Political Correctness in regard to the Disabled.

just like black people were once commonly referred to as 'colored people', or worse, it's now considered politically incorrect to call them that. some even blanch at being called african americans, and thus it goes.

there are many people with disabilities who are given the same politically incorrect treatment. it first manifests itself in grade school, where the unintentional cruelty of children comes into play. as adults, we try to curb these tendencies, so as not to offend.

but it's hard to keep up with our constantly changing lexicon of words. disabled folks were once called crippled, but in the 60's they were referred to as disabled, and some don't like that term either, preferring 'differently abled', etc.

the disabled have recently become the subject of comedy, like on south park or american dad, satirists have recently gone where no one has gone before, breaking down the barriers against political correctness. dyslexia and tourette syndrome are now the subjects of comedy.

if someone calls a disabled person a gimp, it's either an insult or term of endearment, like with the word nigger. certain black people use this word with impunity, but get mad if a white guy uses it. you can use that once common word in a sentence, but you have to be very, very careful about it, so as not to offend.

small people used to be called midgets, a term they don't care for. dwarfs are so often used as comedy props, it's considered commonplace. also hunchbacks, i've known several and they don't like that word.

the same goes for obese people, they don't like being called fat, most anyway. this same rule goes for many, many afflictions and physical differences, albinos, the very short or tall, those who don't look like supermodels, or considered unattractive, those who wear glasses, etc.

and calling someone a retard is now considered crass and insensitive, and the word queer went from mainstream, to being associated with homosexuality, and now it's been adopted and used proudly by certain homosexuals. some folks in wheelchairs call themselves 'crips', and do so with a certain pride.

to the very tall we say, 'how's the weather up there'?, which they are sick of hearing. but no one ever says, 'how's the weather down there?' to a dwarf, i wonder why?

it's so easy to offend, or hurt someone's feelings with just a word or phrase, so we must all be constantly learning and keeping up with the latest terminologies and trends in political correctness.

our current president has several severe afflictions and disabilities, and is often called a retard, a word that is considered insensitive now.

i've done it, you've done it, we've all done it, using derogatory words without thinking about how they might offend, and we learn as we go.

retard!

just as i am FAT and there is no denying it!

and i don't mind that word. and bush is retarded according to websters dictionary.

;) ;-) ;-) ;) ;) :D :D :D

and as far as bush goes, many think him ignorant while what I see in him is undemocratic and evil.

if you think the creaters of south park's plan behind timmy(wheelchaird kid who can only seem to say timmy) and jimmy(kid on crouches who dreams of being a stand up comic) was to demean the disabeld, you must have a low outlook on humanity, as ive said before i am dislexic and i have yet to see one thing on south park that has ofended me.

and i'm not so easily offended, however some are.

some are ofended by evolution, some are offended by christians, some are ofended by rap music, some are ofended by mammery glands(hell all mammels have them, thats why we are called MAMMELS), does that mean they are requried to change?

but unless you've been through it, maybe it's hard to understand

and mammals.

im ofended by you taking time out of your way to correct my spelling, yet thanks for noting the correct spelling

most of the time i only spell check when i know im butchering words.

that being said i actualy get a good laugh about misspellings in "internet culture" because frankly, i dont think i spell that bad

If you truly do not know and commit an unintended slur, most people are mortified that they did it and then make a conscious effort not to do it again. It is called education.
However, when you point it out and someone STILL does it to get their "kicks" at the expense of another human, that is when it becomes unacceptable and crosses the bounds of ignorance and becomes maliciousness.
As for asking a tall person "how is the weather up there"? the reason that most find it acceptable is because for many years it was favorable in this society to be tall, thus the marks on the wall when you were a child to see how much you had grown. However, lack of height is usually equated with being inadequate. For example, "I am "short" a couple bucks"...depicting short as being a bad thing. You hear the euphemism "towering tall trees" with "tall" being depicted as being stately.
Besides, we have all heard about "short man syndrome"...is there a "tall man syndrome" that I don't know about?;)

it's a disease that makes you grow too fast. he was 13, and 7 foot 2 inches, and it was a disability to him. we all called him shorty, which he didn't mind, but he had MANY problems from his height. giantism eventually killed him in his twenties.

Anything in extreme to normal in relation to your body isn't good.

kind of stressful for a heart to keep up with a body larger then what it was ment to "service"

Roll With It

Steve Winwood

When life is too much, roll with it, baby
Don't stop and lose your touch, oh no, baby
Hard times knocking on your door, I'll tell them you ain't there no more
Get on through it, roll with it, baby
Luck'll come and then slip away, you've gotta move, bring it back to stay

You just roll with it, baby, come on and just roll with it, baby
You and me, roll with it, baby, hang on and just roll with it, baby

The way that you love is good as money
I swear by stars above, sweet as honey
People think you're down and out, you show them what it's all about
You can make it, roll with it, baby
When this world turns its back on you, hang in and do that sweet thing you do

You just roll with it, baby, you just roll with it, baby
Come on and just roll with it, baby, you and me, just roll with it, baby

Now there'll be a day you'll get there, baby, you'll hear the music play,
you'll dance, baby
You'll leave bad times way behind, nothing but good times on your mind
You can do it, roll with it, baby
Then you'll see life will be so nice, it's just a step up to paradise
You just roll with it, baby, you just roll with it, baby
You and me, just roll with it, baby, Come on and just roll with it, baby

They say that people are livin' in the street
No food in their belly, no shoes on their feet
Six black children livin' in a burned-up room
One bare light bulb swinging
Little black kid come home from school
Put his key in the door
Mr. Rat's on the stairway,
Mr. Junkie's lyin' in his own vomit on the floor
You gotta roll with the punches, little black boy
That's what you got to do
You got to roll with the punches
Tap it baby

There's all these boring people, you see 'em on the TV
And they're making up all these boring stories
About how bad things have come to be
They say "You got to, got to, got to feed the hungry"
"You got to, got to, got to heal the sick"
I say we ain't gotta do nothin' for nobody
'Cause they won't work a lick, you know
They just gonna have to roll with the punches, yes they will
Gonna have to roll with them
They gonna have to roll with the punches, yes they will
It don't matter whether you're white, black or brown
You won't get nowhere putting down
The old Red, White and Blue
Tap it baby. Alright. All right!
Look at those little shorts he's got on, ladies and gentlemen
You can see all the way to Argentina
Get it
So pretty

Let 'em go to Belgium, let 'em go to France
Let 'em go to Russia
Well at least they ought to have the chance to go there
We have talked about the red, we have talked about the blue
Now we gonna talk about the white
That's what we're gonna do
Now we had to roll with the punches, yes we did
We had to roll with 'em
We had to roll with the punches
Yes we did
We had to roll with 'em
I don't care what you say
You're livin' in the greatest country in the world
When you're livin' in the USA
Tap it baby, alright
All right

That's all you can do!

Some people's birth defects don't show. Mine didn't, until I was 48, but it was there all along, waiting to do me in. I didn't get mad at my mom and dad, or the world, or even myself. All I could do, is what I HAD to to. That's all anybody can do. Roll with it!

i may not be the best speller
i may not be the smartist person in town
i may not be the strongest person in gym
i may not be on the winning end of darwinism

least i dont have it all bad, at least im not republican, then my dreams would be shot, and id be sleep deprived


i dont know i think its republicanism that needs its turn for degradation

...it would be difficult for me, with my dark, reddish-brown skin, to blanch!

I'm kidding, of course. I agree that Black folks (like me) are too sensitive. I think we, like other ethnic groups or nationalities that maintain group status, should be more able to laugh at ourselves, among others, not just among ourselves.

Just think of the production called "Tony and Tina's Wedding", an apparently stereotypical Italian wedding. I say 'apparently' since I've never been to a real Italian wedding (It would be insensitive to mention that the scene from "The Godfather" doesn't count. Kidding! Just kidding!) The point is that they are able to laugh at themselves and to allow others to laugh at them as well. Blacks need to get to that level.