[nabs-l] negative traffic

[T. Joseph Carter]

Briley,

You should speak up more often.  *smile*

The position comparison I suggested is essentially a way to clear the 
misconceptions.  As I said, I think a debate would end in a shouting 
match since even the younger generation has been subject to basic 
indoctrination as to how "We" are right and "They" are totally off 
base.  What do we each actually think?

That could go far toward helping the future leaders of both 
organizations decide what they actually want to create in the future.  
We may not always walk together, but if we all know where we're 
going, I suspect we'll find that we share the road.

I don't think a delegation of Federationists approaching the ACB to 
make nice-nice and show how there's no need for disagreement or 
conflict is going to do that, and I'm opposed to pretending otherwise 
for the sake of solidarity.  If we're going to build a bridge, it 
should be composed of substance, not airy platitudes and appeasement.

I think I've more than shared my view at this point, so I'll fade 
back into the background unless my suggestion goes somewhere.

Joseph

On Thu, May 21, 2009 at 11:03:50AM -0500, Briley Pollard wrote:
>Hello all,
>
>I don't comment much on lists in general, but I felt the need to voice
>my thoughts on this issue. There are negative people everywhere, in
>both organizations. I had the pleasure of atending the ACB convention
>last summer, and met some wonderful people. I had the chance to
>partake in some good dialogue about issues such as Braille literacy
>and different aproaches to rehabilitation, whichis the issue where
>most people took issue with the NFB. I made some friends there that I
>will stay in contact with, and had a great time.
>
>
>That said, I will say that in general sessions and seminars, there
>were very negative remarks made about the NFB, by name. Often, they
>were refered to as "the other organization," but usually they were
>used by name. Sometimes, these comments were not even related to any
>particular issue, just made to get a response from the croud. I have
>been to many national conventions of the NFB, and while I would never
>say that I have never heard NFB members make disparaging remarks about
>the ACB, (we all know that would make meeither a liar or oblivious,) I
>have rarely if ever heard the ACB attacked in a public forum just for
>the sake of taring them down. I've heard some of the philosophy
>refuted, but never in a way that made me uncomfortable.
>
>Part of what contributes to the "negative" feelings between the
>organizations is the lack of information. I can't tell you how many
>people I met at the ACB convention who had large misconceptions and
>wrong ideas about NFB philosophy. I have experienced the same on the
>NFB end of things. I admit, I didn't know much about them until I went
>to a convention. I think the hope lies in us, the younger generation.
>Bitterness runs deep in the older generations in bothorganizations for
>reasons that are hard for us to understand. Yes, we indure
>discrimination and face difficulties with the general public every
>day. But imagine what it was like to be blind in the 60's or 70's when
>we weren't even permited to fly alone. We have a long way to go, but
>we've come a long way due to the older generation of both
>organizations. We'd all do well to remember that.
>
>-Briley