[nabs-l] Blindness vs. other minorities

Bridgit Pollpeter bpollpeter at hotmail.com
Mon Nov 21 21:30:47 UTC 2011


This, to me, seems like the thread has strayed into the almost absurd,
smile. Though eating with one's hands is done in some cultures, it's
best to remember that these cultures often use some kind of flat bread
as a utensil of sorts. They're usually not eating everything with their
hands, but are holding another food item in which to scoop food up with.

We also have to consider how hygenic this is. Even after washing hands,
we continue to touch objects. Eating food with our hands could lead to
health-related issues.

Not to mention the mess, grin!

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 17
Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:24:33 -0700
From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com>
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Blindness vs. Other Minority Groups
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<CALAYQJB6isMAqunJN-=YWXbhNWL9g_tvnWg4ZTW0kvs9yTrvMQ at mail.gmail.com>
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Sean,
I believe eating with one's hands is more common than using silverware
in some cultures. So, eating with silverware is another example of a
norm that is culturally constructed but is largely arbitrary, and as far
as I know, eating with one's hands never harms anyone. I fail to see why
eating with the hands would be discouraged in an "ideal" society, unless
you are arguing that an "ideal" society is one in which people always
conform to common standards, and I think Marc is arguing the opposite
point. I think expecting blind people to conform to sighted norms is
similar to expecting someone from a culture where eating is done with
the hands to use a fork and spoon. There is definitely merit to both
sides of this larger issue, but the issue of whether or not to expect
conformity in general strays from the blindness realm.
>From a pragmatic perspective, I think it is beneficial to give blind
children as many tools as possible to attain success and acceptance,
including information about how the sighted majority behaves and what
they expect. As blind children grow into adulthood, they can make their
own choices about how much they want to conform and satisfy the
expectations of others versus maintaining their individual identities.
This is a balance that all people deal with, sighted and blind. Best,
Arielle






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