And another one!
And of course, the Roomba Surfing Kitten of Doom!
Friday, February 05, 2010
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Get Rid of the "R" Word
Disclaimer: I have some really amazing neighbors. Writing about the bad behavior of one and alluding to the bad behavior of a few in no way means that they are all idiotic jerks.
Today, the management of the Special Olympics announced a campaign to end use of the "R" word.
This campaign has set March 3, 2010 as the second annual day of awareness to Spread the Word to End the Word by encouraging people to rally and pledge their support at www.r-word.org with the goal of reaching 100,000 pledges.
I grew up volunteering at a school for the intellectually and physically disabled. My mother retired from that same school. I remember going to school and being dismayed at people being described as "retards" and silly things described as "retarded." In college, I worked at various schools for the intellectually disabled. Back then, using the term "retarded" in a clinical sense was considered acceptable, but some people were starting to use the term "developmentally disabled."
As a Family Advocate, I deal with a wide range of people with diverse experiences and abilities. I am also hearing impaired, so I've dealt with my share of idiots with bad attitudes. I also live in a neighborhood where tolerance, as I have found, is only practiced by a few. This is a lesson I re-learned the hard way just this past Halloween.
About 6 months ago, my friend Billy came to live with us. Billy is mildly intellectually disabled, but functions amazingly well. I got to know Billy after he and I were both named as defendants in a crazy lawsuit. Stalking and harassment relating to the lawsuit got so bad for him, we decided it would be best if he came to Georgia to live with us. So he did, and was settling in relatively well with us and becoming part of the family. (Bear with me, I do have a point.)
The morning of Halloween, the police were called to my house twice. It seems a neighbor of mine decided Billy and/or his car (the neighbor changed his story several times so go figure) didn't belong in the neighborhood. (Can anybody say deja vu?) After attempting to question Billy, this neighbor decided Billy needed an attitude adjustment and called the police. Since Billy lived here (at 811 Aumond Place East, Augusta, Georgia 30909 in case you're curious) and had the driver's license to prove it, the police wished him a Happy Haloween and went on their way.
But, no - the fun wasn't over yet. This same neighbor came back to our property and started taking pictures of Billy. Creepy, right? So Billy wrote down his tag number. Then this neighbor called the police AGAIN, this time claiming that Billy was "menacing" him. The neighbor neglected to let the police dispatcher know that the "menacing" was being done with a pencil and a piece of paper. So here come the police again. This time the neighbor insists that the officers ring our doorbell. (Isn't it great to live in a neighborhood where people think they can treat the police as their personal servants? Believe me, I have some funny stories.)
The police officers were wonderful. The neighbor acted like an ass. At one point, my husband (the long-suffering Rick) tried to explain to all and sundry assembled on our doorstep that Billy was "challenged." Rick's words - give him a break, he had just woken up. The crazy neighbor responded with (and this is where I make my point, thanks for waiting) "I don't care how much of a RETARD he is!"
Well, okay then, asshole. That one word, notwithstanding the unacceptable behavior that went with it, undid 25 years of neighborly good-will. Gone. Poof.
Why would anybody but an asshole use language meant to hurt unless they meant to be hurtful? Maybe there's a kind of logical reason, but I don't care. I may not be able to fix the world, but I can sign The Pledge and I can commit to zero tolerance for the "R" word on my property and in my presence.
In other words, come on my property again and call a member of my family the "R" word.....and I. will. kick. your. ass. ....And then publish your name next time.
Today, the management of the Special Olympics announced a campaign to end use of the "R" word.
This campaign has set March 3, 2010 as the second annual day of awareness to Spread the Word to End the Word by encouraging people to rally and pledge their support at www.r-word.org with the goal of reaching 100,000 pledges.
I grew up volunteering at a school for the intellectually and physically disabled. My mother retired from that same school. I remember going to school and being dismayed at people being described as "retards" and silly things described as "retarded." In college, I worked at various schools for the intellectually disabled. Back then, using the term "retarded" in a clinical sense was considered acceptable, but some people were starting to use the term "developmentally disabled."
As a Family Advocate, I deal with a wide range of people with diverse experiences and abilities. I am also hearing impaired, so I've dealt with my share of idiots with bad attitudes. I also live in a neighborhood where tolerance, as I have found, is only practiced by a few. This is a lesson I re-learned the hard way just this past Halloween.
About 6 months ago, my friend Billy came to live with us. Billy is mildly intellectually disabled, but functions amazingly well. I got to know Billy after he and I were both named as defendants in a crazy lawsuit. Stalking and harassment relating to the lawsuit got so bad for him, we decided it would be best if he came to Georgia to live with us. So he did, and was settling in relatively well with us and becoming part of the family. (Bear with me, I do have a point.)
The morning of Halloween, the police were called to my house twice. It seems a neighbor of mine decided Billy and/or his car (the neighbor changed his story several times so go figure) didn't belong in the neighborhood. (Can anybody say deja vu?) After attempting to question Billy, this neighbor decided Billy needed an attitude adjustment and called the police. Since Billy lived here (at 811 Aumond Place East, Augusta, Georgia 30909 in case you're curious) and had the driver's license to prove it, the police wished him a Happy Haloween and went on their way.
But, no - the fun wasn't over yet. This same neighbor came back to our property and started taking pictures of Billy. Creepy, right? So Billy wrote down his tag number. Then this neighbor called the police AGAIN, this time claiming that Billy was "menacing" him. The neighbor neglected to let the police dispatcher know that the "menacing" was being done with a pencil and a piece of paper. So here come the police again. This time the neighbor insists that the officers ring our doorbell. (Isn't it great to live in a neighborhood where people think they can treat the police as their personal servants? Believe me, I have some funny stories.)
The police officers were wonderful. The neighbor acted like an ass. At one point, my husband (the long-suffering Rick) tried to explain to all and sundry assembled on our doorstep that Billy was "challenged." Rick's words - give him a break, he had just woken up. The crazy neighbor responded with (and this is where I make my point, thanks for waiting) "I don't care how much of a RETARD he is!"
Well, okay then, asshole. That one word, notwithstanding the unacceptable behavior that went with it, undid 25 years of neighborly good-will. Gone. Poof.
Why would anybody but an asshole use language meant to hurt unless they meant to be hurtful? Maybe there's a kind of logical reason, but I don't care. I may not be able to fix the world, but I can sign The Pledge and I can commit to zero tolerance for the "R" word on my property and in my presence.
In other words, come on my property again and call a member of my family the "R" word.....and I. will. kick. your. ass. ....And then publish your name next time.
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