As I work on my website, I’m keenly aware that there are many aspects of my life that aren’t all that pleasant, which most people really don’t care to know about. But I also know that if you are one of the brave souls visiting this site, no one is making you do it. So, it all kind of balances out, “See?”
As an example of how my public life generally goes, on Saturday evening at Friendlies, I was reminded of how commonplace it is for people to see me walking across the room and automatically assume that I’m lost and need help. While I’ve mastered the art of handling situations like this, I must be honest: it really is kind of insulting!
To be fair, I acknowledge that there are many needy blind people out there. However, I’m not one of them. If I need help, I ask for it. If I’m really disoriented, I will let someone know. But most of the time, people just come up to me and insist on helping when I don’t need it. I don’t think they realize how condescending that can be.
My mobility skills are excellent. Yes, my cane is designed to hit things, so I don’t. If the cane hits something, it doesn’t mean I ran into anything; it just means the cane hit something so that I know it’s there. If my cane tip begins suddenly traveling up your ass, it means you pissed me off. The concept is quite simple really. “Why don’t people get that?”
I don’t talk about this kind of stuff much because, quite frankly, who wants to hear it anyway? Most people just don’t get it and don’t care. So, there are days when I have to work extra hard to remind myself that my existence isn’t pointless, even though it’s apparent to me that many people out there think that it is and automatically act accordingly. “Such Crap!”
But maybe when those UAV pilots flying in our airspace finally decide to take over and run the show here in the United States, assuming China doesn’t beat them too it first, things will be different. I won’t hold my breath but, “One can dream!”
So, in the meantime, here’s to all the woke people out there who seem to think that their being woke means I’m a second-class citizen who can’t help himself because I’m not Black, LGBTQI+, or female, just to name a few of the routinely publicized minorities in the media. “Blind lives matter, too!”
This incidentally is a fact that is lost on a majority of those who are Black, LGBTQI+, or female, amongst others. But we won’t worry about that, “Ok?”