Tuesday 1 March 2016

What's the worst part of eating vegetables?

I recently saw something on Facebook that seriously triggered my current roid rage (don't ask). In the comments on one of those 'name and shame' posts where someone who works for Herbalife was parked over 2 disabled bays, there was a war broiling. A war between this other stupid woman in the comments and everyone else who was posting.
This woman, who, FYI is not disabled, was parroting that selfish fuck who is the CEO of the Quadriplegic Association of South Africa:
"It's not a disabled bay, It's a WHEELCHAIR bay. Get your facts straight!"

No, Mr "QASA" Seirlis and Mrs Herbalife, you bigots, it's a disabled bay. Just because it has a picture of a wheelchair on it doesn't mean it's only for wheelchairs.

Then this woman tells one person who pointed out in the comments and actually knows how the system works to "check her facts with the authorities."

Listen here, sweetheart, a) your hero Mr QASA is not an authority on parking bays in South Africa and cannot overrule the current traffic law, which allows anyone who's proved they have a disability, whether they use a chair or not, to use a legally obtained permit to park in your precious "WHEELCHAIR" parkings, and b) how dare you tell me someone doesn't deserve to use a closer, more accessible parking when they are clearly impaired somehow? Who the hell do you think you are, deciding who's more disabled than who?

I know someone who has been dragged through hell and back several times over and has damn well earned the right to a more "convenient" parking. The panel of doctors and people at the relevant authorities (who aren't affiliated with QASA) gave this person explicit permission to use the parking even though they try their damndest to endure the pain and not use a wheelchair. Just because you got sloshed one day and decided to swan dive into a kiddie pool for a few laughs, breaking your neck, Mr QASA, does not make you more disabled than someone who endured years of borderline torture and effectively lost both legs fighting for their life. Being paralysed from the neck down and not being able to feel pain does not give you the right to scoff at someone who lives with chronic pain just because you don't understand it. As for you, Mrs Herbalife, I really hope you wake up one day and realise the only disability you have is that you don't have a leg to stand on. Where the fuck is your WHEELCHAIR? Quit whining when you have no idea what you're on about.

I had a lot of mean things to say, actually, but I decided it's not worth it. We all feel that our own stories are the most important ones and that the only truth that matters is ours, but this is really getting out of hand.

I don't understand why we all have to point fingers at each other and scream "privilege!" when it's really not a contest.

This privilege-checking, tattle-taling, easily-offended society we've become is dragging us into a real World War III. Whether it's disabled people arguing who's more disabled, students arguing who's more educated, races arguing who's opressing who, or childish comments being slung back and forth across Facebook, we're all just going to go down in flames.

Except me. I'll be parking my friend in the disabled bay at the mall and leaving old Ari in the far end of the parking lot to see how long it takes him to admit that the disabled parkings are indeed closer to the entrances as a matter of more than just convenience.

"We're not here to relieve your pain" -  QASA, 2014

1 comment:

  1. Seems to me that Mrs Herbalife was doing the old 'the best form of defense is attack'nonsense and trying to baffle people with bullshit. Great post btw, it's not often people know what they're talking about regarding this issue :)

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