[nabs-l] Of Things that Matter

Thu Feb 3 21:42:51 UTC 2011

I'm sorry, but it's narrow-mindedness and defensive remarks like these that
make me believe you guys miss the entire point of such a study, and of
scientific inquiry in general. Just because sex education has never been a
problem for you in particular doesn't make that so for every individual in
the population. N=1 is not reliable enough. If you don't personally feel
comfortable talking about your sex knowledge with a researcher, don't.
Populations sharing a trait in common are studied ALL THE TIME, as is the
general population, and believe it or not, the NFB and its affiliates have
and do support such research as it relates to the blind community. I don't
see how it is any more demeaning or irrelevant than, say, a study focused on
the elderly as a group, and their knowledge of technology. You might say
that the elderly are in no way incapable of learning about technology and
such a study is insulting or irrelevant. You could reasonably make all of
the same arguments that were made here about this, but such studies have
been conducted and have proven useful to both the researchers and the
population, even if not every single elderly person has had trouble picking
up new technology. I think thinks a little more consideration from a
logical, scientific vantage point and a little less defensiveness could go a
long way.

On Thu, Feb 3, 2011 at 3:11 PM, Jorge Paez <jorgeapaez at mac.com> wrote:

> Completely agree.
> Why in the world would the general public care about that kind of private
> stuff?
>
> 1 the general public doesn't care,
>
> and
>
> 2. the survey--if its done on that principle is therefore baseless.
>
> The only person we'd ever have to educate about such things are the person
> we would be doing it with--if that makes sense.
>
>
>
> Jorge
>
>
> On Feb 3, 2011, at 2:40 PM, Beth wrote:
>
> > Joe,
> >       I agree with all the stuff you are saying.  I think the survey is
> irreleevant now that I think about it and is a useless waste paper baket of
> .. well, wastepaper.  Crumpled up receipts can go on top of the survey if
> possible. *crumples up the survey sheets and throws them into wastepaper
> basket).  IF only I could do what I think I just did virtually.
> > Beth
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com
> > To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'" <
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> > Date sent: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 13:47:20 -0500
> > Subject: [nabs-l] Of Things that Matter
> >
> > For me, the sex study is irrelevant and insignificant.  The age range is
> > limited, making me wonder about a sufficient sample, and we really don't
> > have a clue as to what exactly it is that the research hopes to
> accomplish.
> > And this survey is merely preparatory for a future survey?  What does
> > trouble me is the validity people have given the project.  From what
> little
> > we know of the project, it would appear the professor believes there is
> > something inherently different in blind people that would make sex
> education
> > a special circumstance for this population.
> >
> > Maybe I'm missing something.  Is your perception of sex different because
> > you're blind?  Was your inability to see a significant challenge to
> figuring
> > out how it works?  Was your childhood so isolated that your friends did
> not
> > fill in the gaps?
> >
> > Okay, let's say we agree the study is a joke.  You say it's important to
> > educate the public that blind people are every bit as capable of
> intercourse
> > as anyone else.  The million-dollar question is quite simply:  Why?
> > Seriously, why is it necessary to tell scholars that blind people learn
> > about sex the same as any other adolescent.  You could claim it's
> everyday
> > advocacy, but advocacy is only necessary if you are being barred from
> > equally participating in certain activities.
> >
> > This specific study is intellectual waste because it makes blind people
> feed
> > into public misconceptions.  It makes blind people feel they need to
> defend
> > themselves against something for which no defense is necessary.  The
> > research presumes blind individuals are subjects worthy of unique
> > examination, and we allow ourselves to be reduced to odd samples the
> second
> > we begin to engage the researcher in his own experiment.  You're not
> going
> > to educate him, because it's not just about disproving a hypothesis.
>  It's
> > about disproving the preconceived prejudice that triggered the research
> in
> > the first place.
> >
> > Ultimately, people will wonder but will probably not publicly ask:  Why
> are
> > sighted people generally put off by the idea of intercourse with a blind
> > person?  My educated guess is fear of the unknown.  We have all been in
> > situations where we feared too many questions would be just plain rude.
> > Well, you think, how is it that we're supposed to change minds if we're
> not
> > supposed to advocate?  Remember, you're not trying to have sex with the
> > general public.  There are things for which you do not need to make a
> > statement to make happen with the one person that is the target of your
> > natural instincts.
> >
> > Is there a place for an examination of sex and blindness in the same
> > context?  Certainly.  We should examine the depravity of certain humans
> who
> > force themselves on blind people simply because they perceive the victims
> as
> > easy prey.  This is an idea worth investigating and finding solutions.
> >
> > But, there is a difference between a victim of violence and a victim of
> > society.  In the case of the former, one may not always have the
> resources
> > to protect oneself against the circumstances.  In the case of the latter,
> > however, you do have a choice, and you do not need to feel pressured to
> send
> > a signal over something so insubstantial as to almost be laughable.
> > Hard-core disability activists who feel moved to write books about sexual
> > equality irritate me because all that time that was spent preaching could
> > have been spent...But, I digress.
> >
> > We need to keep things in perspective.  We need to not be lured into
> > dialogues that do nothing to advance our equality.  There are plenty of
> > fields where we need to educate the public of our abilities, and as far
> as
> > I'm concerned, the three main people in that big diverse public for whom
> the
> > extra mile is required are the people you call family, the people who cut
> > your check, and the people you take home to meet mama.  How I learned
> about
> > and fulfilled my private tasks is not a matter of academic speculation,
> > because my disability does not make me any different from anyone else.
> >
> > Alright, now I'm going to smack myself around for succumbing to the urge
> to
> > fall victim to this irrelevant distraction.  I am copying the professor
> here
> > in hopes he might enlighten me as to his motives.  Maybe there's
> something
> > there I'm just too dense to see?  Criticisms aside, I'm open to being
> > educated.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Joe
> >
> > "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
> sleeves,
> > some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
> >
> >
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