Special Olympics

[bluenix]

This image made me laugh. And it made me think of this board. In a completely affectionate way, naturally.

 

(WARNING: I made this a manual link because it's very politically incorrect; don't go there if tasteless humor offends you.)

 

http://www.

 

magicalcheese.com/uploads/trevize/specialolympian.jpg

[Guest jizzdepapi]

bluenix:

 

retarded people simply get things slower than others. what's your excuse? who else do you laugh at?

 

this isn't a matter of political correctness or of tasteless humor. if this appeals to you, then you should really try to figure out why; something is very wrong.

 

i'm sure all of the posters who are themselves disabled or have family or loved ones who are disabled really appreciated this post.

[Guest Charon]

I think I've got a great sense of humor, and I laugh a lot, but somehow making fun of the handicapped never seemed that funny to me.

[bluenix]

Hey, Jizz. Just out of curiosity, since you're offended on their behalf, do you actually know anyone who is retarded or brain injured? My brother, who has himself competed in the Special Olympics, laughed his head off at the pic.

[Guest FirstPlace]

And the moderators approved this post? I don[t understand what is being moderated then. Talk about not attacking people... could you find a more helpless demographic? I don't think so. Your post / humor serves no purpose except to create hurt. This enitre thread should be deleted.

[Guest jizzdepapi]

>Hey, Jizz. Just out of curiosity,

>since you're offended on their

>behalf, do you actually know

>anyone who is retarded or

>brain injured? My brother, who

>has himself competed in the

>Special Olympics, laughed his head

>off at the pic.

 

sorry to hear about your brother, bluenix. and sorry that both of you found this humorous.

[Guest regulation]

>bluenix:

>

>retarded people simply get things slower

>than others. what's your excuse?

>who else do you laugh

>at?

>

>this isn't a matter of political

>correctness or of tasteless humor.

>if this appeals to you,

>then you should really try

>to figure out why; something

>is very wrong.

>

>i'm sure all of the posters

>who are themselves disabled or

>have family or loved ones

>who are disabled really appreciated

>this post.

 

Well, jizz, during the controversy after last year's election some posters on this message board made fun of the elderly people in Palm Beach County who had trouble figuring out the "butterfly" ballot. When I objected to that, a number of the regulars, including HB, told me that humor almost always involves something that is hurtful to others and that I should just "lighten up" about the whole thing. I don't recall you taking my side of that argument.

 

I never watched Seinfeld during the early years, but when a friend insisted I watch an episode the first one I saw involved one of the main characters wrecking the wheelchair of a disabled person. Still can't see what was funny about that, but obviously a lot of people like that kind of humor.

[Guest MrB]

Lighten up, everybody please. I did not personally find this to be outrageously witty, but will you lighten up already?

 

 

MrB

[Barry]

>And the moderators approved this post?

>I don[t understand what is

>being moderated then.

 

Releasing a post from the queue does not imply any Moderator's approval of the post or it's content. Our charge is very clear and limited. We hold posts that may be libelous or contain personal/private information. Restricting us to this narrow criteria allows the board to continue as an open forum and yet be moderated without censurship. We are not the judges of morality or good taste which would be somewhat oxymoronic considering the purpose of this site.

 

Personally I have chosen not to follow the link since I doubt I would find any humor at the other end.

[Guest jizzdepapi]

Laugh at what?

 

>do you actually know anyone who is retarded or brain injured? My brother, who has himself competed in the Special Olympics, laughed his head off at the pic...

 

hey bluenix:

 

sure i know mentally retarded people and have volunteered on both charitable and political levels to advocate for their wellbeing. i've done the same with the mentally ill. i have a young nephew with cystic firbrosis, who, thank the goddess, has had no adverse health effects to date but can reasonably be expected to begin a series of life-threatening incidents at any time. he can be expected to die in his teens, possibly surviving into his 20s but very unlikely longer than that. i am also recovering from the death of my father last year, who shot and killed himself in a state of depression following a serious decline in his health.

 

so to satisfy your curiosity, for some time my life has been intertwined with the lives of people suffering with, and hopefully recovering from, both physical and mental handicaps. i have also made many friends with social workers, psychologists, nurses, physical therapists and other social service workers in the same period of time, a circle of friends who would have been mortified at your post.

 

this is not so much a matter of political correctness nor of good taste. humor is a terrific unrehearsed indicator of a person's mindset, of their maturity and compassion, of what they value. there's been some terrific threads on this message center where posters have shared quotes from figures, famous and obscure, that revealed great wit. certainly, the struggles of GLBTs to survive in a largely hostile society have been peppered with humor largely poked at ourselves.

 

as i've confronted bigotry in my own life, i've developed a natural aversion to humor which victimizes another. i've only followed my instinct in this process and have reversed many years of bigotry learned in the white, heterosexual, elite town in which i grew up. it's been a very positive process for me and one i've willingly embarked on. i've learned much along the way about msyelf and those who are less privileged.

 

i suppose i could try to make further statements about your insensitivity. i will say i wonder about your motivation in showing your brother this pic. if it is such a strong statement of support for the mentally retarded, i'd suggest you pass it along to his case manager who, in turn, could distribute it to clients to build up their self-esteem. and possibly, your local service provider for the mentally retarded, who could enclose it in their next fundraising appeal.

 

better yet, you could try to not even defend yourself in this matter and start to question assumptions you've clung to about people in the universe and yourself, handicapped and otherwise.

 

best,

jizz

[Guest jizzdepapi]

hi reggie:

 

i certainly would have concurred that humor does not have to be hurtful. missed this thread but here's my assent now.

 

jizz

[Barry]

RE: Laugh at what?

 

>i have a

>young nephew with cystic firbrosis,

>who, thank the goddess, has

>had no adverse health effects

>to date but can reasonably

>be expected to begin a

>series of life-threatening incidents at

>any time. he can be

>expected to die in his

>teens, possibly surviving into his

>20s but very unlikely longer

>than that.

 

On a more positive note Jizz, during my clinical days I worked with CF patients a lot. In the early 70's I was depressingly used to kids dying around age 13 or 14. Things have improved a great deal in therapy and now the median age of survival for a person with CF is 31 years. I have a good friend who married his college sweetheart and she has CF. She is now 33 and they have adopted 2 kids.

 

Hang in there....things are getting better.

 

Barry

[bluenix]

RE: Laugh at what?

 

> i will say i wonder about your motivation in

> showing your brother this pic.

 

Actually, he showed it to me.

 

>better yet, you could try to not even

>defend yourself in this matter

 

Okay.

 

I am curious about something, though. Please re-read my original post, especially the warning, and then tell me why you followed the link.

[+ deej]

>And the moderators approved this post?

 

If you can tell us what is libelous or what personal information is revealed, we'll pull it.

 

As Barry said, we've got a very narrow mission. We don't delete for stupidity, arrogance, hate, foul language, bad taste, or bitchiness. (Although we're often tempted. ;-)) Doing so would ruin this message board.

[Guest jizzdepapi]

RE: Laugh at what?

 

ok. let's end it here. you may have your defensive little universe all to yourself. you have nothing to learn from me and i have nothing to learn from you.

[Guest jizzdepapi]

RE: Laugh at what?

 

thanks barry. and who knows what new treatments will be available by the times he reaches his teen years?

[bluenix]

RE: Laugh at what?

 

>ok. let's end it here.

 

Deal.

[Traveller]

>Lighten up, everybody please. I did

>not personally find this to

>be outrageously witty, but will

>you lighten up already?

>

>,

>MrB

 

 

I'm with MrB. This was disgraceful and I don't know how I managed to forward it to all 145 people on my email list.

 

Later.