselves. In short, they are the 'in' crowd, so I am on the outside. It shows too, since there is always a noteable delayed rewaction upon applauding me onto stage, where everyone else has theirs straight up, but that is not my problem.
My problem came while one of the guys was showing off a photo of something (or more specifically, someone) he saw on his travels to Geelong during the week. The picture was of a woman's crotch area and it hung down abnormally. Now, it did look rather odd and it couldn't be normal. Once I had a look at the picture, I thought it looked bizare and I couldn't contemplate in my mind how she lived with that. But then our lovely little man started having a go at her and that people like her shouldn't go out in public unless they did something about these sorts of things. Now, I am reasonable, and I did my best to approach the situation from a diplomatic position. I tried to reason with him that the problem might not be medically fixable, she might not be able to afford it, and so on. This didn't seem to get through to this guy, and I walked off stating I was not going to sit there and listen to this insensitivity. He seemed to work out that I was being honest in my approach, and I went and got drinks for myself and my friend who stayed behind. When I had settled myself enough that I was not going to clock him to deliver my friend his drink. The guy appologised for being insensitive and for apparently hurting y feelings, so I ahd to point out to him exactly how disability works and that perhpas there is more to the story than he percieved, and that she was damned brave to go out in public and face his kind of descrimination, while others would remain behind doors for the same reason.
It disgusts me when people who have not been there or done that think they are in a position to pass judgement. This guy MIGHT have had an invisible disability like me, but I doubt very much that is the case. There are some things in the range of physical disability that simply cannot be changed. And despite what idiots like Jamie Oliver think, not all obesity is caused by poor diet. The human body is a larger mystery than even space, and no one person is going to solve it, but every ast person thinks they are in the position to judge it.
So, in my time at east, I ahve dedicated myself to helping people who have disability or are in aged care. Having lived with disability half my life and knowing that people have no understanding about what it is that you go through every day, I can only sympathise with those who suffer and put into line those who mock. I put this guy into an awkward position and had him think about what it was he was saying and doing. I hope that he has taken a step into a better direction. I won't hate him for his opinion, but I will do my best to get him, and people like him, to understand that disability comes in many forms, has many names and needs to be understood and defeated, not abused and ignored.
Unti then, perhaps this blog will get through to someone and help them understand something that they didn't before. Or at least I hope it will,
Perry B
No comments:
Post a Comment