you know, it always gets me when someone with a physical disability in the US gets whiny and bitchy because they think they’re being marginalized or oppressed. What a bunch of spineless pussies. If they reall want to show that they have strong ideals and aren’t whining little self centered crybabies…maybe they should look at the rest of the world, and shut the hell up. I’ve visited a few foreign ‘garden spots’ in the course of my career. Places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Colombia, etc. You want to talk about people with disabilities who are marginalized and oppressed? Go check out an Afghan kid who has lost both legs from the knee down because he found a 30 year old soviet land mine the hard way. Hell, Jamie, if you want to own your right to bitch and whine, go spend a week in Herat. after you’ve been through what is truly a difficult time for someone who is physically disabled THEN you can complain all you want and not seem like a self serving prick. The sad truth is, that in America we have the wealth and the time to be compassionate to the disabled and worry about their comfort. What we consider a necessity here is in reality, usually a luxury. It is only our subjective perception that anything beyond food, water and shelter is a necessity. Ok, I’m going to quit venting about this spoiled little asshole before I say something I might regret. But Jamie…if you want to go spend a week in Kabul or Herat…I’ll do your paperwork and pay for your airfare. maybe that’ll get you to leave your little pity party.
Jamie goes a little overboard at times (all the time?), but how the disabled are treated in Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. has **absolutely no **relevance to how they are treated in the US and Canada. There’s nothing wrong (particularly when it doesn’t involve a great deal of long-term expense) with providing the disabled the opportunity to integrate in society, and if there are laws pertaining to that there is nothing wrong (within reason) with taking advantage of them. People like Jamie can rub people the wrong way, but the principle is valid.
This is a perfect example of the “second-class-citizen” mentality that many have in regards to those with disabilities living amongst everyone else in the real world. A perfect example. Thank you sir.
The fact that he sees it as “complaining” and “bitching” when one with disabilities speaks out against the unfair or unjust circumstances they may face in their lives, rather than as humans seeking to live their lives as fully and as completely (and hopefully as happily) as their able-bodied counterparts. He seems to think the disabled should be forever grateful and thankful for what has been done and never say a word about what hasn’t.
“The sad truth is, that in America we have the wealth and the time to be compassionate to the disabled and worry about their comfort. What we consider a necessity here is in reality, usually a luxury. It is only our subjective perception that anything beyond food, water and shelter is a necessity”
I mean, it’s almost as if he views disabled people as animals or pets. “Here in America, we have the luxury of pampering our pets; we have the expendable resources to be able to worry about their comfort.” “But in all our lavishes and excesses here in America, we easily forget that all these animals really need to survive is food, water and a roof.”
And even then; what about equal access and equal shots at being able to *get * or acquire those basic necessities?
And by that logic since you sometimes can’t find get 3G access I have no right to bitch when my phone drops 4G access. In fact, until the entire world gets 3G, neither of us can say anything.
It reminds me of when I was little and I wouldn’t finish my food and someone would always tell me that there are starving people in Africa. My response was “And what difference does it make if I finish all my food?” They never had a reply.
I’d simply like to mention that while jamie is certainly a jerk and a liar, the posts by pikey pete were beyond jerkish. I like to think that I’m fair enough to recognize which is worse.
Earlier in this thread, he posted about a handicapped man that couldn’t get back into his car at the mall, because he was blocked, and that he waited for three hours instead of calling security or the cops. I don’t believe that.
The recent link in which he states he shat himself on a date because he couldn’t get his wheelchair into the handicapped stall. I don’t believe that.
I dunno, I think Pete is pretty spot on with the idea that Jamie should consider how he would fare in the rest of the world and then reconsider his attitude toward his lot in life in this country.
