[nfbwatlk] drive in custodialism

[Debby Phillips]

Okay, I'm probably gonna piss some people off, but okay, what the 
heck.  You know, we are blind.  We don't always see what's ahead.  
It isn't that we need people's help to do things in our lives, 
but it sure isn't a bad thing if somebody offers to tell us 
what's ahead down the road.  You know, in Denver blind people 
have such a reputation for being rude that if a blind person did 
need help nobody would help them.  This is the one thing that 
used to piss me off when I was not in NFB.  It's that damned 
attitude of "I don't need anybody".  We all need each other and 
people just need to stop getting their knickers in a knot every 
time somebody offers a helpful piece of information.  This world 
is so frickin non-civil anyway.  Why do we have to add to it? 
Isn't it okay to just smile and say, Thanks, and go on your way? 
What does it hurt to treat people respectfully and not assume 
just because they offer some information that they think we can't 
do stuff without them.  I have been with my husband when he tried 
to tell a blind person, "Hey, there's something in front of you." 
He could tell that by the way they were using their cane or not 
paying attention to what their dog was trying to signal that they 
were going to bump in to it.  The person would get all snappy.  
And then bam! They'd bump into the very thing he was trying to 
tell them was there.  And then they'd be all mad because they 
bumped into it.  This is the one thing about NFB that I don't 
like, and I'll NEVER be this way.  I have given sighted people 
directions.  They don't seem to get all pissy because I do.  It's 
only blind folks that do do.  So kick me out if you want to, but 
this really frosts me.  We've lost the ability to be human with 
one another because we're all so damned scared that people are 
going to think us inferior, or dependent, or God only knows what.  
We need to get over ourselves.  Well, now that I've had my rant 
and will probably get a private reprimand, I think I'll go to 
bed.  Good night everybody.    Debby