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
>