But We're Only Joking!

Currently, there is a group on Facebook whose sole mission is to bash the handicapped.  The premise of the group is that the handicapped should not be given parking permits.  And, they claim they are "only joking".  Well, most bullies will say that they were only joking when they are pointed out for being bullies.  These fine people are telling their members to steal handicapped parking permits out of cars, steal handicapped parking signs, and to flip off the handicapped.

If they were making racial or homophobic slurs, more people would be up in arms, as they should be.  But these people have decided to go after a segment of the population that is probably less able to defend themselves against this type of behavior.  I took a religion class in college, and one of the things our professor said has stayed with me until this day.  He said that many people in Germany thought that the Holocaust was horrible, but they didn't speak out against it.  These people, according to my professor, were just as guilty as the perpetrators of the atrocity.  Now, I am not saying that this rises up to that level in any form or fashion, but if we don't speak out against it now, who knows how far it might go!

My husband is in a wheelchair and I am unable to walk long distances.  We have a handicapped parking permit.  Without it, it would be impossible for us to do many of the things we are able to do.  If these people had their way about it, we would be unable to go anywhere!  They feel that by making things easier for the disabled, they are losing their "right" to park closer to a building.  Well, I would give anything not to need my handicapped parking permit!  One person even brags about using her grandmother's permit after her death in order to park closer to her classes!  Unbelievable!

I am not an instigator.  My motto tends to be live and let live.  I also think if you give an idiot enough rope, they will eventually hang themselves.  But I cannot stay silent about this.  If people do not speak out about this right now, while it is still a "joke", pretty soon the idea will spread.  People will start to think it isn't a joke and begin to act out against people with disabilities.  Some of you may think I'm exaggerating the scope of the problem, but I truly don't think so.

Who remembers Matthew Shepherd?  This was a young gay man who was murdered simply because he was gay.  The perpetrators claimed that it was a joke gone horribly wrong.  I would hate to see someone with a disability become the butt of this kind of joke simply because no one was willing to speak up about this sort of behavior.  I hope that you will join me in raising our voices against hatred of any kind.  It's time to let all of the bullies in this country know that we are tired of it, and we aren't going to sit by, silent, until the joke becomes a tragedy.