JamieMcGarry - Wheel yourself on down here

The BBQ Pit
1

If you’ve ever watched an episode of Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” you’ll know that the world Larry lives in is populated with men and women (and children) that make his life a living hell on a day to day basis, taking what would and should be a normal every day annoyance and blowing it up to heightened levels of angry, entitled, self-righteousness. This is a fictional TV show, and the way the characters Larry encounters react to things which are as minor as folding a shirt incorrectly at a clothing store to being asked to move away from the ice-cream freezer so he can buy some Chubby Hubby, are cartoonish and over the top.

It turns out, these characters are not just fictional over-the-top caricatures. As a matter of fact, we have our very own CYE character here at the Dope, and his name is JamieMcGarry. Perhaps you’ve heard of him, considering that in his very short time here (he joined in mid-June) he has averaged over 15 posts a day and already has a post-count nearing 1,200 and a majority of those posts are on a single topic – his disability and the way he interacts with people in the real world in regards to it.

Here are a few of Jamie’s threads on the subject, in case you haven’t been following along:

The problem with planes
Not intending to hurt doesn’t take away the hurt
A real-life handicap parking story
It’s Part of Me
How do you view “invalids” in relation to society?
Nonsensical parking lot story
and the most recent fun:
Slipped under the radar

Feel free to read all of those threads if you have a few days to kill, but basically they boil down to this: JamieMcGarry is a self-righteous asshole masquerading as a crusader for disabled rights when really he’s just trying to scam a free-ride in life by filing erroneous and unfounded complaints against the health club he was a member at until they revoked his membership.

Jamie claims that he was banned from the gym not because of the parking lot incident detailed in this thread, but because of other problems he had with management, specifically relating to modified exercises he was doing with their workout equipment. Since he was unable to use the lat pull-down machine the way it was designed, due to his wheelchair, he started lifting himself up wheelchair and all. He says this was an “Inspiration” to other club members, which it very well may have been, and he was shocked that the management told him to knock it off due to their legitimate liability concerns.

Jamie believes that because the gym does not have a lat pull-down machine that is usable by someone with his needs, that he has the right to sue them under ADA laws. However, as it was pointed out multiple times in this thread, the ADA law A) Only requires businesses to provide access to the exercise equipment and B) Doesn’t even go into effect until March 2012. So even if this health club was breaking ADA codes by not having the specific machine that Jamie feels he’s entitled to have (which is ridiculous) but they wouldn’t even be breaking this law until next year.

It doesn’t take a lot of common sense to know that when you start using a machine like that in a way that it was not intended to be used, you’re begging for something catastrophic to happen. And to tell you the truth… I believe Jamie really was begging for something catastrophic to happen. Because KA-CHING!

You know those people you hear about, and maybe you know a few of them, that “slip” at the grocery store every few months and end up getting a settlement check from them to avoid a lawsuit? Or the people that fake a back injury at work so they can go on workers comp, but then they get busted playing flag football without a hint of back pain? JamieMcGarry is that person on wheels. Very squeaky wheels.

Jamie – I’m sorry that you are in a wheelchair. I really am. That sucks that that happened to you. But Jesus Fucking Christ, man…. Get rid of that fucking chip on your shoulder and figure out a way to exist in this world without looking at everyone as your oppressor. You’re not Batman.

Does it suck that people park in handicapped spots when they shouldn’t? Yes. They’re assholes. But deal with it like a fucking grown-up. Call the police or security and stop fucking confronting people the way you do. You’re going to get yourself hurt one of these days (which again, I’m starting to think is your actual crusade… because KA-CHING!).

By the way, everybody… This health club that Jamie is trying to bankrupt is part of the Hurley Health and Medical Center. A great organization that does great things for the community of Genessee County. They do fundraising to help defray their costs to bring health care to the low-income truly struggling members of the local community. Something tells me that if they were a tiny hole-in-the-wall fitness club without deep pockets, Jamie would be approaching this in an entirely different way.

In protest of JamieMcGarry’s wheelchair vigilantism, I’ve donated $10 to the HMCC. The best part, in the “In honor of” field - I put Jamie’s name. I think it would be fun if every time Jamie starts one of these threads of his, we each donate a buck or two to the HMCC. They do good work. Maybe he’ll knock it off if we make him look like the world’s biggest HMCC supporter. You can donate here if you’d like.

As I said in the “Slipped under the radar” thread, maybe we can raise enough for them to buy a non-wheelchair accessible lat-pull down machine.

And Jamie - Get a fucking life.

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Oh, this is going to be fun. It’s been a long time coming.

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Jeez, you’re pitting the bitter guy in the wheelchair for being bitter because he’s in a wheelchair? I would probably not have gone there.

However, it’s true that Jamie is all kinds of bitter about how his life turned out, and maybe rightly so, but…well, I don’t know ‘get over it’ is entirely too patronizing. I guess I think if Jamie were to chill about things a little his life may be a bit more…relaxed, maybe?

4

I haven’t participated in any of JamieMcGarry’s threads, but I’ve read a couple. I have sympathy for him being handicapped, but I don’t have sympathy for him being a douchebag. I hope he gets his ass handed to him with the whole gym thing.

5

You guys are assholes. Seriously. Jamie is a good guy with strong ideals. The world needs more people that give a shit, and this board especially needs more interesting posters. But no, everyone is going to run him off. Now you’re accusing him of purposefully trying to get hurt so he can sue a place? That’s pretty fucked up.

If you don’t like his posts, put him on ignore.

6

Excellent OP, IMO.

I think it’s likely that Jamie would be a lot happier, and would probably get a lot more of what he claims to want, if he approached things in a less confrontational way. He comes across as the kind of person whose demeanor prejudices me against whatever they are seeking or advocating, no matter how reasonable it may objectively be.

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I don’t see a lot of people trying to run him off the board. I’ve notice a LOT of folks trying to engage him in discussion and asking good questions about why he isn’t taking approaches to situations that most people would consider to be both more reasonable and probably more effective. In response, those people are gettting evasiveness, stubbornness, or no answer at all. As with any poster on this board who acts that way – wheelchair-bound or not – it is normal for other members to become frustrated and suspicious of the poster’s motivations.

8

Meh. The way this board operates, you’re not interesting unless you’ve had at least one Pit thread. And if you actually allow that Pit thread to affect you enough to leave or change your attitude, you’re definitely not interesting.

9

What am I missing? Because mostly he seems like a whiny bitch whose strongest ideal is that any time he’s not entirely satisfied he’s being oppressed.

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Bob Ducca - it wouldn’t surprise me to hear that he’s thinking about suing the airlines mentioned in his plane thread for requiring him to wear a seat belt while using the aisle chair and/or not providing aisle transportation suitable to the dignity of his progress.

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A latte pull down machine? You need a machine to access your expressos?

That’s both classy and hilarious, a rare combination.

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I remember the gym thread but was he actually lifting himself, wheelchair and all? Or were other people lifting up his wheelchair, too? Because I’m not sure how the former is even possible…

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Part of me thinks the OP should email the club the details of his posts so their lawyers know what they’re up against here.

The other part thinks the board should delete all of his posts so they don’t get involve in JamieMcGarry’s litigious machinations.

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Self identifies as an ‘abusive asshole’. Kinda tells you all you need to know.

His thread where he was butthurt over people ‘glaring’ at him, when he pulled into a handicapped space in his sports car, tipped it to me. When people are interpreting ‘how’ people are ‘looking’ at them, it’s projection thinly veiled, in my experience.

I thought the moderation in the radar thread was hilarious though, didn’t you? I mean he poses the question, ‘why’s this being ignored, when people still make reference to the incident?’ The obvious answer, seems to me, ‘you’re a one note song, too blinded to see what the letter even says, and unable to see any other side of a thing, discussion is frustrating and pointless.’

But a mod pops in to say, nothing about him reposting this thing, to get more attention, but instead, that we shouldn’t make the thread about Jamie’s posting history! Even though it would seem self evident that the answer would, most certainly involve such a reference.

Come on, that’s kinda funny right there. Maybe it’s just me.

15

You’d be more interesting if you hadn’t died of alcohol poisoning in 2003.

Don’t give Jamie any ideas!!! “Dear Cuisinart…”

Thank you, but I wouldn’t know classy if it walked up and burped in my face.

Not sure but regardless, he’s either risking his own health or those who were helping lift him. Management’s only error was not stopping it sooner, and it’s probably worse that he had people helping him.

16

Having been in a similar legal situation before, I assure you that the lawyers will have their grunts search for message board posts regarding this case, and that they will take great delight in bringing them before the mediator/court. Jamie just made the grunts’ job much easier, since he posts under his actual name.

As to the exercise question: the ‘spotters’ lifted him up off the ground in his wheelchair, then he did the requisite pullups lifting both himself and the chair, then he bounced down to the ground on his own. At least that’s my understanding.

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My wife: “This woman looked at me in the supermarket like she thought I was fat!”

Me: “Can you give me that look?”

My wife: “Asshole.”

(Real conversation).

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What does this mean?

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Miss Elizabeth.

20

Exactly. I like him fine in other threads - he contributes elsewhere. I just feel sorry for him that he seems to be bound up in so much anger almost recreationally.