I didn't mean to imply that any specific person in this thread said anything bad, I just meant you as in general you when directing my comments, since it's such a common sentiment. The whole thing about representing the blind community as a whole has merit, but it rubs me the wrong way because I was literally told by someone that, as a blind person, I have to be perfect. That's not hyperbole, that's what I was told point blank, so whenever I hear about how I should do this or that to be a posterchild for how the average blind person behaves, I recoil. I have enough standards that I fail to live up to, I don't need that piled on my head as well. My philosophy is that, if I treat others the way I want to be treated, those who matter will remember that.
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people touching blind people (Page 2 of 2)
AudioGames.net Forum → Off-topic room → people touching blind people
Posts: 26 to 31 of 31
#26 2019-02-22 03:41:14
#27 2019-02-22 09:26:58
Children are definitely a different audience than adults. I admire their curiosity and answer any questions they have. I do like to inform people, but I am still very resistant against accepting blindness, so sometimes answering questions is uncomfortable. I am starting to change accepting blindness however, but back to topic I generally don’t mind questions. But I want to ask: why do people ask questions and try to answer them before I can answer? If you are going to ask a question, shut your mouth and wait for the answer.
#28 2019-02-22 11:31:04
Most often, I've tended to find that the questions and the patronising attitude tend to be different entities, EG if someone asks me "how do you do so and so" it usually means they're actually treating me like a rational human being who can answer questions for himself, where as if someone simply talks about me to someone else or obtrudes their idea of so called "help" onto me without asking me first it probably means I'm in the homo blindus weerdus species.
In some ways then, I usually tend to revel in the "how much can you see" or "have you always been blind" question, since this usually signifies the point that someone has gone from the one state to the other.
As to the hole representing thing, Flacus is correct on the function of prejudice,however myself I tend to think of it more that I have to learn to be far better with people, employ my empathy and practice the long forgotten art of conversation simply because people will see me as another species. I don't think, or even care most of the time about how people see "other blind people", not unless they've met some real blind prat who gave them a bad impression, however I do care that people stop treating me like an alien so I try my best to make a good impression, be friendly etc.
The operative word here however is "try", I'll be the first to say I don't always succeed, especially because while I've had to learn social and conversational skills, by personal inclination I'm a natural introvert, and i admit constantly having to convince people that I am not a freak or an alien and that I actually am a human being with a brain is frankly something I get tired of, especially in areas like physical boundaries where I will be the first to admit I have my own hangups.
@Zarvox it depends upon the child. Some children are nice and genuinely curious, some children are frankly little shitbags.
I admit I am not good with children, nor comfortable around them, but that's more about me than anything else, though equally I have run across the occasional decent child in my time to, and as with adults, if children are just being genuinely curious and actually asking me as a person that is fine, if they're just being offensive then they can sod off!
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)
#29 2019-02-22 13:38:40 (edited by flackers 2019-02-22 13:46:53)
In my four years or so of being a cane user, I have to say, 100% of the negative interactions I've had has come from the under 18 age range. Among teens, the majority of interactions is still in the positive. Just yesterday for instance, I was walking along a footpath, and there was a group of teens ahead of me talking and from the smell, smoking weed. Not only did they move out of my way, but they also told me they'd moved, and were very friendly. As a cane user who doesn't want to hit people with my cane, I really appreciate this kind of consideration, communication, and friendliness. But as you move down to the under 14 range, the negatives far outnumber the positives. I can only recall a handful of such consideration coming from proper children. One example was of a kid about 8 or so who stopped playing to tell me the path was icy up ahead. That kind of consideration is very rare from that age range, and I wouldn't really expect it from children that young. On the other side though, a couple of years ago I did have a group of 12 13 year-olds turning up at my house almost every night for months to harrass me purely because I'm blind and they thought that was great sport. I did make the mistake of going out and confronting them at first, and that's what gave them the entertainment they were looking for. I ended up wiht a camera on my house, and the police out two or three times a week. The police were pretty useless other than acting as a messenger to let the community know what was going on. it was the community who put a stop to it. but I have to say, that sort of utterly self-indulgent cowardly behaviour could only come from that age range. No adults with an ounce of self-respect would ever behave like that. Things are pretty quiet on the streets now I'm glad to say, and I rarely get any shit.
#30 2019-02-22 17:28:04
To me Children are great. I never had any issue with them. I want to work with children in my profession as a play therapist/counselor so I may be biased. The issue for me is adults that think they know everything. I've been grabbed, forcefully pushed through doors, herded down halls like I’m a delivery of cattle, and had assumptions of where I'm going put upon me. I once had a guy yell left repeatedly when I was trying to hit a wall to get my Barings. The worst though is when people just grab me though and my first thought is, is this person going to try and steel my stuff or rape me? Okay so the being raped part is less of a fear since I'm almost 6-3 but it has gone through my head. The main fear is getting robbed back in 2015 I had my stuff stolen from a rental car. My mother and brother also got stuff stolen from them as well and I never quite recovered from that incident and I'm now more obsessed on making sure I have all my things with me. So now whenever someone grabs me my first thought is SHIT! Someone is trying to jump me. The only time it be okay for someone to grab me would be if I were mere seconds away from walking in front of a moving vehicle and there wouldn't be enough time to say stop. Other than that, keep your hands off me, and don't touch me. I also think that an elbow or a punch to the face would be a normal response for touching a stranger, but for some reason if we did it because we were blind we would be some kind of menace to society. Unless I'm in in danger of killing myself or severely harming myself or someone else then it is never okay to grab me.
#31 2019-02-22 18:44:47
They have this thing that equates blindness to uselessness. Until that is cured on a societal level, nothing will change.
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