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**Grahameeboy** · 21st March 2006, 10:44

Originally Posted by Colapop

Anyone see that movie on 2, sunday arvo a couple of weeks back? It's called "Door to door." About a guy called Bill Porter (www.billporter.com) who has Cerebal Palsy and became a door to door salesman. It was pretty cool. The guy himself was/is tenacious to say the least. Much respect to anyone who gets off the arse and makes their life happen - regardless of ability.

Good film matey......funny that women who bought things off him and when she died they found all the stuff in a room eh?

**Colapop** · 21st March 2006, 11:34

Well, she had a disability herself and it wasn't the drinking.

**Pixie** · 21st March 2006, 13:12

Originally Posted by Ixion

Maybe they could have guide dolphins?

Seriously, I've worked with/known quite a few people with disabilities of one sort or another.

I.

Everybody I ever met was disabled....and inferior

**Winston001** · 21st March 2006, 14:14

There is a difference between laughing at someone and laughing with them. Poking ridicule at a disabled person is frowned upon. And that's the problem with a joke - the teller might not intend any harm or nastiness but the subject is in no position to defend themselves. Thus an attitude develops that it's ok to make fun of disabled people but no-one asks them how they feel.

Ever asked a Maori how he feels about racist jokes?

Language is a powerful tool. Unconciously we load all sorts of attitudes and prejudices into a single word. Think of "Retard". IHC people used to be called that and it is an accurate word. But we don't use it any more.

So IMHO we need to tread carefully when making jokes about disabled people. I note that Graham and others specifically refer to joking around with disabled people which is quite a different thing. That is laughing with them and the more of it the better.

I'll admit to smiling about the blind swimmer and would hope the swimmer could smile too.

**thealmightytaco** · 21st March 2006, 15:53

I thought it was funny, not especially but you know.

Father has a tetraplegic friend who deals in computers, works the keyboard and trackball with a stick with a thimble on the end that he puts in his mouth, knows more about computers and programming than anyone. Enough to make a damn good living on it anyway. He's a bloody champion.
Anyway, he occasionally needed to build the odd computer, and he'd ring me in cause he needed "a pair of hands" to put the bits together, cause his "are ornamental now". His wife/nurse could have done it but didn't like the prospect of breaking all that money. And he had porn from MS Dos era! Just a totally normal guy.

PC can suck my balls, and so can Chuck Norris.

**Maha** · 21st March 2006, 16:09

Very funny Insanity, one thing i thought of was if blind guy in lane 8 had got on the starter block the wrong way, now, although that could have been a bit messy, there would have been a slight eliment of humour also. I think he was lucky that there was somebody there bang his head cos that could have way different too.....donk...back up...donk...back up...donk...back up, enuff said i guess you get the picture?. Billy T James had fun with this very process, he was singing with a few friends one night, one being Eddie Low ( blind guy ) they led him onto the stage but faced him away from the crowd.

**yungatart** · 21st March 2006, 17:10

Originally Posted by Grahameeboy

My Daughter is disabled and at 3 has a powered wheelchair. When I take her on the ferry to daycare, she whizzes around and some people say things like "all she needs now is a number and a roll cage" and humurous things like that.

I work with a disabled student at school. She has one of those power wheel chairs too. hXc is always threatening to borrow her chair, turbo boost it, put in a NOS kit, low profile tyres etc etc- she laughs and laughs when he jokes around with her like that. I also work with a visually impaired boy, I needed to get new glasses but told him I would have to wait till school hols as I couldn't see with out them- we had lots of laughs about the blind leading the blind...
Yes , they just want to be treated the same as everyone else -and No! Their sense of humour isn't broken!

**onearmedbandit** · 21st March 2006, 17:19

Oh I've met some that think the world owes them aliving.

**Jamezo** · 21st March 2006, 20:02

a++++++++++ great ebayer would trade again

goods came only slightly soiled, though i think the vibrating anus is malfunctioning

**Insanity_rules** · 21st March 2006, 21:34

Originally Posted by Winston001

There is a difference between laughing at someone and laughing with them. Poking ridicule at a disabled person is frowned upon. And that's the problem with a joke - the teller might not intend any harm or nastiness but the subject is in no position to defend themselves. Thus an attitude develops that it's ok to make fun of disabled people but no-one asks them how they feel.

Ever asked a Maori how he feels about racist jokes?

Language is a powerful tool. Unconciously we load all sorts of attitudes and prejudices into a single word. Think of "Retard". IHC people used to be called that and it is an accurate word. But we don't use it any more.

So IMHO we need to tread carefully when making jokes about disabled people. I note that Graham and others specifically refer to joking around with disabled people which is quite a different thing. That is laughing with them and the more of it the better.

I'll admit to smiling about the blind swimmer and would hope the swimmer could smile too.

Wow one of my threads got 38 posts and climbing, thanks you guys!
Funny you should say this Winston. My Cousin and I used to call each other Nigger, Black arse and Hori when we were kids. Now my cousin is very brown maori and I look white as you please.
I saw him at Queensgate one afternoon when I was about 13 and he yelled to me "Mark ya black arse" and i replied "Tama, whats up my nigger" and a older maori guy kindly offered to smack me into next tuesday. If it weren't for my cousin interjecting and explaining that I'm part maori too he probably would have done.

We saw no problem in it, I think we were taking the hate out of those words and turning them into fun.

**Insanity_rules** · 21st March 2006, 21:42

Side note:
On Sunday I took a good friend of mine for a ride on the back of my bike, he has spinabiffida. He was so buzzed he asked If one could be modified for him.

I said I'd see no problem modifying a quad but 2 wheels might not work well.

He replied well for that kind of fun he could get used to falling sideways. I laughed so hard with the mental imagry I thought I'd busted something. He did too.

**SpeedyGirl** · 22nd March 2006, 08:25

I have a mate that lost both legs in a train yard accident when he was 9. He is now an extremly highly paid motivational speaker, rides a modified 4 wheeler, drives a race car, has his pilots licence and is a black belt. He is the most amazing person I have ever met, nothing holds him back. He would be the first to make a crack about being short and walking somewhere.....he has never let anything or anyone stand in his way of achieving goals that he set for himself......and a lot of fun to go clubbing with

**Grahameeboy** · 22nd March 2006, 08:30

Originally Posted by onearmedbandit

Oh I've met some that think the world owes them aliving.

Remember, a lot of abled bodied people think the same too....no groups mentioned of course........guess it depends on whether they were born disabled or sutained due to an accident I guess...in the later I guess there is some self pity...

**Grahameeboy** · 22nd March 2006, 08:31

Originally Posted by yungatart

I work with a disabled student at school. She has one of those power wheel chairs too. hXc is always threatening to borrow her chair, turbo boost it, put in a NOS kit, low profile tyres etc etc- she laughs and laughs when he jokes around with her like that. I also work with a visually impaired boy, I needed to get new glasses but told him I would have to wait till school hols as I couldn't see with out them- we had lots of laughs about the blind leading the blind...
Yes , they just want to be treated the same as everyone else -and No! Their sense of humour isn't broken!

More of this pleaase....I may give you that call I have threatened to do...he he