Have you seen the story about the host of a British children’s show who was born with only part of one arm? Apparently, a group of parents are having a shit fit because they say this woman has no business being on the show. Their reason? She scares kids.
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??
Now, I’ll admit, the first sight of someone with such a disability can be jarring. Our mind tells us that there should be two eyes, two ears, two arms, two legs,etc, and when one of those is missing, it’s a bit of a shock. But it is at this point that normal people think, Oh, she’s missing an arm, then they go back to reading their book, or walking the dog or cleaning the toilet or whatever. Unfortunately, it is also at this point that the fucking crazies come out.
Some of these parents comments have been brutal, but even the mild ones are disturbing to me. They refuse to allow their kids to watch the show. They worry about their kids getting nightmares. You know what gives me nightmares? Fucking Lazytown. I would rather watch the Miss Missing Limb Universe Pageant every single day than watch 10 minutes of that show. That is scary – not a sweet, smart, attractive woman who happens to have a disability.
I seriously hope that the BBC sticks to it’s guns about this woman, because the day we start giving in to the Different = Scary theory is a sad, sad day indeed. Whatever happened to teaching our kids about kindness and acceptance? Whatever happened to teaching them that people are different? Do we need to lock away our physically handicapped people for fear of scaring someone? I guess that mean we need to lock up the mentally challenged as well. And the fat people. And those with bad teeth. Bad dye job? I’m scared! Lock her up!
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??
Make no mistake, this isn’t about scared kids, this is about scared adults. I saw one comment that asked, “How do you explain a missing arm to a child?” Ummm, how about this: “She was born looking different from you and me. And even though she looks different than we do she is a person just like us and there is nothing to be scared of. It like how you have light skin and your friend Thomas has brown skin. You look different, but it doesn’t matter.” There’s one option and there are only about a million more – pick one.
If you can’t handle explaining something as simple as a disability to your children, how in the blue fuck are you ever going to be able to deal with penises and vaginas and matters involving them? These parents scare me more than a whole army of one-armed women ever could.
12 comments:
I wanted to post a comment but... I have no words... People suck...
Wow. I'm stunned that her one-armedness is even an issue in our modern times. You hit the nail right on the head about this being an adult issue rather than a child issue. Kids are by and far more accepting of differences than adults, in my opinion. They accept what we tell them to accept. We need to set the example that there is nothing wrong with differences. Having one arm isn't a monstrosity. And I agree with you: Lazytown is Scary. Same with Ooby or whatever that show is called where it's a bunch of hands walking around with faces painted on.
Amen, sister.
*applause*
some people are a waste of good air. hopefully their children will not be too harmed by their ignorance.
Good god that is depressing. Seriously?! What is wrong with people?
I don't know how the schools work in Britain, but if those parents don't want to explain a woman's lack of an arm on television, they should probably plan on homeschooling and never letting their children out of the house. I work with a special needs students, and I'm always having to explain things to him: casts, crutches, wheelchairs, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and more. A simple "It's okay," and an explanation that any visible device is there to help his schoolmate, and he's fine with it. I think it's more harmful to a child if the parents are reinforcing that there's something wrong with someone who looks different. People aren't perfect, and people are everywhere. Those parents need to deal with it already.
I agree. Completely.
You are my hero. I saw that and had the same reaction that you did. This hits closer home with me than most people, and I appreciate that you take a stand for the different ones among us. They're people, too. If parents would just be parents and take 30 seconds to explain to their child that some people are born differently, and another 30 seconds to answer questions, the world would be a more accepting place.
I agree with Karen ...
And these are the types of people that JUST wouldn't explain penises and vaginas to their kiddies, that maybe if they ignore the whole thing it will all just go away. and then these kids have to learn from books/magazines and peers.
Great post. What I found really heartening about that story is that the woman doesn't see *herself* as having a disability, which is why she doesn't wear a prosthetic.
There's no reason why we should need to "explain" that to our children. Children are far, far more accepting than anybody gives them credit for. Those parents are just projecting their own smallmindedness onto their kids.
I'm always floored by people who freak out over differences. I mean, hello!
My motto is: If we were all the same, it would be boring.
I pretty much agree with everyone here, and want to say to those parents in Britain: Get a grip.
Pun fully intended.
ciao,
rpm
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