Category: Getting to Know You
You Know,
In my 20 Years of being visually impaired, I’ve experienced a lot of stupid things. I mean, not your ordinary, jump off the building stupid. I’m talking about the hear’s your big-ass stupid sign. However, I just want to touch on one subject of stupidity. This little segment is called, “Blind Questions.” How your ever had some stupid idiot come up to you an ask stupid question. I don’t know what makes them do it. It is because they really don’t know or is it that have of there brain was lost during delivery. Here is one question. “How do blind people have sex?” Now when they ask me that, I just tell them that we have a feel for that kind of thing or I tell them we can do it better than they can. If you have anything to add, please spit your peace.
I've been asked how I know if it is raining. I've also been asked if blind people close their eyes when they sleep.
When I was reading in school how come your eyes dont go in the same direction as your hands, and do they stop moving when your asleep?. Incidently this was not primary school.
ok, smiling, been asked how i know if the sun is out or how i know what i'm cooking and how am i able to type, lol
Oh Lord. There's so many things I can put on this board. I'll have to add them as I think of them. For now though, one thing made me very upset the other day. It pissed me off beyond belief. I just can't stand the ignorance of some people. Anyway, here's what happened. My boyfriend and I were at one of his friends' house, and his wife, who is a complete and utter ditz, said something that made me wanna scream. We were talking about music, and I mentioned the fact that I don't like a particular band. And she goes, "Well, if I couldn't see, I probably wouldn't like them either. They're so loud, they probably scare you." I was like, oh, my, gosh! Excuse me, but what does the fact that whether or not you can see, have to do with listening to music? I just thought that the comment was so ridiculous and ignorant.
I can see their point if someone upped the volume you would be unaware until the music began.
I've been asked many questions such as those mentioned above. As annoying as it can sometimes be, I answer. Let's give people benefit of the doubt, and asume they really don't know and are curious.
I agree with the post above mine. Although some questions can be annoying for me, I still answer. Anyways, my annoying thing is more of a reaction. It's where people are amazed that I can get around places by myself, especially that I go to college and that noone goes to and sits in my classes with me. They always think that when I'm spending time with my mom or sister at school, the first thing some people think is "She must be that girls helper." I know that this gets on my sister's nerves also.
Oh yeah, I remember when I was in school, and people thought that I wasn't supposed to walk around or go places by myself. It was rather annoying. And, as far as the post I mentioned earlier, the guy's wife wasn't talking about someone just suddenly turning up the music. She was saying that since they're a rock band, she could see why blind people wouldn't like them. As if she was saying that just because they play rock, and they may be loud, then blind people shouldn't like them, because they scare us, because of the fact that we can't see them.
Yes, I've "gotten that", too, when I'm out with my boyfriend. To him, "You're such a nice guy--helping him like that". Hahaha. I used to tell those folk "we're on a date", do you mine".
If I really don't feel like talking about blindie stuff, I'll give a polite non-answer like, "I don't think I could handle being sighted; must be very distracting", or "I'd have to learn whole new ways of doing things". There's always "I don't feel chatty today". While that may not be addressing their questions, it's not rude. Remember, to the questioner, you may be the only blind person she/he ever sees.
Like it or not, we all have been conscripted into the diplomatic corps. LOL.
Keep Smiling,
Dave
I think the dumbest questions I have been asked are the following:
1) You know sign language, right?
2) Do you know where you're going? (ummmmm... yes?)
3) You're blind... you can't possibly do this job! It involves *gasp* computer work! (okay, that's not a question, but you know...)
Who dresses you?
How do you manage in the toilet on your own?
rofl, I've gotten all of these at some point or another. It's so ridiculous! Another thing I remember, is when I was in school, and someone would say something about me, so I'd turn around and respond with my own comments, and they'd be in such shock that I could hear them! They'd say something like, "Oh my gosh! You can hear me?" Well, duh. Of course I can hear you! They think that just because you're blind, then that means that you are also deaf.
the best has got to be "how do blind people have sex?"
Gemini that has always baffled me I suppose they assume a lack of sight will affect all our remaining senses.
Hahahaha, that is so true!
Do blind people cry?
How do you know it's raining? Good one! I guess they think we can't feel either?
I've been asked a lot of them that have already been mentioned.
Troy
Or when with a sighted friend at a restaurant: what does she/he want to have?
Hey Troy did you notice we are both on the educational level here at the zone! Coolness!!! Star
haha i've had loads of them, how can you tell when the sun's out? how do you know that you have the right drink, ie, tea, coffee whatever, and i've also had the does she take sugar syndrome. my ex step mother used to ask my sister, not me, if i wanted sugar in my drink, or, whether i even wanted one in the first place.
I hate it when people talk to someone with me as if I couldn't talk.
When I was in college there was a lady in the student cafeteria especially bad about this. My reader and I worked out a solution.
When we got to the lady she asked, "does he want potatoes or green beans." My reader said, "I'll ask him" and turned to me and said "ob di ah wa".
I threw down my cane, and did a little war dance chanting the whole time.
My reader turned to the lady and said, "he'll take potatoes." She always addressed me in the future.
Bob
LOL, I can't stand it when someone asks someone else a question that is directed towards me, i.e restaurants, the bank, grocery/department stores, etc. Whenever they do this, i say, "Excuse me, but I am perfectly capable of answering for myself." I mean, i don't wanna come off as rude or anything, but it just aggravates me so much, that people think that we are incapable of answering, or doing things, for ourselves. A lot of people jump to their defense, and say something like, "Well, I guess it's just because they haven't been around many blind people." Okay, i can understand this to a certain point, but come on! Some things are just common sense!
Yes, and common sense is something that is very over rated! Many people do not have common sense or what thet assume as common sense is not the same as the next person's common sense!
Human beings as psychology teaches us are very much directed into perceiving the world from inside out. They think: If I was blind I would not know this or I could not do that or how would I do this or that. I know it sounds stupid but think of how many blind people would start talking louder when someone tells them there is a deaf person in the group? I have witnessed that happen! So as irritated as these questions are, think this: we are all stupid until proven smart. Love to all, Star
I've gotten some of the above mentioned questions, especially how do you dress yourself, and what does she want. God!!! I really hate that one!!! But another thing that's said, and I just can't believe the stupidity of people, is watch where your putting that stick. I mean, um cane, cane is for the blind, therefore, I can't see! Dumb fucks!!! Another one that I just had to laugh at, and this one didn't come from a stranger, or even a friend, it came from my brother who has been around a blind person, aka me, for his entire 19 years. I got a cell phone and he asked me how I was going to make calls if I couldn't read the cell phone's phone book. hahahahahahahaha really?
Bob I love it I have suffered these fools for an age and the solution I answered in I
I answered in Italian backwards which was far from easy..smile.
ugh, I feel ya'll on a lot of these and their anoyingness. I've gottena lot of them too...the people talking to someone else instead of me is soooo anoying, but what's even more anoying is when people talk to me like I'm two years old. I had a girl in high school who would do this all the time. back then I was too shy to say anything to her about it, so I just let it be but cringed on the inside and wished I could slap her or something, but if it were to happen now I would've said something. and then also in high school there was the classic "the blind girl's coming, watch out!" ugh. it's like excuse me I have a name, and it sure ain't the blind girl. i don't expect you to know it but I'd be more than willing to tell you if you show me some respect and stop calling me "the blind girl" and acting like I'm some deadly disease that you have to get away from as quickly as possible. grrrr.
hmmm, i've gotten quite a few of these...but it's more the condescending comments that gets me.
one person asked me on the train once when i was studying "do you enjoy reading your braille love?"
i replyed "hmmm, advanced mathematics...4 unit levil...does it sound enjoyable?"
I have also gotten silly ones like "how can you feed yourself?" or "at our church there's people suchh as yourself"
what kind of people? people with read hair? people who whare black? atheists?
as for the first question i find that asking them how they can whipe their backside without seeing it shuts them up quick smart.
I remember in school, people would always refer to the blind students as "the blind girls/boys." It was very annoying. A lot of them treated you as if you were an alien from some other planet, too. I thought that was way harsh and ridiculous. It was as if they felt that if they touched something that you had touched, or if they even talked to you, then they'd catch the "blind disease", as if we're contagious creatures. I remember one time, I was in the restroom, and while I was at the sink, I asked another girl if she knew the time. she just ignored me, and silently walked off (as if I wouldn't notice). I thought that was rude. she didn't even want to answer my question, and all I did was ask for the time! It also annoys me that so many people seem to think that just because you are blind, then that means that you can't see anything at all. I try to explain to people that I do have some sight, but they just don't seem to want to believe that. Now, don't get me wrong, there are people who do understand. Which brings me to another comment that annoys me. For those of you who do have some sight, have you ever had someone ask you why you're using a light? I've had lights on, and someone would come in to the room, and say, "Why are you using the light? You're blind." Or, I'd have the light on, and someone will turn it off, and I'll be like, "Excuse me, but I was using that light." And they'd say, "How? you can't see it."
yeah, exactly gemini, i have quite a lot of vision and people constantly want to ask me silly things like why i watch tv or why i use a moniter or why i want clothes that look good.
it's also kind of difficult for me because i'm an amiture Astronomer. Shopping for new lenses or for my new telescope proved an interesting experience.
the people in the shop just looked at me like, "are you mad?"
they didn't even know how to talk to me, it was like they thought i was unlike any other customer they'd ever seen.
They also thought i took less of a priority, even though i explained to them i was a physics and math student.
i think the funniest experience i ever had was while i was attending a weekly astronomy and astrophysics corse.
I was the only blind student in the corse and all the other sighted people couldn't get their heads around me being there, despite the fact i was beating them all hands down.
to tell you the truth, i can't understand why the following person did such a stupid, and also dangerous thing.
after about the third week of the corse our teacher asked us to all bring in our own telescopes and to set them up for some hands on work.
i know exactly how to set up my telescope, it's easy once you learn how. One older man who i found particularly condescending thought he'd come over to me and just pull this massive heavy metal object out of my hands while i was screwing on the also very heavy, led counterweights.
if i hadn't kept hold of it the counterweights would have fallen onto his feet.
I seriously did consider that this person should learn a lesson with some broken toes, but thought better of it.
Our teacher was a fantastic man though, he just sat there and said "loui will ask for help if she needs it, she's quite capable of that"
lol, You reminded me of something else when you mentioned watching TV. I remember when I was in massage therapy school, we were on break one time, and everyone was talking about a movie. I can't remember what it was, but anyhow, i said, "Oh yeah, I've seen that." And this one lady was like, "Um, how did you see it?" Jeez, give me a break people! I hate that! When you say something like, "Oh, I've seen that", or, "I watched that" etc., someone who isn't blind will say something like, "Oh, you mean you heard it." *sigh* Some people!
yeah...political correctness eh?
are your eyes stuck? Are your eyes broken? or even worse, is her eyes stuck? or Is her eyes broken? Blimmin Ecky thump! That's what my cousins were always asking my mum as if I wasn't there when they learnt I couldn't see anything attall, but give them their due, they were very good at guiding me when I didn't know where the loo was or their front gate was. I remember my cousin Tegen who was only two or three at the time, taking me by the hand and guiding me towards their front gate when we were all about to go out for a walk in the woods near my aunt's house before being strapped in to her buggy. (Our word for an umbrella-folding stroller.) Another time someone stopped us in town and told the member of staff walking with me that one of my shoe laces was undone instead of speaking to me directly. That does annoy me a bit, but I still like my family to take my orders and stuff if we go out for a meal somewhere and I can't read the print menues.
lol, I've gotten those questions too, but as far as going out to a restaurant, I prefer to order my own meals. I think as blind people, we are perfectly capable of doing such a task. we have voices, use them!
Wow! this is like shooting ducks in a barrel. So many things! Concerning the ding out issue, we're fortunate in this day and age to find more establishments with braille and large-print menus. Now, if only the staff at these places new what braille was. My favorite story about this is when I asked for a braille menu and the hostess responded "No. But it's on the restroom doors." I thought of several unkind and inappropriate responses, and decided to not use any of them. I laughed as soon as I was certain she wasn't around. As much as I hate to say this, I'm inclined to agree with some of the the other responses concerning diplomacy. Whether we like it or not, we're embassadors. Don't nobody say nothin'. I hate it, too. It just comes with the teritory.
I haven't been blind all my life so I'm not sure if this is justafied or not. I was with my new cane instructer and we were walking around to my classes and I was doing well. (this was last week). We walked down a set of stairs and she's like, "Are you as confident going up stairs?"
um, yes, I am, thank you.
Another thing was "You mean you can use a cane and carry a back pack at the same time?"
"Um, yes cane instructer, I can, why?"
I also get the thing where people speak to others with me and don't ask me what I want.
so, yeah
I use to teach computer programming at a local junior college. One day while waiting for another class to vacate the classroom, I overheard two students talking. One said, "oh that's that blind professor." The other student said "I hear he's very tough." I turned to them and said, "actually, I know braille, but the only print letter I know is F." They were very quiet after that.
Bob
how can you tell i'm behind you
do you see black? I think i already mentioned in response to someones post about the counselor who asked me how i could tell she was behind me. I had a nurse ask if i could see black, this after mom and i had told her i was totaly blind. And when she asked me if i could see black, I told her no i can't seee anything, she said yeah but do you see black? She then said she was blind for 6 weks and she saw black. She seemed to think that just because she saw black when she was blind that naturally i coulod. I said well if i do se black i can't tell it, and if i could see anything, i'd probabkly know it, but i don't se anything.
One girl at that camp i was talking about kept asking if i saw this or trhat after i told her i was blind, and finally i'd had enough and i said, well close your eyes real tight. She said, ok they're closed. Then i asked, now what do you see/ she said, nothing, and I responded well there you go, that's what i see, nothing. eeee, I hate it when people won't just accept the fact I'm totaly blind.
wonderwoman?
Jessica, I hear ya! "Dude, watch out for the blind girl!" Lol! But like it has been mentioned, ignorance can't be hated, most of the time the people aren't trying to offend us so we gotta be patient.
Here's all my favorite stupid questions I've ever been asked.
The first one being. How do you get around?
My reply: The same way you get around which by ealking except I use a cane to alert me when I run into obsticles in my path.
The second question I'm commonly asked is. How do you when you can cross the street.
My reply: Either by going with your parallel traffic or when it's quiet. (In my mind I was thinking duh I cross when the cars are going in front of me and get run over like a dumbfuck would) I really wanted to be a smartass on that one but I decided not to be so... I have more but this all I want to write for now.
I've already given my questions on various other message boards, but I was asked:
How do you feed yourself? How do you do your homework? How do you sleep? Others may spring to mind later.
Hmmmm,
While I do think those questions are annoying at times, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt (curiosity, I'm the first blindy you've seen, etc) lest I've previously judged you to no better.
Even with that said...I give credit to anyone who asks something blind-related of me. As difficult as it may be to remember, those who ask are making an effort to learn, rather than being satisfied by a set of pre-conceptions.
On comments like the loud music scaring me...personally, I'd leave it alone, as my giving an explanation or asking an excuse-me-type question isn't going to help Mr. or Mrs. genius of the month out in any regard whatsoever.
My feelings on this are: I'll do what I do, and it doesn't matter to me if somebody on the corner of route sixty-two and Yokam doesn't think I can tell when it rains. lol
I do give people the benefit of the doubt, but I find it amusing that so many of these questions stem from some pretty off-the-wall assumptions. A lot of the questions could also fall into the category of "why do you care?"
One day, I was asked on the phone if all blind people have white eyes. Now how the hell would I know that! Plus, some dumb teacher asked me if I needed some mobility instruction in going to the bathroom, roflmfao!!!!!!!
How many fingers am i holding up?
"rolls eyes"
O man I love this one. Well, how do you have a profile on Myspace if you can not see.
*chuckles at the last three* How do you clean your room? I just sat there looking at the person like, "What the hell?" Sometimes, it's hard to answer questions without sounding a bit bitchy, but somehow, I keep my cool and speak calmly.
If somebody asked me how many fingers they were holding up, I'd ask them how many fingers they thought they were holding up, and if they were just unaware of the answer they obviously have issues to go take care of. And what in tarnation are you doing holding your fingers up in the first place? People, ya just can't take 'em anywhere!
Oh, and here's another smart remark you can make. If anyone comes up to you and asks you if you know who they are, your reply is "Well, do any of us really know who we are?" Hahahahahaha!
hahahaha I wanna try Bobby's war dance! That was hilarious. Stuff being an ambasador or diplomatic, this is the 21st century We're everywhere, I.E there's enough of us around, and we even show up on TV from time to time lol. But that's an oppinion. I've gotten some of those questions.
Do you close your eyes when you go to sleep?
Do you see black? WTF is black anyway?
And the reaction, I'll see..... ur, catch you later.
One thing I wasn't sure how to take happened the other day though. I'm the opposite when it comes to lights. I can't see 'em, so if I'm alone... well why waste the electricity. Well Sister and brother-in-law were over the other day, just about to leave. (sis and bro in law temporarily non-disabled). So anyway sis turns light off, and brother-in-law's like just about to say something to the effect of "Hey Simon's still here leave the light on....". Sis goes to explain about lights not being necessary, and bro in law has to go outside as he's getting upset. Now while I *hate* pity and would've normally tell him to get a grip something made me try to calm the fella down. Hmm I'm full of inconsistancies me...
Cheers,
Simon
I've only got the, "How many fingers am I holding up," question once. My friend kept asking me if I see black, and I was like no.
you know some of these questions, people really are generally interested....
I was always interested if completely blind people saw black...or what htey saw..it interested me...shrugs
If you're completely blind, you can't see the color black at all. It's just plain dark. don't know how else to describe it It's okay to be curious.
Yeah...since black is just a shade anyway and not a color..
I would much rather have the questions, because that shows the people who are curious and really want to know. I hate the people who cross the street to avoid me. Fortunately, I don't know they exist so it doesn't bother me.
When my son was a teen-ager and my daughter was eleven, we were all in having dinner out and my kids got really upset because there was a couple just staring at all of us. My son actually walked up to them and told them to get a fucking life. I had to get on him for that, but was secretly proud.
Bob
That's another thing that bugs me, the staring. I don't see them looking, but it's just odd that I can feel eyes looking at me, if you know what I mean. Bob, that was a bold move on your son's part, but the words he chose to use were not what I would have expected to hear. Did you say he was older, or younger?
OK, here's a question for anyone who wants to answer. What totally crosses the line for you? That is, what behavior or question or remark from a sighted person would you absolutely not tollerate with no regard to intent?
I ask this because although I don't think most sighted folks are mean unless they're very bored teenaged boys, I feel there is a notion amongst some of them that any blind or disabled person has little to no boundaries so you can get away with behavior that no sighted person would tollerate from another sighted person, no matter how well-meant it was.
Oooooh, tricky. ... Um, if someone just walked up to me and asked me about things of a very personal nature off random, that would get me a little gbit annoyed. If people automatically assumed I couldn't hear, which happens a lot, as many of you know, and said something very rude, I'd get angry. I can't really think of ahnything else.
Gotta question, actually a couple I've been asked just recently, strange actually. The first was, can you read print? lol The second is, Why is braille raised? The third was, have you ever driven a motor cycle. gotta go but those were some funny ass questions. lol.