[nfb-talk] FW: {Disarmed} FW: A personal report from ChairmanGordon Gund

Sun Apr 24 03:07:37 UTC 2011

Right on, Joseph.  We can hope for the best.
At 07:09 PM 4/23/2011, you wrote:
>The troll returns to one of his favorite ACB-inspired arguments 
>about how evil the NFB is.  I say again, go away.
>
>Joseph
>
>
>On Sat, Apr 23, 2011 at 04:24:42PM -0500, John Heim wrote:
>>Yet, the NFB would have us ask for help to identify our money.
>>
>>
>>On Apr 22, 2011, at 9:21 PM, Gloria Whipple wrote:
>>
>>>Hi Joseph,
>>>
>>>Well done! I like what you had to say.
>>>
>>>My prayers go out to you and I hope you get better and I hope you are free
>>>from cancer soon.
>>>
>>>All my best,
>>>
>>>
>>>Gloria Whipple
>>>Corresponding Secretary
>>>Inland Empire chapter
>>>nfb of WA
>>>
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-talk-
>>> >>bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>>Behalf Of T. Joseph Carter
>>>Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 19:01
>>>To: NFB Talk Mailing List
>>>Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] FW: {Disarmed} FW: A personal report from
>>>ChairmanGordon Gund
>>>
>>>Gloria,
>>>
>>>I think what it boils down to is that language is a powerful thing.
>>>The words a person uses are less important than the intent behind
>>>them, but from a choice of certain words over others we can infer an
>>>intent.  I have been battling cancer.  This implies something about
>>>me and my relationship to cancer.  I have been living with it, and I
>>>don't want to be.  In fact, I am fighting to make it gone, because
>>>cancer is a horrible thing.
>>>
>>>Am I fighting blindness?  Do I suffer from blindness?  Am I forced to
>>>use alternative techniques?  Well yes, I do suffer as a result of
>>>blindness.  Not because of blindness itself per se, but because of
>>>the reaction of others to it who are not blind (and a few who are,
>>>sadly).
>>>
>>>The refusal to be pigeon-holed into this "sad existence" of
>>>"suffering because of blindness" is precisely the kind of supposed
>>>"unethical" behavior the NFB engages in by spreading our philosophy.
>>>It is akin to those during the 60s arguing against the notion that
>>>they were afflicted somehow with being black.  Blindness is a bad
>>>thing only if you make it be so, and we refuse to make it so for
>>>ourselves.  Moreover, we refuse to allow others to force us into that
>>>role.
>>>
>>>Those who would disparage our efforts to do so are not our friends,
>>>just as those who would have you look down upon a man of color
>>>because his skin was darker than, say, mine is.  Is he somehow worse
>>>of because of that?  Is he lessened as a man or as a person?  Does he
>>>deserve something less, or for that matter anything more, than any
>>>other person simply because of the color of his skin?  Most today
>>>would say out of hand that he should have the same opportunities
>>>anyone would have.  No more, but certainly no less!
>>>
>>>The blind deserve the same equality that our more sunburn-resistant
>>>brothers demanded more than forty years ago.  In just one generation
>>>we have gone from a person of color being denied the use of a
>>>drinking fountain to electing him to the United States presidency.
>>>If there remains racial inequality, it cannot be because of the color
>>>of a person's skin anymore.  Some individuals may yet harbor such
>>>attitudes (and I recently observed some of those people in a public
>>>display, sadly), but society rejects such people as undesirable when
>>>they are exposed.  (And believe me, we are exposing them all over
>>>YouTube, since the local media won't even report it.)
>>>
>>>But what about the blind?  The same society who refuses to allow a
>>>black man to be treated as a second class citizen openly condones it
>>>when a blind man is treated likewise.  Disability is one of only two
>>>acceptable areas of discrimination that remain in this country.  (The
>>>other is so far removed from topical for this list that I won't
>>>discuss it here, much to Dave's relief.)
>>>
>>>We cannot continue to meekly request that we be treated as first
>>>class citizens.  It didn't work in the 1940s, and it hasn't worked
>>>yet.  Only by refusing to be anything less will we finally achieve
>>>that.  Unfortunately, that means getting a bit uppity over language
>>>that paints us into a corner, as it were.  I'm not here to be pitied
>>>or someone's inspiration.  I'm here because I've got a job to do, and
>>>within the National Federation of the Blind, that job is to achieve
>>>for myself and for all of us the basic rights of first class
>>>citizenship afforded to anyone else in this country today, regardless
>>>of their skin color, sexual orientation, and a whole host of other
>>>things.
>>>
>>>I don't expect any more, but I also won't accept any less.
>>>
>>>Joseph
>>>
>>>On Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 09:33:15AM -0700, Gloria Whipple wrote:
>>>>James,
>>>>
>>>>Thanks for explaining what I wanted to say about this subject.
>>>>
>>>>I am glad someone is on my side!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Gloria Whipple
>>>>Corresponding Secretary
>>>>Inland Empire chapter
>>>>nfb of WA
>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
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