I see. I didn’t have the right to get angry because this thread isn’t about me, because I own a modest car.
But if I decided I’d rather have my husband drive me around in a Viper instead of a Neon, but I still used the handicapped spots, then I’d be the target of your ire?
Tell me, is it just Vipers that may not park in handicapped spots or are there other cars that don’t “deserve” the “priviledge”? I don’t want to make any mistakes when it comes time to trade in the Neon.
Scylla-remember that time you posted about that little shit who was making snide remarks about your hands?
I think you just traded places with him…
You know, FTR, I think SPOOFE has correctly interpreted Scylla’s OP. That he isn’t denying that the Viper Owner has a right to the car, or the right to the parking space. His own image of a Viper owner is ‘such a bad ass’ that they’d not ‘use’ the parking space even if it were something they were entitled to.
I still think that he owes an appology. In the first place, as a writer, he should be aghast that something he’d written was so very totally misunderstood. Instead, he’s choosing to believe that those who are misinterpreting it are being obtuse or dense or whatever.
and, there’s an implicit arrogance to his mental picture (as descibed by SPOOFE), that some one who’d drive a VIPER, would be such a bad ass that even tho’ they deserved and were entitled to a handicapper space, that they’d decline to use it 'cause they were so tough or whatever macho term is appropriate.
Of course, that kind of thinking generally comes from some one with little understanding about the types of life altering handicaps that lead to such permits.
It’s odd to me, since Scylla can, and does, express sympathy on any number of issues, and does in general see beyond the obvious. (as in his awareness of how he’d ‘seem’ to others in various encounters etc).
DNFTT
Jesus Christ.
Just confirmed for me what a complete and total wanker, Scylla is. You don’t have a clue, mate, not a fucking clue about life do you?
I know a guy who is a licensed DC-8 pilot (Captain actually until he got laid off w/ everyone else at our company, don’t know where he is now).
He uses two canes to walk due to very bad scoliosis. The human body walking upright is a fairly demanding balancing act if your body is significantly deformed.
He is, however, certified by an FAA doctor every year as perfectly fit to perform as needed to keep his medical.
Just cause you can’t walk good does not necessarily mean you can’t drive good.
Also, don’t underestimate a disabled person’s willingness to do the extremely difficult for something they want to do.
My mom used to put in a garden every year. She’s been a paraplegic since before I was born. It wasn’t really Dad’s thing, it was her thing. He’d turn over the area she’d mark out, help on weekends or if she asked, but she was the one who put on her “gardening jeans” and would spend an afternoon, working her way (i.e., crawling/scootching) along the rows weeding the herb garden. She loves to be outside, she loves plants, and she loved those things more than she disliked getting down in the dirt. And, she also has known for years that she was likely to have many more problems as she aged. All the more reason to do it while you still can. Our friend in the Viper is might know that he’s unlikely to be able to drive a sports car when he’s older. He may have a degenerative condition and not expect to get too many decades older.
Just because it might take someone a lot of effort to get into/out of that car does not mean that they haven’t chosen to expend that efford for their personal satistaction.
You’re way off here, Scylla. I hope you will always be so blessed with you and your families health though, that you can post such clueless OP’s. It’s great that you’ve dodged all of the opportunities for permanent disability (hey I’ve read your accident threads ;)) that have come your way, but not everyone else is that lucky.
Imagine you were suddenly in a wheelchair, or were developing a pervasive muscular weakness, that you know would only worsen with time. And no amount of “will” or “training” could get you out of it…
What percentage of your active life would you rush to give up? And wouldn’t there be some things you’d just say, dammit, I don’t care if I look stupid, I don’t care if I have to crawl, I like this and I’m going to do it as long as I can.
My mom hasn’t gardened much for the last few years, since she’s been stuck in bed with a failed spine. You try that for an exciting and fullfilling life at age 55.
You can bet she doesn’t regret looking stupid occasionally in the past when she was young enough and reckless enough to do a lot of things she wasn’t supposed to be able to do, including having 3 kids (after adopting one) , loading her own manual chair into her car at 5 am every morning so she could go to work, the occasional embarrasing spill in public when she’d misjudged a curb jump, or overloaded her footrests, (or had a toddler jump on her footrests…)
Yeah, this guy might not be disabled, but neither you nor I know that unless you’ve seen his medical records, you’re making a looooot of assumptions there.
That said, Vipers are hideous, what were they THINKING?!?
Gr8Kat: anyone who drives a Neon is a total and complete badass in my book and can park where ever they damn well please. 
GKW:
Yeah, I’ve sort of noticed this trend with some dismay myself.
I still feel the same. I think I’m still me.
Coldie, Wring and anybody else who’s not immediately jumped on the “Kill Scylla” bandwagon.
Y’know, there are several different ways you could read the OP, and I left some cues as to what I was meaning. The only reason I can imagine for being upset would be my jumping to the conclusion that the guy didn’t really need his placard, and I think I make it clear that that’s what I’m imagining when I see the car there.
All the time we see things and we imagine scenarios as to why they are the way they are. I see the Viper parked in the handicapped spot by itself, and in a vaccum that seems to me pretty cool. Drive a Viper, and park anywhere. Seems like a pretty cool deal to me.
It also seems like a weird choice: anachronistic (which as I understand the word, doesn’t necessarily have to apply to chronological order, but can mean anything out of place.)
So, knowing only this, I draw a mental picture of who the car belongs to. Figuring that anybody who has a Viper is pretty much saying “Fuck it” and is immune to the criticism of the likes of me, I share it.
I thought it might be funny and strange.
I guess it didn’t work out that way.
I am surprised at the way that I’m getting killed though. There are polite and reasonable ways to address a percieved insult or slight that may not have been intended. I assure you that had they been addressed that way to me, I would have responded appropriately.
But that’s a bit different from “Fuck you, you vile despicable person.”
I think I’ve proven that I’m one who’ll apologize when he sees that he’s wrong. What I see is that I may have made a poor judgement, but it doesn’t justify or excuse the hateful responses directed at me.
I’ll give you an example:
I went jogging once when I lived in NJ and not meaning to, I ran across this guy’s driveway right after he sealed it. He immediately started to curse me out. I tried to point out that I didn’t see any buckets or ropes up and didn’t guess that it was wet, and he started screaming that it was because he just finished, and what kind of fucking idiot was I? About that time I just decided his behavior made him unworthy of my apology or efforts, so I just gave him the finger and kept running.
I see a couple of people using this to get just about as offended as they possibly can get themselves and using it as a license to rail at will.
I refuse to justify, or explain, defend or apologize in the face of that behavior.
Fine, then.
You’ll be totally just fine and dandy that those of us who are truly appalled that you could even think that disabled = no right to a car which Scylla covets think you are beneath any efforts yourself. Let alone an apology for misjudging you as it very clearly is illustrated that we have not misjudged you. You really are that arrogant.
Fine, then.
You’ll be totally just fine and dandy that those of us who are truly appalled that you could even think that disabled = no right to a car which Scylla covets think you are beneath any efforts yourself. Let alone an apology for misjudging you as it very clearly is illustrated that we have not misjudged you. You really are that arrogant.
You can hold your breath and plug your ears as long as you want. Meanwhile, your posts in this thread speak for you. Too bad. I thought you were made of better stuff.
I understand that type of position. And, in the example you gave here, it probably was the wisest course since the person involved, not only wasn’t willing to listen to your explanations, they also were a stranger w/whom you’d not likely have to have further contact, and was physically close enough that if he were a real jerk, there could have been violence.
However, I submit to you that the situation is not the same here.
In this case, your words evoked an incorrect picture of who you are. These were your words. At the very least, the first paragraph I quoted above, should bring the prudent person to say “gee, gosh, I guess I didn’t word that very well, I was tryin’ to go for this type of thing, and I’m sorry people got the wrong idea”.
The next issue is that you posted those words in this community. Unless I’m really quite mistaken about you, this is a community where you wish to continue to have good relations. GIven that a huge misunderstanding has occured (at least partly because of poor choice of words on your part, yes, people also were quick to misunderstand), a ‘gosh, I didn’t mean it that way, so sorry for all the confusion’ is again the response of choice.
There was a thread not too terribly long ago where I’d posted something that got quickly misunderstood (re: some clients of mine who’d converted to Islam, and dietary demands). I took responsability for the misunderstanding. And, going back, I had to admit that the only way for it to be understood as I’d intended was to assume that I wasn’t a complete jerk.
IN a written medium, that’s never a good base line assumption for the writer to make (“oh, they’ll know I don’t really mean it this way…”)
Well then, Guin, you missed the point. I was the one who was the asshole and behaved innapropriately in that thread, both in the way I treated him, and in taking him on as an intern because I felt bad.
But, you are right to think that the roles are indeed reversed.
I know that if I required handicap parking and I was driving a Dodge Viper, I would expect my choice of vehicle to be noticed just as I expect my hands to occasionally be noticed.
So out there somewhere is some guy who must be aware of the effect it might have. If he’s not, he’s not just handicapped, he’s stupid.
Being aware of this he’s still chosen to drive the Viper.
I find that a very interesting choice, and I thought about why one would make it.
I imagine two possiblilites. The first and most obvious is an inconsiderate faker.
The second, is of course, a proud badass. Putting myself in the proud badasses shoes for a moment, I figure that if he can drive a Viper, and get from the handicap spot to the front door, he’ll be damned if he can’t make it from any other spot as well. I imagine that he’s proving something by driving that Viper, and that same thing he’s trying to prove doesn’t let him use the spot no matter what. So, that leaves me with the faker.
Obviously it’s wholly imaginary, but the car choice is interesting, and I’ve been thinking about weird roles and choices and noticing odd things, so that’s what I’ve been writing about.
Wring:
Yeah, I take full responsibility for what I wrote, but look at Primaflora’s response. I said nothing of the kind.
But again, my misstep now seems to be a license to take potshots at me without any responsibility. I’ve fucked up and been offensive and now anybody can just forget about anything else that I am, and just focus on this, and use it as an excuse to say or do whatever they want towards me like I was anybody’s bitch (which I guess I am.)
If you want to talk to me about it more, feel free to email me.
Well thought the post was mildly amusing Scylla but of course this is coming from someone who thinks it’s a good idea for people to stuff their pets once they die to help with the grieving process. Anyway, just thought I’d give you a ringing endorsement type of dealie…
I’m not taking potshots without taking any responsibility.
You posted an outrageous post relying on some assumptions which are probably incorrect. I wouldn’t leap to any such assumptions about someone with a cool car who used a handicapped space. If they had the correct paperwork, I would not make any judgment other than cool car.
You OTOH seem to think that being handicapped opens people up to being judged by you in a way you presumably would not judge a person without a handicap. What that says about you is not pretty.
I astounded at your OP, Scylla. It’s a very sad commentary on humanity - or the lack thereof.
Tibs.
Prima:
Ok then, please show me where I said or implied this statement that you attributed to me:
I weep for my rotten soul.
Ok, who grabbed Scylla’s userid and password? Come on, 'fess up, who is posting using his name?