Category: the Rant Board
It's funny. sometimes I'll be having a conversation with another blind person, and everything's okay until I mention the fact that I wear shades, or that someone I know where's shades. Suddenly, I'm a picture of "blink stereotypes" because I'm wearing shades. But if you saw a sighted person doing the same, you wouldn't think twice about it, would you?
Another one is somehow this stereotype that blind people like to record everything. Okay, so I'll admit I like to do that too sometimes, but what's so bad about it? it's not so different from sighted people taking pictures of things they like to capture for their memories later on. First of all, are we just supposed to give these things up just because they're a stereotype? I'm sorry if you think wearing shades is wrong just because we're blind, but I'm not going to stop wearing them. I have my own reasons that have very little to do with blindness. Not to mention I know plenty of people who wear them simply because it draws attention away from their eyes, which will draw some people away. Same with recording. As long as I'm not recording someone's conversation that should be off the record, I'm not going to stop just because it's supposedly such a stereotype. If you're uncomfortable having yourself recorded, of course I'll respect that, just as most people will avoid taking pictures if you're not comfortable with that. Okay. so what about music? some people claim the fact that many blind people play music is a stereotype. But I don't hear too many of us saying we're going to stop playing music because it's a stereotype. If we're not supposed to do something for that reason alone, we might as well all go into our little hidey holes and stay there. It seems one type of behavior or another is always judged as a stereotype.
However, it always seems that fellow blind people are the ones pointing this out to me. I never walk into a sighted person that tells me I shouldn't wear shades because I'm blind, and that would be stereotypical, because most of them could care less the reasons people do what they do. I'm not saying this to generalize. I'm saying it because that's just something I've noticed. If nobody else has, feel free to call me on it. However, if you, as a blind person, want these stereotypes to disappear, my suggestion is not to call them out as stereotypes, because as long as you label them as such, they'll always be there.
This is exactly my point when I talk about this big huge blind community that every blind person knows of, but no blind person is a part of.
I actually used to know a blind guy who loved to sing and play the guitar. I asked him once if he played the piano too, and he said he never took piano lessons because he felt too many people thought all blind people played the piano. I have no idea where he got that idea, but he was very talented musically and, I think, could have played piano as well as he played guitar if he hadn't been concerned about a stereotype.
Hmmm, wonder when blind people will come to realize that all blind people want to have a radio station. LOL, (All meant in fun, but the stereotype is there.)
That's what I meant when I said basically anything could be judged as a stereotype. Someone comes up with an idea, others think it's cool, and next thing you know, it's a stereotype. I'm surprised someone hasn't spread the idea that it's a stereotype that all blind people have iPhones.
Oh, I'm sure that will be a stereotype soon enough, in fact it kind of is because there's definitely one going around that blind people must have the latest and greatest tech gadgets. The music one is one I've heard a bunch too, but that doesn't stop me from playing my guitar and singing. When I was a kid I played the piano, but I naturally drifted away from it by choice, not because it was a stereotype. As for wearing shades, I could care less what people think of me when I wear them. I need to because I'm extremely sensitive to light, so if people think it makes them look bad, fuck them. It's for my comfort, not some kind of cosmetic competition.
Hell, most of the sighted people I know want the latest and greatest tech gadgets. Some have the money to get them, others don't, but I'd say most people in the younger age bracket, sighted or blind, want them. They may be different types of gadgets, but the principle remains the same.
I had a friend who went into massage therapy, simply because she enjoyed the profession. But the biggest backlash to her doing it came from the blind people around her, accusing her of going into a stereotypical blindness field. Whether it is or isn't, who gives a shit, if it's what she wants to do?
As far as the shades thing, I think we've got a hell of a lot bigger stereotypes to worry about than that. Sighted people wear shades, no big deal.
It's when we get into the socially abnormal stuff, the poking at eyes, rocking in public, not looking at people when you talk to them...now those are blindness stereotypes I have a problem with. The others, such as have been mentioned here, only go to show that we're a cross-section of society, just like anyone else.
I know that I'm supposed to look at someone when I'm talking to them, but I have to watch it because when they speak, my first reflex is to turn my ear toward them, to better hear what they say.
Yeah, that's true. These are the more positive stereotypes we're discussing here. That's why i don't really care what anyone thinks about them. Now, if I was constantly poking my eyes, or walking around with stains on my clothes, I'd make an effort to change that, but for my own benefit, not because the world might end if some other more "well-adjusted" blind person decides to get on their high horse.
Anthony, in your case, being deaf-blind, it totally makes sense why you'd turn your ear toward the person. That's not an issue like most blind people have, where they keep their heads down even when talking to someone. You're turning your ear toward them out of practicality, so you can hear them and be part of the conversation. Not the same thing at all, IMHO.
F&R, makes sense. If someone wants to change their habits, they should do it for themselves, not because another blind person thinks they should. Otherwise, the change won't stick anyway.
As per India, recaning is known as stereotype of a blind person. Whenever we met an unknown in the bus or somewhere at the middle of the road, and immediately he or she will ask us, are you going for recaning work somewhere? even though if he is working as a receptionist or even as a professor, they don't mind. As per their eyes, all blindies are recaners, or beggers. as per few Indian sighteds' opinion.
I guess in future, they will make singing and orchestra are also blindies' nature of work. Hahaha. Sometimes, I feel that was funny and even sometimes, for making them happier, I'll say yes sir, you are absolutely correct with your assemption.
Raaj.
I wonder how such people would react if you asked them, "OK, then what do you think I should be into. I want a list." If they can't offer a list, then their argument is weak and they are fools. Shit, they're fools already because they dared open their mouths criticizing your personal tastes and interests, so maybe you just shouldn't bother. All of us, blind or sighted, only go around once in this life and we need all the joy and happiness and pleasure in life we can stand. Can't be bothered worrying about if what we do, like, wear, who we're with or who we avoid is making the best political statement or putting forth the best image. We are living breathing human beings, not images of human beings. To put it another way, people just need to grow up, shut up, and get a few zillion light years way over themselves. So there, too!
Well, I haven't had much experience with the newer stereotypes that you mentioned there, but I don't doubt they exist. I used to get the Ziegler though. And I am not saying the magazine was perpetuating the stereotype in any way. But I got the impression that most blind people either tune pianos or cane chairs. That's pre-Internet stereotypes for you!
Speaking of looking at people you are talking to, I recently had an interesting comment. I was in the hospital last week and a social worker came in to talk to me. She asked if I was blind, and when I said yes, she said she could tell by the way I turned my head to follow the sound of her voice. I was trying to look at her, but apparently I wasn't doing it right. LOL
wow. I've never encountered or heard of that one, although I have been known to have a tendancy to follow other people's voices when I'm walking. I'm not sure why that is, but I think it's mostly because that's how my parents taught me to walk. they would just tell me to follow their voices. Maybe it's a similar thing? Maybe not?
Sometimes I wonder if we don't unconsciously do that in the same way a sighted person might follow someone with their eyes? But, I don't know exactly how the eye thing works, so maybe my comparison is off? But when someone you're talking to is moving around, for example, it's hard not to do that.
Unashamedly pointing at every single one who has started an awkwardness or similar topic on this site, for one: it's like black stereotypes, Native American stereotypes, etc. only they use the work against their own alleged kind.
Ironically, when I started to learn to use the computer, nobody would help the blind guy in the early 90s, at least not out here. It was thought a blind guy couldn't, and many thought it silly for one to work in Windows.
Now people would probably claim it as a stereotype, mostly because it's convenient, something that makes their pathetic existence just a little bit easier at least for a short time, like the Rush people used to take in the locker rooms at high school etc.
To me, when people do that, it's like when a dog wants to hump your leg. Gratifying for the dog, or in this case the fool, but leaves a mess for the rest of us to clean up.
LibraLady, I have had the exact problem you describe. By conditioning, I guess, I looked up when someone spoke and continued working with my hands, assembling something I was working on.
To a sighted person, the reason that looked unnatural was I wasn't glancing down at what I was doing. SisterDawn I too cannot fully appreciate eye movement or the significance. All I can guess is most of it is done within fractions of a second and a glance, unlike audio, is a panoramic view with the possibility to zoom in.
Anyway I used to worry about that shit, gave myself headaches over it as a teenager and even as a young adult. Anymore I couldn't give a rat's ass. Those who point this stuff out want something to point out. And if you look closely enough, these are unquestionably the same people pointing out that gays do x behavior and blacks do y behavior.
OceanDream, you're right about shades: Before we went on patrol this past Sunday almost everyone put on shades, of one form or another. If you're sighted, gonna be on the water for 8+ hours, and need to be observant and vigilant as is necessary for a safety patrol at a parade, you *need* shades. I may have eyes, but no optic nerves. So, I took no shades as that would be pointless. Better to ensure the Crew or Coxswain of another boat got a pair.
And, even then, as I was the log-keeper onboard, I would turn towards my unit leader for direction or to report. Yeah, I was looking at him at least in his general direction, and doing what no sighted person would: gesturing on a touchscreen without looking at it, since I was managing info, etc. And by looking in his direction I could hear him better over the sound of the engine and equipment.
There are no fools doing safety patrols, so naturally none of this was an issue to them. We all had our minds on our work.
Basically you can never win with people who go on and on and on about these stereotypes. You notice they just can't wait to tell you about all their (probably made-up) experiences with *all* these blind people? Listen to 'em talk and you have what amounts to a fishing story: it gets bigger the more attention you give 'em. Apologies to anyone who tells for-real fishing stories: those are at least entertaining.
All I will say is I wasted a lot of energy in my youth, and people wasted a lot of forcefully-inflicted effort in my childhood, on this ffool's errand.
Here's another stereotype for ya: become an amateur radio operator. Every one I know out here is sighted, but they have all heard that just so many blind people do it. Don't ask specifics though, like how they read a signal meter on a non-digital black box, or evaluate an oscilloscope, but they do think supposedly every blind person does it. And they do the tasks I just mentioned: all of the amateur people involved in public safety do it. So, if so many blind people did it, they would have surely observed one or more of them doing these things.
If every one did, you'd know because answers to very simple questions would be readily available. Obviously it's not that common.
I forget the anthropological term for this, but there is one: someone in college will probably know. Basically a cultural anthropologist in validating whether a stereotype is based in myth or reality will ask the people making the stereotype, how it is the alleged group does the proverbial deed.
My beginning ventures in the Amateur radio service and Emergency services have proven a beautiful textbook example of how silly it all is. If a stereotype were really true, people would know by observation in a basic sense how some of these tasks get done by a blind guy.
Example: Stereotypically, moms drive minivans. Ok, all one has to do is ask how well moms usually parallel park their minivans. You would probably get a set of responses because people have actually observed a high number of moms actually driving the minivans. If moms in large part did not, but it was just a made-up stereotype (as are many of them against us), you would not get very practical answers. You'd probably get some fantastic tales of things that go bump in the night, though: just like some do about us.
Wow, I can't really say much here that hasn't already been said, but hey, everybody's going to have assumptions, blind or otherwise. Some of them might be right, some of them not. Can't change what you like, or how you behave unless you let it. But I have to wonder, why does it bother them? Are they jealous? Or maybe they feel inadequate?
I've got my guesses for why people are hung up on the stereotypes of others. First, they are probably lacking in hobbies because they can't think of anything they'd want to do which isn't a stereotypically blind thing, so they think character assassination would be a fine uplifting activity. Next, good old fear and insecurity, which seems to motivate most bullshit behavior. Goes along with the belief that any one blind person represents all of us and is responsible for the reputations of all of us, so if one person lives a stereotype or otherwise does something considered out of line, they're to blame for why other blind people don't get jobs or can't hang with the cool kids. To go along with that, I have the impression that there's a belief that if we all would just collectively shed everything that says "hi, I'm blind" then all the stupid ignorance would go away, we'd all get hired for high-profile jobs, and the cool kids would like us. I call wishful thinking, because some people will get it despite our interest in old-time radio or recording things, and many won't get it because they're too scared of the unknown, the different, and the dark. So yeah, guess I done psychoanalyzed the whole planet Earth for ya, how's dat? Hahahaha!
I agree with some of your psychoanalysis, but not all. First, most of us can't shed everything that says, "Hi, I'm blind." Our canes or dogs say that, which is fine by me. No one of us is specifically responsible for the reputation of all blind people, but I don't think it can be denied that we do affect things. How many times have any of us heard from the sighted world, "I met a blind person once, and he/she...." We are a cross-section of society, but we're also walking, talking educations to the public. Most minority groups are. It's an unfortunate reality that in the view of the sighted public, often one of us does equal all of us. But, all any of us can do as individuals is live our life the way we see fit, and take it from there.
I think every subculture or community has an element of introspection and intra-judgment. It is amplified here because this is a website for the sounding off of opinions - I don't think you'd see these types of conversations as often in the real world. One, because there isn't a gaggles of blindies roaming around, and two because there are far more important things to consider when we aren't stuck in front of our computers.
I've seen the rocking, clapping, talking-to-onself, autism spectrum-level style of obsession with 1 or 2 topics, lack of hygiene, emotional/physical dependence, blah blah. Whether positive or negative, a stereotype's a stereotype, so even when people are awed by a blind musician who isn't a pianist I still find that a step in the wrong direction.
I love to sit at my kitchen table, rock back and forth, side to side, and poke my eyes with my fingers, then after a while of this I stare up at the seeling!
And I weigh a total of 5000 LBS!
No seriously: I think the education shtick is bs and here's why:
Yes, as SisterDawn says, you do have the people coming up to you who want to talk on and on .... and *ON!* about how such and so blind person they probably heard about and never really met does such and so crippling activity.
Do you ever see said person change? Improve their lives? Reexamine a stereotype? Of course not! It's far more fun to imagine these things about an alleged group of people, expand a bit, get people to appear disgusted, put off, maybe laugh a bit, at the horrifying Hunchback of Notredame they have suffered to witness. It's just barbaric is all. Barbaric, cowardly and disgusting. The KKK is out of fashion now, it's fashionable to 'support' black people etc., not make comments about all blacks wearing gangster clothes, etc. So if you're a wussy or the girl version thereof, you continue to do the same things, only on another target group.
Here's what real education of the public looks like:
Public efforts to get women to self-examine which catches breast cancer early, people like us in the Coast Guard encouraging people to get their vessels safety checked by us, wear their life jackets, etc.
And, unlike this alleged education by and about the blind, we gots numbers to prove it: the ramps want us to keep coming back, we can see intergenerational effects like parents not only getting their kids to don the lifejackets but doing so themselves for a change.
This alleged education of and by the blind, would really mean the person in question would talk to you about how maybe their conclusions were wrong and they needed to rethink some things. Instead, they just go on and on and on about things that go bump in the night, the Hunchbacks of Notredame and any other city, saying things they wouldn't dare about other more fashionable-to-support groups.
These people that go on and on like this are uneducable and incorrigible. They want to talk first impressions? Sure: when they go on and on and on like that, they show me they aren't to be trusted with anything at all that requires judgment. I believe I have kept birds who were more intelligent. If they were becoming educated, they would do what you, or I, or anyone else does when becoming educated: admit they were wrong, rethink their position, etc.
And I actually have seen that in real life, but it has never been someone who goes on and on about a blind monster. They usually start off by saying something like "Well, I wasn't sure how you were going to be able to do that but ..." and, ask relevant questions if they wish. The aforementioned storytellers don't make up a majority of people in society anyway: they tend to be all talk no action, and generally useless / a mess for the rest of us to clean up.
Miss Em, what if I said being a member of this site was a step in the wrong direction because of the stereotypes many have made about people around here? would you close your account, and log out never to be seen around here again, just because someone told you it was a step in the wrong direction? Somehow I doubt it. If you did decide to leave here and never come back, I'm sure it would be for your own reasons, wouldn't it?
I think the Zone has a lot of important functions, one of them being a primarily social outlet for people who have at least one thing in common. I'm referencing more the issue of any human's tendency to gloss over a complicated situation with a comment, whether it's negative or positive, because it makes the playing field uneven.
Well, like they say, if you can't dazzle them with brilliance...