[nagdu] Political Correctness ?? and rudness

Lyn Gwizdak linda.gwizdak at cox.net
Mon Mar 26 16:33:54 UTC 2012


Hi Julie and Mardi,
I will use the word blind most of the time.  I think political correctness 
is just BS to detract one from real discussions and attitudes held by people 
who don't belong to any "minority" group.  I don't really care much about a 
person's terminology - I care about their attitudes and respect for all 
people.

If someone calls my dog a "blind dog" when they really mean to say "guide 
dog", I laugh and say to them, "I sure hope the hell not! I'd be in real 
trouble with both of us being blind!" and we both crack up at that thought!

Marti, the rude people aren't you - it's the idiots who ask you all those 
personal questions about why you use a wheelchair or have a service dog that 
guides and does other tasks for you.  Maybe ask them about their 
hystorectiemies or prostate problems and they'll get the point real fast! 
LOL!

I see this same thing in the LGBT community where non-transsexual people ask 
the transsexuals about their surgeries and other very personal stuff.  I 
find myself giving advice about dealing with thios problem as I have dealt 
with this as a blind person all my life.  I tell both groups that people 
asking personal questions about surgeries, health, etc is intrusive and 
"none of their beeswax"!

For me, I let people think whatever they like about what I can or cannot see 
while I'm out and about town or on the bus so I don't get a whole lot of 
questions from people.  I may get some questions if I happen to get into a 
conversation with someone on the bus.  They mainly ask about the dog.  I ask 
them if they have a dog and if they say yes, we then go on to talk about 
their dog!  The blindness questions go out the window.

Cheers,

Lyn and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julie J." <julielj at neb.rr.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2012 5:32 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Political Correctness ?? and rudness


> Mardi,
>
> I tell people I'm blind for a few reasons.  First it's how I identify 
> myself.  I do have a bit of usable vision, but for most things I prefer to 
> use a non visual alternative.  I am comfortable with the word blind.  It's 
> who I am.
>
> The second reason I say blind is because it is shorter.  Sure the word 
> itself is shorter, but the conversation about my private medical details 
> are also shorter when I use the word blind.  If I tell someone that I'm 
> visually impaired, and I did used to use this terminology, it seems to 
> invite a conversation about just exactly how much I can see, in what 
> circumstances, on which day of the week, in what colors and what the 
> underlying medical cause is.  Really I can live without all of that.  If I 
> say I'm blind, then that is that and we can move directly on to what is 
> important in that particular interaction.   Sometimes I will do something 
> or say something that cues the person in to the fact that I do have a bit 
> of vision.  Sometimes they will ask if I can see some.  I just say "yes, a 
> small bit" and do not elaborate.  I gently but firmly move the 
> conversation back to the important bits.
>
> I think the whole PC movement is silly.  I think it was invented by  able 
> bodied, straight, white men who are a bit uncomfortable but won't admit it 
> with people who are different.   I always put the adjective before the 
> noun just as I do with any other descriptive words.  I say blind person 
> not person who is blind, just as I say red sweater, not sweater which is 
> red.
>
> Perhaps my choice of the word blind has these effects or perhaps it is my 
> comfort level with myself, my identity and my blindness.  I don't know, 
> but I can say for certain that I have a lot less intrusive and 
> inappropriate conversations since making this shift.
>
> All my best,
> Julie
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 3/25/2012 12:31 AM, Mardi Hadfield wrote:
>> I have a political correctness question. I have been referring to my self
>> as legally blind. I don't call my self blind, as I feel that might 
>> mislead
>> other people into thinking that I am totally blind.I do have some
>> sight,though it is diminishing.I am also deaf in one ear.I don't refer to
>> my self as Deafblind as I can still hear. I just can't tell where that
>> sound is coming from.As a matter of fact, I seldom even mention that I 
>> have
>> a hearing problem.I have mentioned it on this list due to some of the
>> threds that have been discussed here. Is it the right thing to call my 
>> self
>> a legally blind person? If not, what should I say to people.I often get
>> asked if my dog is a wheelchair dog or a guide dog.They ask me, why do I
>> need a guide dog if I am using a wheelchair. I guess they think that only
>> people that can walk become blind?I actually dread talking about this as 
>> I
>> end up explaining all about how I have spinal stenosis and that is why I
>> use a wheelchair and then how I was affected by brain damage  and then
>> affected by macular degeneration, and that is why I am legally blind. 
>> Then
>> I have to explain legal blindness. I am a very private person and hate
>> answering all these questions. But some how they always ask.Some times I
>> just don't answer and then people think I am rude. All this while they 
>> are
>> usually petting my dog. How do others on this list handle this situation?
>> Mardi and Shaman and Tipton,future GDIT.
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/linda.gwizdak%40cox.net 





More information about the NAGDU mailing list