I'm Back

First of all, let me apologize for my absence. I have no excuse.

Ok, that's actually a lie. I have lots of excuses.

Of course, none of them are any good. My loyal readers, you deserve better. So, here's a few things that have been on my mind. 

1. Here is an example of why you shouldn't try to make your own fireworks. Here's a quote or two from the article:

"The victims ranged in age from 11 months to 52 years. Among them was Tony Watts, 28, who was gravely injured and remains in critical condition when a homemade mortar he was lighting exploded, striking him in the face."

First off, who operates any kind of fireworks anywhere near an 11-month old child? Secondly, wouldn't the sentence read better if you took out the word 'gravely' and inserted 'stupidly?' Here's another gem:

"Sedgwick County sheriff’s Lt. George Mason said it appears Watts was using illegal fireworks."

Well, aren't we observant, Lt. Mason. I'd say you need at least 10 or 15 years on the force before you make that call. I would have never been able to tell.

"He said Watts built a launcher by embedding a three-inch plastic pipe in a five-gallon bucket of cement."

What?!?!?! That's not illegal! I've been making my own launchers like that for years! And now, a quote from the wife:

"He acts like a kid around them, but he’s always been safe,” she said of her husband. “I never thought he would ever be lying in an ICU bed hooked up to machines."

Well darlin', then you obviously didn't think too hard.

2. Here's a little science experiment for everyone to try. Watch this video. At the 2:10 or 2:15 mark, look at your arm. Keep looking. Goosebumps will form. If not, you're not human.

3. That's all for now, but I promise to be better about posting more frequently. As always, comments welcome.

I am "nondisabled."

My faithful readers (all 3 of you) have probably been waiting on a new full-length post for a while now... and I hate to keep you waiting. So here it is. A few weeks ago at work I came across this poster:



This is a poster put out by the Research and Training Center on Independent Living at the University of Kansas. This is a group that no doubt does fine work, so don't take this the wrong way... but this poster is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever read. I mean, it's utterly and completely insane. Allow me to explain.

The bottom half of the poster is taken up by a chart which is supposed to give people an idea of the proper words and phrases one should use when talking about disabled persons. It also shows what not to say. I know the picture above is pretty small, so let me break a few of these down for you:

You shouldn't say "able-bodied."

Whoa. What?

Able-bodied?? That's an offensive phrase? Ok, ok, I can see (sort of) how it might be, so what should I replace it with?

"Nondisabled."

I'm really confused. I have full use of all my limbs, as well as full use of my (decent) mental capacity. I also have no psychological or physiological disorders. But I can't call myself "able-bodied." I have to be "non-disabled." Is disabled the normal condition, or is it the other way around?

Let me put it this way: Is it offensive to a disabled person if I say someone is "able-bodied?" Will they automatically assume that that means they are not "able-bodied?" The dictionary definition of 'disabled' is 'persons who are crippled, injured, or incapacitated.' I don't mean to be rude, but being disabled means that your body is not able to do some things that someone with a fully functioning body can do.

To recap: "Disabled" means "not able-bodied." It's not an insult, it's not discriminatory; it's the truth. But that's not the only set of phrases on this list that irked me. Onward we go...

- Don't say "hyper-sensitive," say "person with environmental illness."

That, my friends, is what I like to call a large load of feces.

- Don't say "paralyzed," say "person with a spinal cord injury."

Paralyzed?? This one blows my mind. Let's just get right to it- if you think 'paralyzed' is an offensive term, you are way too sensitive. 

No, wait. Excuse me. You 'are a person with environmental illness.'

- Don't say "wheelchair-bound" or "confined to a wheelchair," say "uses a wheelchair."

Holy crap. I'm going from slightly amused to sort of angry... I mean, really? Who believes this stuff? Tell me, for I want to know, yea verily. One more point, and I'm done.

If someone cannot get from place to place without the use of a wheelchair, isn't it fair to say that they are 'confined to a wheelchair'? I mean, sure, they could get out of the wheelchair, but what would they do? Lie down? Sit in another chair? Let's just think about this logically for a second. Say there's a guy named Bob and he has to use a wheelchair to get around. And I ask Bob, "Bob, what is it like to be confined to a wheelchair?" How many people in that situation are going to be offended and say "How dare you say I'm confined to a wheelchair! I'm not confined; I can get out of it and move around any time I want!"

Hint: None of them. Know why? Because it's not offensive. Political correctness definitely has its place, and some of the suggestions on this poster were good ones. (i.e. don't say "retarded" or "brain damaged") But when political correctness takes precedence over common sense, there's a problem.

Please comment and let me know if you agree/disagree. (Also, reader suggestions are always welcome)

I'm not dead... just resting! (Pining for the fjords, actually...)

Just a note to say that I have the material for another blog, but I haven't written it yet because:

a. Buying and moving into a house is time-consuming.

b. We had water in our basement in two different occasions last week.

c. My parents visited this past weekend, and we had to get the house ready for them.

d. Last night, ESPN Classic showed Game 4 of the 1984 NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Celtics, and I watched it in its entirety instead of writing my blog.

All the above answers are correct, but if you chose D, you'd be the most correct.

So, my apologies, and I'll try to do better tonight.