Category: the Rant Board
Here is something I posted in my Livejournal. I shall just cut and paste it here.
Sometimes, I admit, I get a bit mixed up on how I should view the
light-dependent public especially as regards their views of us as blind
people. No, I'm not one who thinks the sighted are on a campaign against us
or take pleasure in discriminating against us. Most folks want to be at
least helpful, although I think it's a shame that the only thing they think
we have in common with them is having a desire to be helped. I don't believe
people are basically good because people aren't basically anything because
people just aren't basic, you dig? I think most folks screw up just out of
being unaware of what we're all about, just because I think most people are
brought up with the illusion in their heads that most people they will spend
most of their time with will be similar to themselves. Blind people are not
thought of for the most part unless a person has to directly interact with
them.
However, on the other hand, ignorance can breed a rather callous attitude,
and this I guess is what bothers me. Yes, I understand these people are
making such comments either because they're just ignorant, else they think
they are being cool by being the jerk, but just look at what some people say
about us, at least regarding certain issues, when they think we're not
reading. ?
There's a brief, and I do mean brief, story about the whole U.S. currency
issue over at
www.drudge.com
Here's the story, such as it is.
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the U.S. Treasury Department is
violating the law by failing to design and issue currency that is readily
distinguishable
to blind and visually impaired people. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia Circuit upheld a 2006 district court ruling that could
force
the United States to redesign its money so blind people can distinguish
between values.
And now, I'm going to paste in choice comments. Now, it could be that
comment sections on websites just attract trolls, but I do think you'll be
appalled, or at least amused. I have just one little thought. I bet they'd
raise fifty-seven varieties of hell if they had some difficulty in life and
people just gave them a "sucks to be you *shrug*" attitude. Am I right?
......why don't the blind just use coins.?.......
They've got Braile on the freakin' drive-thru ATM's, what else do they want?
WHAT ELSE!?!
****Any $50 or $20 coins in circulation?
.......no........but they could carry a lot of quarters and pump up their
girly biceps at the same time.......
......hey.....its not they're going to buy a tv or a car......although it
could be a bitch when they need a new fridge........
Court declares life not fair to the disabled. Everything to be redesigned.
Paper Money Unfair to Blind
Yeah, well so are cars but we are not redesigning are main method of
transportaion are we?
Here's an idea. USE YOUR FUCKING DEBIT CARD. It has braille already
built-in.
OMG!! NOw we'll have to have several different size bills in our wallets, I
am so tired of having to make such sacrifices for a bunch of lazy people who
choose the blind life style.
Short people should sue cities for building sidewalks too close to their
ass.
Well, it's unfair to sighted people that blind people can take their guide
dogs everywhere when the rest of us can't take our pets where we please.
Okay, I'm not serious. But goddamn it, everyone is "discriminated" against
or "handicapped" in some way, if you are looking for it. There is no fucking
way in hell we can make enough rules to make life fair for everybody.
Sometimes "tough shit" is the best answer to complaints.
And, of course, the thing people all around ye olde interwebz are the most
curious about us blind people ...
How does a blind person know he's through wiping his ass?
There, I think that'll do for now. And on that excretory note ...
Anyone who can think we "choose" to be blind, or can write stupid shit out of ignorance like that can burn in hell. I just ignore dumb-fucks like them.
I hope some of those idiots were at least trying to be funny. I bet the majority of those people are young and believe they'll never get old. If someone doesn't kill them for being stupid, they will get old and start losing their vision and then get frustrated with not knowing how to tell different denominations apart.
wow..., just wow. the things people say...
Becky, I love you, adn totally agree lol. *loads up his gun in readiness for the firs stupdi person he meets...*
Seriously, god damn how can people be that stupid? Oh and I love the phrase light dependant lol.
i saw that sight or one like it i couldnt sign up cause of captia no surprise. so i was gonna like fuck em up when i saw it.
lol. braille on credit cards? What idiots.
You know, if accessible paper money weren't already available in almost a hundred other countries, then I'd agree that American blind people are just a bunch of whiners. But why shouldn't we have the same advantages as people in all those other countries. And I bet the sighted people in those countries don't complain about it.
BTW Simon, I love you too. LOL
Some people are just ignorant. They'll pay for it someday.
Ignorance is correct, and they'd better wish upon the luckiest of lucky stars that they never become disabled in some way or otherwise get demoted to second-class citizenhood. I hate to pull the race and gender cards all at once, but it seems these people who are responding are probably white males, who have probably never experienced any kind of oppression in their lives, save for somebody wishing them Happy Holidays if they are Christian. Hahahaha!
As for whining, I think sometimes you need to complain and do it loud and long just to be heard and noticed. I feel that for the most part, we go right under most people's radar unless we get into a situation where they just have to do something and there's no way to wriggle out of it, and you know how uncomfortable most people are with blindness as a concept, so any chance they can squirm away, they probably will.
ahahaha!
I think that comment was rather racist, why do you think white males are more likely to say this than, say, black females or yellow emales, and I've always thought braille on drive through ATMs is about the stupidest idea I've heard of, I wouldn't want to stand by one, try to locate a button, figure out which of my 10 credit cards I have, remember which pin code to use, all whilst a crazy truck driver is sitting behind me wondering whether to just run me down so he can get to the liquor store in time.
I don't think there's a huge need to spend billions of dollars or whatever on redoing all the paper money in the States, but I think as new bills are issued they should slowly change them to match the needs of the blind, then, again, I think paper money is slowly dying out and I'd personally be happier with technologies that use cell phones or new cards as payment methods being made more accessible somehow. But some of these comments are hillarious.
cheers
-B
Well, the reason why I brought up the white male thing was not to be evil or trollish, but I had heard some study or other that said white males were the least oppressed people in society. I think things have advanced for sure, but any social change is very slow, and there are still particular types of people in society who get preferencial treatment, like it or not or believe it or not. But people who have never experienced what it's like to be rejected just for being who you are or not allowed in some public place or whatever, again not because you did anything wrong but just for being who you are, might not be able to empathize with people who do go through such things.
Now, I've got the answer to the whole Braille ATM thing. Simple. The Braille is molded on all buttons on all ATM machines no matter where they're placed. That'll guarantee that the Braille doesn't fall off, like it might if they just put adhesive labels on the buttons. It might seem ridiculous on a drive-up ATM, but it's there just because it's standard now. Besides, a blind person sitting in the back seat behind the driver could use it, providing the car is pulled up so the blind person can reach out the window and operate the machine.
I also like your idea of just introducing whatever the modification might be as new bills are made. That seems the most practical thing to me.
okay, this may sound cold, and I am not meaning this as a thret, but... what goes around, comes around. these people's lives are not over yet, how, do they know they aren't going to be blind in there lifetime? they don't. unless they can see in to the future, they don't know. and when, or if, they become blind, what are they going to do then?
I can agree with your sentiments. But remember, I'm using the currency issue not as a focus but as an example of the kinds of comments I see regarding accessibility on the whole. I've seen similar types of comments regarding stories talking about making websites accessible. Apparently we're not supposed to ask for that, but have our handy-dandy live-in sighted caregivers to just help us with any websites we can't read, and besides, what would a blind person want from the internet anyhow? These must be people who think we don't own TV sets or enjoy movies either. Makes me wonder what they think we do all day. Read the Bible and pray for eyesight? Hahahaha!
Let me put another thought out here, and this does not just apply to random people's thoughts about us litigious blind folks who want the moon on a stick, otherwise known as equal rights and treatment, but to many other unrelated issues. If you represent any majority group that has lots of social clout and status, the one thing that will most likely make me not sympathize or empathize with your point of view is if you start carrying on about how the minorities or those who you disagree with idiologically make life such an unending hardship for you. In that case, I'll return that "tough shit" and that "sucks to be you" and even that "suck it up, princess" that you had intended for me when I suggested maybe I wanted a little equal treatment and a little equal access and just some good old respect. How do you like them sour apples, eh?
To put it more briefly, if it is bad for us to play the victim, it's just as bad for you, so knock it off now!
well-said. And I had to laugh at the comment about "Braille on the ATM cards."
i got some fucking shit about braille on credit cards when I asked a credit card company for cc details in braille. they said they didn't do it because they thought blind people could read the raised numbers on the cards! wankers!
hahaha carry coins?? Could you picture someone counting out $100 in coins for food? wow!! what a bunch of fucking jerks. Wow, we don't like tv and other things?? just crazy people, and God help them if something ever happens to them and they need help!
I agree with the opinion that we can be our own worst enemies and that there's a big difference between demanding all sorts of privelleges and asking for equal opportunities. I think there's a lot of confusion about these things, at least in Iceland (not as familiar with the U.S.). People here complain endlessly and want social security raised and raised but have no interest in programs that help them educate themselves or adjust to a work place, which would be better for everyone. It's not universally true of course, but I see too much of it. I think things can be done and we have to pick our battles. I e.g. don't think demanding all bills be pulled, redesigned and relaunched just because of the blind, but I do think blind access should be made mandatory as part of any revission and reissuance of bills. I also think enforcing and applying sections 508 and 256 to the internet, online stores etc, is a huge priority for accessibility. I find it so much easier to shop now, pay bills and all, all done online where I can have total control, I can't even iagine what it was like 15 years ago when you had to write out a check for everything. But captia, generated credit card numbers for one time use etc are new things that could take aqway our access and that's what we must be on the lookout for.
We are blind and it is tough shit, that's not the question, and we don't need sympathy and preferential treatment, but we do need the same access and opportunities as others and, within all reasonable limits, society should take that into account.
talking of one time credit card numbers, my local bank are now using a chip and pin machine on online banking, this talks to the user. which is good.
Wow, that comment about how we choose the blind lifestyle. That was fucked. LOL. As if we sit here and think about being blind on purpose.
I agree with Kat, what goes around, will come around. Maybe not now, or a little while fro now, they won't be saying anything, but who knows, they don't know when their lives r over, and its gonna come around and hit 'em. I also thought that was funny about the braille on credit cards.
I feel rather ashamed when I sit down on a bus or at a table in a restaurant, and I don't know if any other blind people have experienced this but maybe you have, the people that were originally sitting close to you end up moving out of the way and sitting somewhere else just because you decided to sit in that spot next to them or in close proximity to them. It's almost as if blindness is a disease that we will eventually give to all people in the world and everyone wants to run away from the blindness plague. And to make matters worse they say comments like the ones just mentioned here on this board. I know I should accept my blindness for what it is and bla bla bla, but sometimes I really do wonder if being a sightling would make my life a whole bunch more easier.
Another difficult thing at least for me in the arena of equal rights, is finding a job when you're blind. Alot of companies will put EOE or whatever it is they put mainly because they have to, but when it comes down to it, they're not as equal as they claim, or if they choose to hire you their programs aren't accessible and don't work with your screen reader.
Yes, this is probably another topic for another time, but I felt that since we were ranting about the inequalities of the blind and minorities in general, I should bring up a few things and rant myself.
Jess
THat's what my mom told me a while back. She told me that people would move away from her students, and i remember her saying that she thought that the sighted kids or adults must've thought that the blind people had some kind of disease or something, and it made her so angry.
i get that sometimes too, and i am forever trying to educate people that we blind people do things just like the rest of society. I am a volunteer at a riding stable, and for the next seven weeks, I'm doing a short presentation for the pony camp children on visual impairment and such, so they, who mostly do not come into contact with vi people, get an idea of what things are. btw, i work indempendantly with the horses, getting a list of which horses need grooming and for what time of day, managing my time, and such. yes, and I've even caught a few horses who have escaped too! heheh.
Wow, I've hardly ever had that kind of experience. I remember a time or two but generally I find people curious and very helpful (too helpful sometimes, but we all know that). Doesn't change the fact that it sucks being blind and I can't understand anyone who'd prefer being blind if they had the choice, it limits us severely and it always will. Work wise, yes, it is true, it's hard getting a job. But blind people do have the "stand out" factor so it does not always work to our disadvantage, but, generally, you have to come in, if you get a chance, and convince the itnerviewee you can do the job and work around accessibility issues with programs and such and it can be a pain. I guess I?m just really lucky then if I have never experienced this kind of blind avertion.
Reactions like this make me wish I could hear other people's thoughts. Sure, it might sting, but you'd at least know where you stood. I wonder if people actually believe blindness is catching. It would be hard to find out because I bet it would be denied very emphatically if you called somebody out on it. Or, perhaps are people creeped out just because they do not understand you, or because they fear going blind so don't want to be faced with anyone blind just in principle. I swear, I think most sighted people are not intending to be jerks, and I don't think they have some sadistic plot against us, but they sure do act funny around us, don't they?
I understand that a sighted person feels awkward the first time around a blind or VI person. I know I felt awkward around kids wen I wasn't interested in having one or ahdn't thought about it and I still feel very awkward with deaf people, I'm worried about my language when I am hanging out with African Americans in case I accidentally offend them, about my language when around very religious people or those I know may be offended, weary of drinking or mentioning alcohol around ex alcoholics etc. I think a little awkwardness is natural if you don't know something or someone, at first. Of course it shouldn't be so much as causing you to avoid that person altogether and I hope that's not frequent, but I can see how some people would prefer not talking to someone who makes them feel uncomfortable or at least conscious and awkward, I think I may have been guilty of that mistake at some point in time although I don't think I'd ever be like that today.
I've never had anyone actually move away from me, but folks seem rather reluctant to sit beside me on the bus, if I have all the blind equipment, like the cane, on show. Put this out of sight however, and they seem to have less trouble in taking up the seat next to me.
I guess it comes down to what B says; that they feel awkward. Let's turn it on its head. If you could choose to sit somewhere inside or outside your comfort zone, where would you choose? For me, I can equate this to the example of, say, having a seat at the front of the bus, and one at the back. I'd choose the one at the front, as it means I wouldn't have to squeeze through loads of people to get right up the back. So, if a sighty can choose to sit beside a blink, and feel uncomfortable, or a normal, and feel fine, it's understandable why they choose the norm, I guess.
I love your post on here, I whent to get an apartment and found that i wasn't old enought, being only nineteen and haveing to be twentyone. I was going back around checking up on people that i might beable to get an apartment from anyways and came to a complex that i was berry enterested in and found that they with no questions or anything gave me an apartment. Although it was one that wasn't the best floor was filthy, thye did come and clean it, capets and tiles are verryold and all the others here has new carpet and tileing. Come to find out My step mother had gone and chewed out the manerger for not leting me have an apatment the first time around. What had hapen was that she wasn't there me me to see nad I was told to come back and she would think about letting me have one even though I was under their age limite. I was embarrassed. I as on e day decided to moove in to one of the newer apartment that were nicer, Well it was the one nest door. I found out that i would have to pays three fifty to moove, two hundred for my cat and onefifty to change apartment. It says it in the lease like everyone elses does. My step dad got mad adn wanted to go and yell at the lady to not make me pay anything. I don't like them doing this and i told him not to and he got upset that i didn't want him to . They think that because I am blind that I should have everything handed to me. I get embarrassed when peopel find out that I can get free schooling and lots of free stuff because I am blind. Its not fare for sighted people who work their buts off and then again its not fare for blind people to have it harder to get jobs. I do plan to go to collidge and get a nice job. Maybe I can get highered or start something myself.
As screaming turtle said:
Ignorance. That's all there is to it.
I'm just waiting for Bill OReilly or Glen Beck to start raving at us.
Ironically these are the same people opposed to changes in health care ... just sayin'
Oh, I betcha Beck and o'Reilly and those folks would play the ableism card if they got hold of such stories. Such folks tend to favor the point of view of the angry white guy and encourage their prejudices so they can perpetuate the myth of the persecuted majority. Poor angry white man, sucks to be you. *shrug* LOL!
I only hope that people like that one day become blind or seriously disabled so I can laugh my ass off at them to their faces. Choose to be blind? Okay, that's a new one. I went and whispered in my biological mother's ear "would you please do heroin for me so that I can be born prematurely and addicted, go through withdrawl and then become blind from ROP"? I think these people had their brains drilled out of their heads... if they ever had them. It's people like this that make me think "backward" when I hear the word American. they odn't like change of any kind, least of all anything that inconveniences them to help others or that takes away from their vanity . It's ashame, cause not all are like that. But these guys set a horrible example.
The thing is, everyone will go blind sooner or later so they should shut up and hope that people find it in their hearts to help them learn skills and such.
I don't know about other cultures in the world, but here in America the whole idea of physical imperfection, aging and mortality are very uncomfortable subjects, so I expect most people, if they truly avhe such callous attitudes towards the blind or disabled, will not think ahead until it's too late. If they're lucky, the universe will pay them back one way or another, or at least one can wish.
I've actually had a few would-be girlfriends chew me out for having a sense of humor about my blindness. Uhm, hello? It's ok for sighted folks to make fun of their shortcomings or just stupid things they do but it's not ok for a blind person to do the same? If a sighted person does it it's just good ol' humor, but if a blind person does it it's very possible that it'll be seen as low self-esteem. The irony is that using humor is exactly how you avoid problems with self-esteem. Some people just don't seem to realize you can't take things too seriously if you want to have any hope of getting through life. And I know all about the job thing since I've been engaged in that search for coming up on eight years now. Oftentimes you're lucky if you get an in person interview. That's one reason I've come to hate the big city so much.
That's so incredibly stupid. I joke about myself many times and there's nothing wrong with it. I'd certainly never stand for anyone telling me what I can and can't say, least of all myself.
the laws and atitudes here in the UK are similar to america when it comes to disability, though it is diffrent depending on the disability. blind people for instance, have a hell of a job when getting access to services in a timely manner, or in an accessible manner at all. i'm trying to get a benefit claim through myself, and that's not going as swimmingsly as it could do. and blind people are not really considered in the disability discrimination act either. well, not as much as physically disabled people are.
I'm going to laugh so hard when those people who say that become blind themselves later in life. I'll just laugh and throw those comments in their face.
Me too...I can't wait.
Exactly. I'd like to see some of the rude folks on Gamefaqs and Gamespot suddenly go blind. Last time a blind person posted on their forums they wondered why we didn't make our presence known if there were so many of us. But when one person gets such a rude reception like that of course they're going to pass it on as a warning to other blind folks to stear clear. If I ever got an Email from one of the folks who badmouthed me on Gamefaqs back when I was on there frequently, and if it happened to be an Email telling me that that person was going blind or was going to go blind, I'd probably spend a fair amount of time laughing my head off about it before I got down to any kind of support. Maybe it's not very mature but that's what you get if you cross me.
You bitch about them being stupid, but what are you doing if not, stuping down to their levels. Laughing at them, if they do go blind one day,only makes you as bad as them.
even worse is that you know better: they however, may not understand. Its these things that gives people ideas that blind people are bitchy, winy, imature and hopelessly self centered.
Think before you speak, because someone will always remember.
That's precisely my point. It's one thing to not understand when, say, a blind person tries to answer your question. It's quite another to be rude about it and to refuse to consider what they've told you. I never said it was mature. But I'm not the sort who forgives that sort of thing easily. And it strikes me as more than a little ironic when someone makes rude jokes about folks like us and then suddenly finds themself in that same situation. And if that person happened to have crossed me while still on top of their soap box then they'd best not look to me for support, unless they were willing to accept a big fat I warned you type coment from me first. I'm not saying it's mature because I recognize that it isn't. But nobody's perfect.
It is mature in my book. It's simply an eye for an eye. Treat those as you want to be treated, but more importantly, as they treat you. I wouldn't give support to someone in that kind of situation either, even if asked. It's one thing to make jokes, even if some are offended. Most people who make them wouldn't hurt the people about whom they're joking and would try to help or to act civilised towards them. But it's quite another to say things like the ones in the first post here. Those people don't deserve sympathy or help.
I don't know if I would laugh or make fun of them, but I would certainly make sure they remembered those comments they said earlier. As someone said, think before you speak.
I do and I know this:
I will not be anyone's piss pot. Mess with me, and you'll get the same.
I don't think I'd laugh at such people nor would I expend any energy reminding them of what they did or said. I've become a fairly thick-skinned person, so if I get offended, sure, I might rant for a bit but once the steam's blown off I'm fairly well done with it. I figure that people who are going to act like jerks and make a lifestyle out of it will get paid back at some point in their lives. You just can't go around being an ass and consistently avoid suffering consequences. I'm satisfied in believing that generally what goes around comes around, but I don't have to be the instrument of what comes around. Perhaps it's wishful thinking but it keeps me sane and happy.
Of course, if these people go blind later in life, that will be their payback. I wouldn't wish it on them, but I wouldn't be sorry if it happened either.
Agreed but I would smile to myself when it happens.