[nabs-l] majority

[Joe Orozco]

Jorge,

Tell me:  What is it that lies at the core of our existence?  I think this
might take time, because what lies at the core of my existence is no doubt
different from what lies at the core of your existence and the core of
anyone else's existence.  My point is that the NFB is an organization of
people, and the spirit of the NFB, as it were, cannot be taken out of
someone just because there are a few more sighted people paying dues than we
anticipated.  You say the keyword here is "majority," and that raises an
interesting point for me.  A lot of our battles are waged over things our
sighted peers do not understand.  So, if you follow this line of thinking, I
might actually think a sighted majority would be a good thing because it
would be evidence that enough sighted people believe in what we believe to
make our efforts in the courts and in the legislatures and in everyday life
that much more powerful.  To say that a percentage of blind members needs to
be stipulated still today speaks to me of fear and insecurity on one level,
and on another level, it speaks to me of a kind of superiority that only the
blind know what is best for the blind.  Yes, you would have to be blind
yourself to know what is best for you, but in the current context it is
almost as though the ideas from our sighted peers are good so long as their
presence is not so large as to threaten our own uniqueness.  Maybe I'm
looking at this the wrong way.  Yet, for the moment I must confess to
feeling more than a little astounded.

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