|
|
|
Knight
 
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 5:34 PM
Posts: 66,
Visits: 467
|
|
| Hmmm. I am disabled (I'm registered blind). In the last three months I have met with no less than six instances of people being frankly abusive about my disability and status as a disabled person, (none I am pleased to say from work) and I'm beginning to wonder if the world hasn't gone completely insane. Being told by a chav that I should stay indoors where no-one can see me because effectively I make people feel sorry for me by carrying a white stick was the least of my insults. Can anybody shed light on this? Is it merely that the world dislikes the different so much they'd rather not look at anything that reminds them of it? Is that it's a case of misunderstanding and that all the world needs is education about how to deal with people who are not as normal as everyone else (to which I say the old adage, what's normal anyway)? Or is it simply that we live in a world where yob culture has overtaken manners and/or politeness or even compassion and now we just say what we feel like?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LT: Zai, fetcher, carrier, all round good guy.
PD: Elaia De Brynn, High Class Lady with more suitors than sense.
Riftworld: "Luscious Gin" Jones, holder of the "Most Athletic BaitGirl This Side of The Warp" title.
CP: Niniel Alberann, Healer Extra-ordinaire...
SG: Dr Maya Hakkar, The Only Alien in The UKGC. RL: Kate, mostly confused, sometimes not....
|
|
|
|
|
Wag
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 4:51 PM
Posts: 1,159,
Visits: 1,006
|
|
| I think you'll find that rude people will always be rude, theres always been Yobs. You stereotype as much as the next person. (i.e. you assume the insulter was a 'chav') . This said I think n theres arguably less discrimination than there was a a couple of decades ago. Of course theres the side effect happening now of increasing annoyance over excessive allowances for disabilities that the public don't really think are disabilities. For example the massive proportion of persons claiming benefit due to 'stress' or 'depression', ridiculous proportions of children diagnosed with 'ADHD' (or similar trendy condition) the fact we have to design exams so that 'dyslexics'/ those with any learning disability have an equal chance of passing them at the same level as a non-dyslexic and recieve excessive levels of help. Soldiers demanding massive payouts because they were traumatised by their job (which most of the public consider was their choice and something they were fully aware of the consequences of). This is not to say that that some people do not truly suffer from these conditions, simply that the public percieve that anount to be far fewer than those who do complain. That said I find generally people are far more tolerant of physical disabilities than of the less obvious ones.... I think you've just bumped into some tossers recently.
|
|
|
|
|
Knight
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 5:34 PM
Posts: 66,
Visits: 467
|
|
| I believe chavs are defined here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chav. The guy who I paraphrased in my opening post ticked most of the boxes...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LT: Zai, fetcher, carrier, all round good guy.
PD: Elaia De Brynn, High Class Lady with more suitors than sense.
Riftworld: "Luscious Gin" Jones, holder of the "Most Athletic BaitGirl This Side of The Warp" title.
CP: Niniel Alberann, Healer Extra-ordinaire...
SG: Dr Maya Hakkar, The Only Alien in The UKGC. RL: Kate, mostly confused, sometimes not....
|
|
|
|
|
Knight
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 5:34 PM
Posts: 66,
Visits: 467
|
|
[b]Flannel (2/6/2007)That said I find generally people are far more tolerant of physical disabilities than of the less obvious ones... That might actually be an issue with the level of insults hurled at me...I don't look blind. not stereotypically, not even remotely, so to see me in full blind mode may be a bit of a non-plusser....
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LT: Zai, fetcher, carrier, all round good guy.
PD: Elaia De Brynn, High Class Lady with more suitors than sense.
Riftworld: "Luscious Gin" Jones, holder of the "Most Athletic BaitGirl This Side of The Warp" title.
CP: Niniel Alberann, Healer Extra-ordinaire...
SG: Dr Maya Hakkar, The Only Alien in The UKGC. RL: Kate, mostly confused, sometimes not....
|
|
|
|
|
Wag
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 4:51 PM
Posts: 1,159,
Visits: 1,006
|
|
| I wasn't aware there was 'Blind' look! Most people go with White sticks or Guide dogs as indicators. Hmmm well its actually difficult to comment unless your willing to mention what the insults were. the Chav you mentioned was a wanker.... but people like that insult anyone about anything. I wouldn't really count that as personally aimed. He'd also have insulted you for being Fat, Ugly, Youing, Old, Smelly, Rich, Poor whatever.... In the old days he would have been beaten to a pulp by an adult during his teens before he got into the habit of behaving like that I suppose :o) (I'm presuming you have 'some' vision BTW just that its rather limited)
|
|
|
|
|
Devil's Advocate
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Thursday, August 07, 2008 8:35 PM
Posts: 1,142,
Visits: 1,400
|
|
Yeh for Wikipedia. Now we can back up our bigotry with footnotes. UGH.
As for disabled people in the UK, I think it's probably alot better than it ever has been, isn't it? I mean random hurled insults inside, we seem to be alot more aware of disability that we ever were.
If you can't beat your computer at chess, try kickboxing.
|
|
|
|
|
Knight
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 5:34 PM
Posts: 66,
Visits: 467
|
|
| Aware, yes, but not necesarily more tolerant of or more willing to accept. The Chav, who I shall continue to label as such, because it is a useful handle on a culture I don't understand and have not other reference with which to label him, was one incident, there was a little old lady (we're talking small, fluffy and with one of those little dogs that looks like it should be an advert for the RSPCA because it's so naturally thin), who I almost fell over and nearly put my knee out trying not to hit who told me I should "f*** off and beg on a corner" rather than walk around a shopping centre, there were three or four girls who called me a walking f***-up...And there was a social worker who, while not actually using insulting language or words about me, still managed to royally offend me by asking me why in heaven's name I wanted to work when surely I should stay at home like the other blind people. (I later found out he works with elderly blind people, who wouldn't really want to go to work. But it still ticked me off.) And there is a sort of blind look, but it depends on how many movies you've seen as to whether you think it applies, tbh.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LT: Zai, fetcher, carrier, all round good guy.
PD: Elaia De Brynn, High Class Lady with more suitors than sense.
Riftworld: "Luscious Gin" Jones, holder of the "Most Athletic BaitGirl This Side of The Warp" title.
CP: Niniel Alberann, Healer Extra-ordinaire...
SG: Dr Maya Hakkar, The Only Alien in The UKGC. RL: Kate, mostly confused, sometimes not....
|
|
|
|
|
Wag
Group: Basic Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 5:41 PM
Posts: 1,980,
Visits: 8,368
|
|
Bluefaerie (2/6/2007)
Can anybody shed light on this? Is it merely that the world dislikes the different so much they'd rather not look at anything that reminds them of it? Is that it's a case of misunderstanding and that all the world needs is education about how to deal with people who are not as normal as everyone else (to which I say the old adage, what's normal anyway)?
Are you saying you don't (within the limits of your eyesight) discriminate on looks or on abilities? I think it's reasonable to accept that everyone has traits for which they can expect to be negatively 'discriminated' against and just have to be glad that they aren't more severe (unless anyone wants to put their hands up and say that they'd be just as likely to interact with someone with Down's Syndrome as someone without, given equal opportunity?).
As for the unusual rise in rudeness, perhaps it's a side-effect of legislating social norms. I'm going to wave my hands and do some unjustified undependable social history here (I've read up to 1870 - after that it's all just patchy), but I would have thought it would have been the case that British norms of behaviour - being rude to people with white canes - wasn't the done thing for most classes up from the section of the lower classes that had given up on even trying to be 'respectable'. Breaking the social norms to flout 'respectability' was either the virtue of a very small set of high society dilletantes or people so low as to not even be able to afford the trappings of respectability.
Now, the class system seems to have flattened out a bit (very much fatter middle class, at least) and the social norms are now legislated (rather than being an outward display of where you fit in the class system). So, at work, people aren't allowed any sort of risque humour based on palpable difference. Perhaps they are indulging outside of work for little reason more than it's denied them at work? Or perhaps it's become a sort legal-adult thing - it's now practically illegal for working adults, so why bother reigning the kids in?
I'm not so happy with that (as an analysis) - it rather depends on whose doing it. If it were 20+ adults (broadspread), then I reckon you'd have to start thinking about some weird shift in social norms (possibly driven by legal co-option). If it's just kids (poor kids and those aping them for the urban hood look), then it's just naughty value (an adult doing this at work could get into real trouble and lose their job - a kid can get away with it, but it still ranks up high naughty-value). If the word 'poo' was illegalised in workplaces, I'd expect to hear it more frequently from kids on the street (after a reasonable period of trickle down).
Marios
|
|
|
|
 Posted Tuesday, February 06, 2007 12:28 PM |
| | |