[nfb-talk] So very proud

[kaye zimpher]

Well first, I want to say that being a waiter/waitress is a "real job." For 
some, it is all they have, and it feeds, clothes and shelters their family 
for as long as needed. To me, that's real enough.
As for the topic, DDining in the Dark would be a fun event. But as 
previously stated, it is often hard to convince some that we don't have it 
so bad.
One of the reasons I believe this is because there are many blind people who 
do feel it is terrible to be blind. Some who have lost their sight later, 
and even a few that are what I like to call "lifers," feel they are in a 
tragic state and they grieve for what seems like a life time. Society plays 
upon this view because it matches the view held by most of society.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Heim via nfb-talk" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "John Heim" <john at johnheim.net>
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2016 4:42 PM
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] So very proud


> I'm not surprised that the NFB has come out against this.
>
> It's kind of an odd choice by the FFB. I was once a waiter at an FFB 
> Dining In the Dark event. That was a blast, by the way. I had a great 
> time. I was going around making fun of the people at my table for not even 
> being able to stuff food in their mouths.  They took it really well and 
> pretty soon they were all actually trying instead of being deliberately 
> helpless. I went up to the guy who was most into it and pretended to pour 
> him a glass of champaign, making a popping sound effect with my mouth. He 
> played right along and the woman on the other side of him actually asked 
> for a glass too.   It was hilarious and the whole night was just a blast.
>
>
> Even so, I'm not sure I'd do it again. A couple of things bothered me. 
> First, in the after party, a lot of people seemed to think I really was a 
> waitor.  I'm like, "No, I manage the research computers for the math 
> department at the University of Wisconsin. I'm just doing this to raise 
> money for the FFB."  Admittedly, it's a little egotistical for that to 
> bother me. I was a little insulted to think that people didn't assume I 
> had a real job. The second thing was that a hefty percentage of the 
> people, even those at my table, remained unconvinced. I pointed out that 
> with a little effort, they had figured out how to feed themselves and I 
> had had no problems serving as their waitor. You get used to it, right? 
> But they weren't really buying it. Maybe a little. I'm not sure I did any 
> good. Hard to say.
>
>
> Actually, this is a thing that has puzzled me for years. I have friends 
> who still think being blind is absolutely horrible -- except for for me. 
> When I point out that I am doing fine, better than they are in some cases, 
> they don't think that is proof that being blind isn't so bad. They think 
> I'm some kind of special case or something.
>
>
>
> On 09/26/2016 11:53 AM, Devin Prater via nfb-talk wrote:
>> Oh yes, I was nicely surprised when the NFB stood against that.
>>
>> Devin Pratersent from Gmail.
>>
>> On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 11:49 AM, beth.wright--- via nfb-talk <
>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi, fellow listers.
>>>
>>> Just wanted to say how very proud I am of the NFB for taking a 
>>> courageous
>>> stand against this misguided blindfold challenge campaign by the 
>>> Foundation
>>> Fighting Blindness. I've been a Federationist for over forty years, been 
>>> on
>>> the PAC plan for a long time, and thus made a donation online. I 
>>> encourage
>>> others to do the same. Now is the time to stand up and be counted.
>>>
>>> Beth Wright
>>>
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>>>
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>
> -- 
> John Heim
> john at johnheim.com
>
>
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