[Cabs] Walmart issue

Fri Oct 2 00:15:20 UTC 2009

Chris and Nimer and others,

Thank you Chris for understanding why I came out on the list about this in the first place. I do appreciate Nimers thoughts on this as well but I must agree with Chris. 

I am a high school (and also do middle school as well) volleyball official in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas. So, I know first hand about the comments and such that are said about us and such. I also have never seen a blind person in an officials or referee type job, as its a very visual based position. Not sayng it cant be done somehow, but I wouldnt know how it would ever be done if it can.

Granted, in some ways it is really nice to see blind people in a positive light and I'm not dishing that all portrayals are bad. But in a situation such as this, a blind referee costume with the picture on its packaging, I must say it shows blindness in a negative view. The picture is of a guy posed as a blind person in a referee's uniform with the shades on and cane in hand looking up in the air. His composure and the look on his face makes him look as if he is a moron and stupid.

As for what can be done, I was thinking that the NFB can at least bring it to Walmart's attention and they can take it off the shelves and apologize. But thats just my idea on what I'd like done.

Thanks,
Monika Reinholz

> From: cjfoster2000 at gmail.com
> To: cabs at nfbnet.org
> Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 16:50:24 -0600
> Subject: Re: [Cabs] Walmart issue
> 
> Dear Nimer, Monica and others on the list,
> What a great topic for discussion. Monica, I am very glad you brought this
> to our attention. It is at least worth knowing that someone has decided to
> produce a costume of a blind referee . On the surface (especially for
> sports fans) it could seem actually a little funny. Looking in to it a
> little deeper, it is every bit as disturbing as Monica thought it was.
> Blind people don't need any more fun poked at us (however indirectly it may
> be) than we are already dealing with. 
> Nimer, I'd like to address several of your points in the message below and
> I'll take them in the order they appeared. 
> 1. You said, "No doubt NFB will find a reason to file a lawsuit about this
> issue, but I personally think you're making a bigger issue about this." 
> NFB does not purposefully look for reasons to file law suits about anything.
> NFB only takes legal action when discussion, negotiation, and all other
> paths to a reasonable resolution have been exhausted. You may well know and
> certainly other members on the list can tell you that entering into any kind
> of legal dispute, whether it is as miner as small claims court or as major
> as a class action suit is tiring, draining, complicated, and always
> expensive. 
> I believe that it is good that Monica took the time to throw her concern out
> here on the list for others to read. It is good for all of us to at least
> be aware of how society is choosing to portray us, whether it be negatively
> or positively. We can then choose how we want to handle these type of
> instances. 
> 2. You said "I mean, we should be proud of two things. First that blind
> people have gained enough attention to be on packages at the super market,
> and second that blind people can ref basketball games. " 
> Regarding blind people on packages in stores, blind people have been
> portrayed in newspapers, magazines, movies, and TV very positively in the
> past. Many talented blind musicians have had their faces appear on albums
> in record stores etc for years. Regarding blind people refereeing
> basketball games or any other sport, so far as I know, there are no blind
> referees in professional sports. The sole intent of this costume is to make
> fun of referees. At nearly every professional, minor, and local sports
> game, people will invariably yell "come on referee ! What are you? Blind?"
> whenever they perceive that a bad call is made. In general, many people
> will perceive this as a sports fan blowing off steam and venting their
> frustrations at the ref, because as always, the ref is the best target of
> opportunity. So, without looking below the surface of the seemingly comical
> idea of a blind referee, I could see how the costume designer would think
> this would be funny. However, there is the possibility of a child or an
> adult walking around and seeing someone dressed up as a blind referee for
> Halloween and for the briefest moment they might think, "the referee is
> blind and because he can't see, he can't do his job correctly. Maybe that
> means that other blind people can't work either." maybe this might be
> stretching the point just a little, but again, we as blind people don't need
> any more misconceptions or stereotypes flung at us than already have been.
> These are my thoughts. Monica, thanks again for putting this out there.
> Nimer, thanks very much for voicing your views. Maybe we need to do
> something about this. What do others think. Regards, Chris Foster 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cabs-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:cabs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> Nimer
> Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 10:47 PM
> To: Colorado Association of Blind Students List
> Subject: Re: [Cabs] Walmart issue
> 
> Monika,
> 
> No doubt NFB will find a reason to file a lawsuit about this issue, but I
> personally think you're making a bigger issue about this. I mean, we should
> be proud of two things. First that blind people have gained enough attention
> to be on packages at the super market, and second that blind people can ref
> basketball games. the fact that it's on a halloween costume just makes it
> funnier. I mean, how many blind people have you seen reffing basketball
> games? I think it shows that blind people are getting out there and doing
> things that were never thought of before, and also that kids get exposure to
> blind people. No doubt some kids will say oh, blind people only belong in
> costumes, but I bet some kids will ask questions about what the cane
> actually does for a blind people. 
> Maybe those kids will grow up to be smarter than their dumb parents who know
> nothing about blind people.
> 
> thanks
> Nimer J
> 
> Monika Reinholz wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I normally do not write on the lists but I thought I should bring
> something up that I recently discovered. I was at my local Walmart the other
> day and went down the Halloween aisle as I was needing to pick-up some face
> makeup for this weekend. As I was heading to that section of the aisle, I
> happened to notice the costumes that were out and about. And lo and behold I
> saw something that really ticked me off....they have a "Blind Referee"
> costume on the racks. It comes with the shades, a cane, and a basketball
> referee uniform. Now, I am not blind myself...but I thought that was just
> messed up and wrong, to say it nicely. So, I picked it up to look on the
> back to find out the "maker"....its a Walmart brand costume. 
> >
> > We of the NFB have worked so hard to bring blindness to a positive light.
> I see this "costume" as a way to ridicule and bring negativity to what it
> means to be blind, and they pisture on the front of this costume package
> doesn't help either in my view. Now, Im not sure if anything or what can be
> done about it or not but I wanted to bring this to your attention. I do hope
> something can be done about this though.
> >
> > Thanks all,
> > Monika Reinholz
> > NFB-CO member, CS affiliate
> >
> > CABS member
> >
> > 
> 
> 
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