I guess some people feel as though telethons have exploited the children
Chester. Laura Hershey wrote a very frank and eye-opening piece about her
experiences as a MS poster child.
I look at all the stuff that comes in the mail for various disability
organizations, and they all seem to read the same way: The only way for us to
survive is through the generous contributions of the mighty and empowered
nondisabled. I keep meaning to come up with a boiler plate,
fill-in-the-blanks response letter to send back to these people. I'm not
going to be inflammatory, but on the other hand, I am highly offended to have
these things arrive in my mailbox. I am not living by the good graces of any
human being. I have a right to this life, and I resent crap coming in the
mail even remotely suggesting otherwise and promoting the able-body supremacy
message. Plus, it's a chance to put in a plug for real disability rights
awareness.
In fact, I ought to advise them that I will charge a $50.00 handling fee for
future mailings from their respective organizations.
No, I don't employ the term "able-body supremacy" outside of disability
circles. The language is way too inflammatory. I use it here because my
anger has to come out someplace and you guys are homies.
Oh my God! I almost forgot to tell you all! Remember the pig thread? Well,
my minister just forwarded the same post to me that got our thread started.
He forwarded it to me, a member of the vestry, and one of the parishioners
(the Dad of my best friend). My minister! Can you even believe that?
I'm thinking...how much can I get away with passing on that we talked about?
How about the corkscrew conversation? Do I advise him that he has been
suffering unawares all these years because he is not Jewish? Do I not have a
duty to truth?
For now, I've settled for replying to all with: "Don't worry about a thing
Fr. Tom...we're gonna get you some help!"
Boy, did I digress here or what?
Betty
In a message dated 04/03/2001 7:27:24 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
> Hey, I was a poster child and I enjoyed it.
>
> --- Rayna Lamb <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
> > YUUUUUCKKKK!!! This show sounds horrendous, I do
> > hope it is one show
> > that Australia won't import from the US. I would be
> > curious as to how
> > long this show would last on the box.
> >
> > And as far as the days of sideshows and freakshow
> > and the disabled
> > being exploited by them returning, I don't know that
> > they ever left.
> > I think society just covered it up by renaming them,
> > Telethons and
> > Appealathons. They get to stare at us, and at the
> > same time they have
> > the warm fuzzy feeling that they are helping `the
> > less fortunate'.
> > Just a way of them justifying their pruient
> > attitudes. It is a
> > socially acceptable form of voyeurism. Charity
> > organisations are just
> > big freakshows, except now, instead of the least
> > physically `normal'
> > of us being exibited, they use cute young kids as
> > `poster children'.
> > And for the amount of times I'm openly stared at and
> > pointed at on the
> > street every day, I'd say we are all still in a
> > gigantic freakshow,
> > only the public aren't paying. I got stopped by
> > some tourists one day
> > who wanted me to take a photo of them next to my
> > scooter!!! I told
> > them to get lost of course.
> >
> > Rayna
>
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