fafow
Member
I don't post on this site all that much, but I do read a lot of the posts and tutorials. I have gotten to know a few people here and have been very much enriched by my experiences here. I have also learned a TON about turning from posts on this site and by personal help from one or more people here. I have been absolutely amazed at how much help and welcome advice I have received. This is a great group of people and kind of like a family. Also like families there are squabbles here and there, but usually nothing that doesn't eventually get resolved and the feathers smoothed back down.
If I can, I'd like to get something off my chest (no offense intended to anyone reading this), and that is in regards to political correctness. I think I can speak with some authority here due to my own personal experiences, nothing earth-shattering, but definitely some personal application. I was laughed at most of my school years due to my name (Raper) or due to my severe stutter. I have had people hang up on me when they call because I fought with every ounce of strength I had to say "hi" but blocked so severely that not a sound came out and the person on the other end thought it was a dead connection. I have a son born with a club foot and then suffered from ADHD and bipolar. He is 23 now and off meds and doing great. I have a daughter (29 years old) who suffers from bipolar and schizophrenia. She is on meds and has been in and out of hospitals most of her life. I don't make fun of people and see disabilities as something we all have to deal with. Some are obvious and some are not. My son was ridiculed in school and treated badly by a few kids. He was taught to not use his illness as an excuse for anything and that life isn't fair. There will always be people who want to make fun of others because it makes them feel better about themselves. I had a teacher in school tell me to consider the source. I don't go after people who are not politically correct. I don't see why we have to be so concerned about not offending anyone with what we say and also realize that there are some people who look for reasons to be offended (not referring to anyone here). Life is life. Deal with it. Get over it and move on. If someone were to make fun of one of my kids while I was present, yes, I would go on the offensive, but it would have to be a direct attack on them. When I was in college back in the 70s I volunteered with a group and would work with kids suffering from mental retardation. They didn't all have Down's Syndrome. How do you refer to this now? I have no idea anymore. I do know that I was very blessed to work with them because they showed me how to love life. They didn't compare themselves to anyone else. They wore their emotions on their sleeve and let you know they liked you and were happy you were there, etc. I later roomed with two guys who worked at a home where they taught young adults suffering from this how to live on their own. Great experiences. Whether you call it mental retardation or intellectual retardation, it is still the same thing. With time "intellectual retardation" will also become a bad term and they will move on to something else. With regards to my stuttering, did I get offended by Porky Pig? No. I loved the scene in Cannonball Run when Mel Tillis is trying to give directions to Terry Bradshaw. That was absolutely hilarious. Life is what it is. Why do people get so offended so much easier now than they did 30 years ago? When does it all end? This is insanity. To take it to an extreme, is someone who is short, vertically challenged or severely gravity affected... or are they just short?
Doc, I understand you have a loved one who is intellectually retarded. My heart goes out to you. While there are many positives about that, there are also many very difficult challenges to deal with and every parent (or grandparent) hopes their child will be perfect in terms of "defects". I also like how you took your issue offline and sent a PM to address it.
We should all be adults here on this site and should be able to police the issues of piling on and going after someone. The vast majority here are very helpful wonderful people. Let's try to keep that in mind and try to encourage that and make it even more prominent than it already is. I have learned from many of you and don't want to see anyone leave over hurt feelings. Life is just too short for all of that.
Ok, I'm off my soapbox now. If I have offended anyone, please excuse me, it was not intended to apply to any particular person or to offend anyone.
If I can, I'd like to get something off my chest (no offense intended to anyone reading this), and that is in regards to political correctness. I think I can speak with some authority here due to my own personal experiences, nothing earth-shattering, but definitely some personal application. I was laughed at most of my school years due to my name (Raper) or due to my severe stutter. I have had people hang up on me when they call because I fought with every ounce of strength I had to say "hi" but blocked so severely that not a sound came out and the person on the other end thought it was a dead connection. I have a son born with a club foot and then suffered from ADHD and bipolar. He is 23 now and off meds and doing great. I have a daughter (29 years old) who suffers from bipolar and schizophrenia. She is on meds and has been in and out of hospitals most of her life. I don't make fun of people and see disabilities as something we all have to deal with. Some are obvious and some are not. My son was ridiculed in school and treated badly by a few kids. He was taught to not use his illness as an excuse for anything and that life isn't fair. There will always be people who want to make fun of others because it makes them feel better about themselves. I had a teacher in school tell me to consider the source. I don't go after people who are not politically correct. I don't see why we have to be so concerned about not offending anyone with what we say and also realize that there are some people who look for reasons to be offended (not referring to anyone here). Life is life. Deal with it. Get over it and move on. If someone were to make fun of one of my kids while I was present, yes, I would go on the offensive, but it would have to be a direct attack on them. When I was in college back in the 70s I volunteered with a group and would work with kids suffering from mental retardation. They didn't all have Down's Syndrome. How do you refer to this now? I have no idea anymore. I do know that I was very blessed to work with them because they showed me how to love life. They didn't compare themselves to anyone else. They wore their emotions on their sleeve and let you know they liked you and were happy you were there, etc. I later roomed with two guys who worked at a home where they taught young adults suffering from this how to live on their own. Great experiences. Whether you call it mental retardation or intellectual retardation, it is still the same thing. With time "intellectual retardation" will also become a bad term and they will move on to something else. With regards to my stuttering, did I get offended by Porky Pig? No. I loved the scene in Cannonball Run when Mel Tillis is trying to give directions to Terry Bradshaw. That was absolutely hilarious. Life is what it is. Why do people get so offended so much easier now than they did 30 years ago? When does it all end? This is insanity. To take it to an extreme, is someone who is short, vertically challenged or severely gravity affected... or are they just short?
Doc, I understand you have a loved one who is intellectually retarded. My heart goes out to you. While there are many positives about that, there are also many very difficult challenges to deal with and every parent (or grandparent) hopes their child will be perfect in terms of "defects". I also like how you took your issue offline and sent a PM to address it.
We should all be adults here on this site and should be able to police the issues of piling on and going after someone. The vast majority here are very helpful wonderful people. Let's try to keep that in mind and try to encourage that and make it even more prominent than it already is. I have learned from many of you and don't want to see anyone leave over hurt feelings. Life is just too short for all of that.
Ok, I'm off my soapbox now. If I have offended anyone, please excuse me, it was not intended to apply to any particular person or to offend anyone.