Well THEY can do it!

Time to talk about another of my pet peeves! I know I know, it’s supposed to be a twitchy blog, not a ranty blog, but the rants are related to the twitching!

People have this gigantically obnoxious need to compare, contrast, combine, and LABEL, absolutely EEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVVRRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
TTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And yes, it was important that I do that.

But anyway, whenever somebody needs to overcome something that’s difficult, somebody else, whether it is an authority figure, a peer, or some random underling that’s nearby, seems to feel the need to point out somebody lesser (usually a person in a wheelchair or a person with Down’s) and say “Come on! If THEY can do it, YOU can do it!”

Ok, firstly, that is SO incredibly insulting to the disabled person you’re singling out (even if they are unaware). If you have ever done that to somebody please slap yourself in the face right now. RIGHT NOW!!!

Secondly, just because somebody with a disability can do something with (apparent) ease it does not mean the “normal” person making an attempt at the same thing has the same ability. Many things involve innate talent in person. Something like, say, playing baseball.

A person in a wheelchair can still play baseball, and there are those out there that do an AMAZING job of playing. But that’s because their hand eye coordination is excellent, always was, and tons of practice allowed them to improve upon that innate talent. And then there are other people that can barely HOLD a bat, let alone get down the timing to hit the friggin’ ball. I’ve known people that can’t even hit a ball off a tee, they suck THAT MUCH!

So, going back to my first point….why does a disabled person have to instill some perverted glimmer of hope for somebody that doesn’t possess the same ability in a certain area? Why should their pity for the disabled person fuel their desire to succeed? Because heaven forbid they end up like that poor sap in the chair? Or the loser with the cane? How is that right?

And why do people have to goad and cajole others that just SUCK at something? Why do THEY need to be made an example of? “You are so fucking pathetic dude! He’s only got one leg and he finished running a mile before you did! You have TWO legs! You’re such a pussy!”

Hey! Way to instill disdain for the disabled as well as planting the seeds of low self esteem! WAY TO GO! You are absolutely AWESOME! BEST COACH EVAR!

I’d love to kick you in the crotch with my twitchy leg. Look what I can do! Ohhhhhhhh, hardcore nutsack destruction!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. A person should inspire somebody because of how that person IS. Not because they have some sort of disability. Their heart should be admired because they always had it, not because they use crutches. Their courage should be mimicked because they always had it, not because they “face adversity” because they use a service dog. They should be role models because they, the PERSON, are a good person, and put forth the effort to teach others, and not because they figured out how to survive with no arms.

Not everybody is born with the same talents. And not everybody that is born with a gift has a healthy body. These things should not be exploited, and they certainly shouldn’t be pointed out as more awesome because a person does them “in spite of” a disability.

The talent was always there. Genetics is genetics. If you’re born into a family of awesome pool players, you’ll probably going to be an awesome pool player, barring a mental handicap. If you’re born into a family of avid and strong swimmers, chances are you’ll be a strong swimmer. Even if you end up crippled at some point in your life, you will still have the ability to be a strong swimmer (as long as you honed it in the first place), and you’ll likely be able to do it again. A disability does not dictate what someone is, or is not good at.

Remember that the next time you want to use somebody’s disability as a way to “motivate” somebody.

Twitch & Shout