I ran across someone who has a physical disability. Yes, she was handi-capable. She has spina bifida or some shit where she needs crutches to get around. Cute as a button though.
Anyway, she’s really self-deprecating and laughs at her handicap(able) by calling herself names like “twiggy” and “twisted sister” and such. She’s actually pretty charming about it.
So I’m still lost as to why when I referred to her as “stick pin” (because of the crutches… get it?) people were offended. And none of the people who were offended were her. Why do random people get to decide what is and is not acceptable when conversation concerns something that doesn’t bother the target of the line used and has absolutely nothing to do with them. What kind of world do we live in when political correctness is employed to protect people who have no desire or need for protection, political or otherwise. It’s unbelievable.
The end result of this little exchange is that people are mad at me for my big mouth (as usual), except for the person with the only reason to be mad about my big mouth. And she’s as flummoxed as I am. WTF?
Allow me to define the rules for you:
1) Regardless of how self-deprecating a differently abled person is, you aren’t not allowed to make jokes about their differently abledness at their expense, either to their face or behind their back.
2) You are not allowed to make any jokes around differently abled people, whether about them or anything else. Differently abled people are special and joking is not allowed.
3) You are never ever able to be concerned whether an activity you are leading will be too much for a differently abled person. The event leader is expect to tailor all activities to the abilities of the differently abled person if they wish to attend.
4) Never ever use the h word. These people are not h——-, but differently abled.
5) Feel free to enjoy basic pleasantries and discussions about the weather with differently abled people. All other subjects are off limits.
Violation of any of the above rules will result in gossip about your horrifying social skills, several group emails about you (sent to everyone except the differently abled person because, of course, all differently abled people are extra sensitive) and a complete ostracization of your sorry ass from your social circle.
I hope this is helful. If not, those group emails are a hoot to read once you inevitably get ahold of them. If you’d like I can forward the ones written about me.
Oh, man. I would love to see a group e-mail that bitches about me. I can’t think of too many other things that would turn me on as much as that. Unfortunately, when I alienate a crowd I alienate the entire crowd and no one cracks the wall of silence between them and me. It’s a tough burden to bare.
To me, it’s no different than the use of the “N” word. They can use it about themselves or their friends and laugh about it, but if anyone of a different race uses that word, then shame on them.
I call my black friend Token. I call my Ethiopian-German friend halfrican. I call my German friend a nazi from time to time. I’d like to think it is because I look past crap like that, but I really think it is because deep down I am a racist mo’fo’. At least that is what the internets tells me.
Eh, I just think people are awfully quick to want to set themselves apart from fallout. I bet most of them were laughing on the inside.
Im allowed to call my husband an asshole, but no one else is. I’m allowed to call my kids brats but no one else is. I think it goes along the same lines.