Monday, April 28, 2014
Political correctness
My brother,Shannon, and I have a special bond. We always have, and he is one of my best friends in the world.
We both have long term if not life long diseases, we both love kids and animals and we both have a sick sense of humor.
What? A sick sense of humor? YOU? You might be wondering... Well yes. It's true.
Shan and I have decided we need to go on a sick comedy tour.
Let me explain.
You know by now that I am diabetic, going blind, have neropathy in my whole body, and kidney problems, and am an asthmatic. Not a big deal. Just part of my life.
Shannon has asthma, seizures, not epilepsy as he is fully conscious when it happens, along with many more debilitating problems.
We figure that while he is having a seizure I could throw some clothes on him and laundry soap. Mind you that would involve me being able to see where he is to do so. It could get quite messy. :)
People do not understand how we can joke about such serious matters. We have to. If we can't laugh at ourselves we would curl up and die.
Why am I telling you this? Because I am so sick of the political correctness crap. Most blind people don't get offended if you should use sight words.
For example when people say "It's nice to see you." I laugh and say "It's nice to almost see you too." Or if they say" Have you seen so and so?" I respond "Why No. Haven't seen them in years." At this point the person feels bad for some reason. I am joking. Why should they feel bad? I'm not offended. Why are they offended on my behalf? I didn't ask for that. I just want to laugh and have a good time. Most handicap people don't get upset if you say crippled or other terms. Most deaf people can't even hear or know what you are saying. In fact it is more offensive to most of us that have these debilitating problems for you to dehumanize what we are going through by either ignoring or using terms that leave no room for humanity.
You might be offended, but we who are disabled don't give a crap.
We are stronger than most normal healthy people due to the issues we have to go through. We joke about ourselves and our problems.
I'm not saying you have to be obnoxious about it and make fun of our issues every time you open your mouth but for heavens sake's lighten up. WE make fun of YOU for doing some serious tap dancing around the subject. For the love of all that is holy people, please, relax.
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Yes. It makes sense. And now my awareness is up several notches. I do have a hard time though, as I joke a lot, when a good friend is in the last days of life in a nursing home as happened recently...
ReplyDeleteAnd that is why we love you! There is a difference between making fun of something and having fun with it. Clearly (can I say that) having poor sight is not a laughing matter, but tap dancing around something does not make it any better. Great post!
ReplyDeleteSee you later (oops)
It is sad that folks are not comfortable to be at ease. Wait until you are much, much older, and become invisible, too. But wait, you won't see them anyway. How cool!
ReplyDeleteAs you know I too have type 1 diabetes. I have had it for over 24 years, but I was very lucky to have lived over half my life before I got it. I feel terrible for you and all others who have had it since childhood. I have a sarcastic sense of humor that you have to be British to laugh at, so I don't kid around about it. But when I feel like I don't want to do anything because I feel so lousy, I smile. I SMILE and just grinning changes my emotional makeup completely. I read this somewhere and thought I would try it. It works for me. I love your sense of humor and it must be a great help to you and your brother too. Someday, I will write about my sister.....
ReplyDeleteI hear you, Melynda. I've been sick of political correctness since the day I was born. Yep, that long ago. I don't know what's happening to us exvept that I blame walking on egg shells on the media. Say something wrong and boom it's on facebook and pretty soon after that on CNN. Thumbs down. So what if people don't understand. That only means they lack the ability to pretend to walk a mile in your shoes. It's called empathy. Maintaining a sense of humor is the only way to deal with bodily malfunctions and pc fetishists alike. I rest my case. Now go sit on my shoe. No, not you, Melynda.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is that one of the guys at work is blind in one eye, and without glasses I am legally blind. You should hear some of the stuff that comes out of our mouths!!! And it's even funnier when it comes from us. :) I'd note some of them here, but honestly I'm too tired to even get up to pee right now, so... yeah. Been one of those days...
ReplyDeleteI came here from joeh's blog and I'm glad I did! Your post reminded me of an old girlfriend whom I hadn't seen for decades and who came to visit me a few years ago. Her husband has Parkinson's. She was telling me about how they met and how she "caught the best fish in the small dating pool." Promptly, her husband added, "You just didn't know you caught the electric eel."
ReplyDeleteA good sense of humor certainly helps with getting along through life!