Message no. 1

From:	Sebastian Wiers m0ng005e@*********.com
Subject:	[OT] Rant about views on disabilty {was Re: On Cybereyes}
Date:	Wed, 15 Sep 1999 13:11:46 -0700

> *bitterly* Yeah, but when will all that crap cost less than a bloody CAR?
Health
> insurance won't cover any of it....Like I say above...a hint when/if you
RP
> people (ESPECIALLY in SR, but moreso in a "modern world" thing) who're
blind or
> visually impaired, and at least teenagers who live in otherwise normal
> surroundings... It's HELL. Kids like that will likely be VERY distrustful
of
> ANYBODY. (Sorry to say, but you can only take being lied to by
beareaucrats,
> parents, and virtually everyone else before you start getting VERY
depressed,
> pessimistic, and *paranoid*. It won't change with SR...in fact, it'll
probably
> only get worse.) They probably have been blind/visually impaired their
whole
> LIFE. I have been. No matter how much others try to help (as RARE as its
been),
> it's very hard NOT to be depressed. You tend to constantly wonder: Why
can't I be
> like all the OTHER kids? What did I do to deserve this? It rips you
apart.

How many blind people do you know? I know several, plus a LOT of people
with other disabilities, both congenatal and aquired. What you say above
is both the rankest form of bullshit and incredably offensive. People are
NOT "ripped apart" wondering why they can't be "normal", nor are they
helpless victims who get lied to and take it sitting down (well, maybe
sitting down...).
They may be pestered by others (like you) who can't understand that they
do feel normal, and just want a chance to function as such in the real
world, but the last thing the people I know want is some condescending jerk
offering them "help" out of a sense of pity, or a chance to
be"normal".
I suggest if you want to play a blind (or otherwise disabled) character,
you base your attitude (if you need a special attitude) of that found in
books written by disabled people on those subject, preferably those aimed
at others with disablities (otherwise, you run the risk of getting an
"after school special" attitude). Recent books include Jhon Hokenberry's
"Staring Back", and "Nothing About Us Without Us" by James Charlton.


Mongoose
"These days, you have to be pretty technical before you can even aspire to
crudeness."