And number six is James Montgomery Flagg.
As a non handicapped person, I just want to throw in my
2 cents on the issue. I always see seemingly healthy people parking in the handicapped spaces, and have to almost physically restrain myself from screaming at them. I remind myself that not all handicapps (is that one ‘p’ or two?)are visible. So, I keep my trap shut.
I wonder if there is a way to identify the ‘unseen’ kinds with different cards. Maybe color coding? Different colors for different parts of the body? I don’t know though, it seems a little like Nazi Germany to make people display what part of them doesn’t work. But then on the other hand, maybe those who don’t have a visable handicap would appreciate something that would prevent insensative louts from yelling at them about taking a handicap spot, because “look” perfectly healthy.
Zette—I went out of my way to ask a perfectly non-obnoxious, legitimate question, hoping perhaps to hear from someone who WAS handicapped and could explain to me that there are indeed rides they could or couldn’t enjoy. If you found something in my post to get all bent out of shape about . . . I frankly am mystified and think you need to lie down somewhere and breathe deeply for a few minutes.
[Jee-SUZ. That’s the last time I ever stick my nose into a non-old-film-related thread!]
Eve,
Chill out, girlie! I didn’t mean to come off bitchy about it, I was legitimately answering your question. Sorry if I came off in a rude way at all. I actually thought I was being helpful to your inquiry. I also stated that I, for example, might use a wheelchair at an amusement park. (and I am not a quad or paralyzed). I re-read my post and don’t see where I came off bitchy, but I slept bad last night, was rudely awakened today, and it may have reflected in my post.
It was not intentional at all.
Zette
kisses and makes up
[I’m going to a lesbian birthday party in the West Village tonight, so I have to get my girl-kissing practice in]
::slips Eve the tongue::
“Let’s us never fight again!”
Zette
Y’know, I bet they have a handicap. I know what it is.
THEY’RE IGNORANT ASSHOLES!
There really should be a punishment for this. I’m not handicapped, but why should I take advantage of the handicapped? No, I shouldn’t. It’s not like they went to the doctor, asking for polio/took out a meat cleaver and chopped off their leg/whatever. These people try to live life just as well as the lucky ones who aren’t handicapped, and the non-handicapped use things to help the handicapped out to their advantage!
About that punishment. At the very least, fines upward of two hundred thousand, if not jail…
That’s quite the sum of money, but this deserves it.
It’s too bad you can’t change the thread title, pkbites. They should turn into Christopher Reeves except without any sort of medical treatment.
It seems obvious to me that these two gentleman are handicapped. They suffer from paralysis-of-the-part-of-the-brain-that-seperates-man-from-chimp disease.
I can’t believe the park didn’t do anything!
Then again, at Kmart, I’m probably the only one who tells kids not to play in the wheelchairs!..sheesh.
This cracks me up. My second or third post here was a similar rant. I got a much different response from some of the same folks responding now. I’m sure it’s because I was lacking the skills one develops after posting for a long time on the SDMB. (I don’t have them yet)
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=62965
I don’t get it. Why do even the legitimate handicapped people get to go to the front of the lines? Whatever is keeping them in the wheelchair wouldn’t prevent them from standing in line…it seems like discrimination/segregation to me to let them skip ahead to the front of the line every time.
That being said, I still think pretending to be handicapped and scamming the system is much much worse. As pkbytes said, “Why pretend?” Why not have me saw your legs off?
You are truly dense. Yes, there are many many conditions that would prohibit a handicapped person from standing around in lengthy lines in the hot summer sun. A good example is the guy who recently won his ADA lawsuit against the PGA, he’s healthy enough to golf at the pro level but he has to use a golf cart because he can’t stand for more than a few minutes or he will end up in the hospital.
Remember than you too could end up needing these accessibility options someday.
I have a friend who is in a wheelchair most of the time, but can walk if he has to. He has serious metal braces on his legs though.
Now for my side of things…
I rent a wheelchair when I go to amusement parks. I’m not officially handicapped, but I have very bad knees. I can do minor walking activities, like grocery shopping, but not much else. In fact, sometimes it gets so bad I have to get one of the motorized carts at the grocery store, too. I’ve had problems with my knees all my life. If I walk around all day not only will I be in excruciating pain, but I’ll probably be unable to walk for almost a week afterward. For this reason, I get a chair when I get there. I’ve also gotten them at the zoo in DC and occassionally at airports when my knees are acting up. I know I’ve gotten dirty looks at Disney when I get out of a wheelchair and climb into a ride, but I’m not scamming anyone. I really can’t do all that walking. My knees hurt somewhat ALL the time. Last time I was at Epcot not only did I have my knee trouble, but I also had a bone bruise on my heel. Ugh. I got one of those little electric scootie thingies. Made the day actually enjoyable instead of a series of painful walks with long whiny rests in between.
None of this is meant to negate the OP, which I believe really was some guys scamming the system. I always feel guilty when I have to get a chair because I always feel like everyone is going to THINK I’m faking it.
Oh, they have a system of dealing with chairs at Disney… they even bring them around for you to the end of the ride. Not sure about Six Flags.
A lot of the rides have lots of back and forth turns that are hard for a chair to maneuver through. Some have ramps that are hard to wheel up. Some have steps. Special entrances for chairs may also lead to a different place to enter the ride where you get more time/space, place to keep the chair til you’re done, or have access for the staff to take the chair to the end of the ride which would be difficult from the main ride entrance. There might also be a risk of injury to other people from being in cramped lines with a wheelchair (toes rolled over, etc).
Waxteeth, the difference is that in your thread many moons ago you were attacking a huge class of people about whom you did not have the grounds to make specific accusations. This is very different than saying “On this particualr occasion I saw these particular people acting is this particular way, which leads me to believe that in this particular case, they were faking injury . . .” The OP here is angry at two people because of many observations of their behavior, and details like:
which seem to suggest unambigously that these people were not really handicapped.
Furhtermore, many people here have taken pains to point out that without repeated observations it is impossible to tell who is handicapped and who isn’t. The OP did NOT expand the rant to include many people whom he had only observed superficailly, or had heard about.
Zette
Except, of course, people like that guy in Snow Crash.
Sui
Don’t forget the successful movie career and lucrative endorsements.
OpalCat
This seems really strange to me. I mean, I know exactly why you feel like you do, but it still seems strange to me that our society conditions people to feel like that. No one gives a second look to an able-bodied person taking the escalator in the mall, but if someone decides take the load off their feet and use a wheelchair, there’s a sense that they’re doing something wrong. As if it is immoral not to be uncomfortable.
This thread made me think of a question I’d be interested in hearing people’s opinions on: if you have a disability that sometimes makes you incapable of walking long distances, and other times does not affect you, is it moral to use a handicapped space when you know you won’t need it?
Speaking as somebody with a problem that can make walking difficult but doesn’t always – I do have a handicap parking thingy, and I use it frequently. But if there’s only one other handicap spot available, unless I am having a particularly bad day, I will leave it for somebody else.
As for my feelings about those guys at the park, words cannot say. Do they not realize they are making life much more difficult for those of us who do need those damn chairs? Do they just not give a shit? Stupid fuckheads.
The thing is, Ryan, that a person with an intermittent disability is never going to know that they won’t need that handicapped space before they make it back to the car. Even if they’re feeling fine when they park.
Kat,
You hit the nail right on the head. Often times, I feel fine upon entering an event (say, a concert), but can barely walk upon leaving (after sitting on bleachers/hard seats for 3 hours).
Zette
Disney’s page for Guests with disabilities. As you can see, some attractions can be enjoyed without leaving a wheelchair, while others do require it.
Almost as bad as the fakers are the people who give out dirty looks. You ought to hear the whining from these immature idjits when someone in a wheelchair needs to get on a bus!
On another message board for roller coaster fans, I started a thread inspired by this one.
BTW: the best reason for not making people negotiate a line in a wheelchair is that they would be unable to quickly leave the attraction during an emergency and because they would block other people trying to exit.