I read in on MSN this morning that the Special Olympics has put out a challenge to President Obabma. Yeah for them.I am by no means defending what the President said. I thought it was distasteful and inappropriate. It would be no different if he had made the same thing insert... the elderly, overweight people, polish people etc. etc. etc.
I have worked with people with disabilities for 18 years now and I have come to have some very great friends. These are not people that I just look at and say, "oh look at the cute little retarded person there my friend" These are friends I consider near and dear and they likewise. these are people I would call to go to the movies with or out to dinner.
I think of my friend whom actually sits on the Govenor's council for people with disabilities said it best. He had a T-shirt that said. " I am retarded- Not stupid." If you can get that you can understand where people whom are retarded are coming from. They are not stupid by any means and want to be treated as any other person is. They don't want to be pitied, or sheltered, or babied.
I realize that their are individuals with significant disabilities who do need to have people looking out for them, they are susepatable to all sorts of exploitation. They are all sweet spirits put here on this earth to teach those around them some very important lessons. I love each one of them so dearly and in their own special way.
But to sum up the Obama incident. The friends " With Disabilities" that I have talked to thought it was hilarious. One of them who actually is very active in the Special Olympics said" It is about time that we get some decent press, not this old look at the cute little retarded people and their cute little competition." He said "Obama bring it on, I will kick your butt in bowling." Which is so true because he kicks mine everytime we have gone bowling.
2 comments:
It is cruel to make fun of people no matter who they may be or what their "disability, race, social status, size, sex, gender or religion is"
My point is that for people with disabilities Obama's joke is no different to them then if he was knocking women, Mormon's or African American's. Most of them find it silly that we get so offended over something that they don't.
Sometimes actually a lot of the time we "Normally abled" people get all excited and offended over stuff that people with disabilities could care less about.
Go chat with someone that has a Developmental disability and see what they have to say about it.
My opinion actual comes from an actual discussion with a dear friend of mine, who is mildly mentally retarded and has Cerebral Palsey. I think his opinion and others with disabilities is what matters. Not really any of ours. We just try to defend "them" because we think that they need to be defended. Well guess what, they don't most of the people I know would be perfectly happy if we would give them the opportunity to defend themselves.
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