Is it discrimination to treat Handicapped people better than the rest of us?

[AlloAllo]

Oh, I remember doing this in our psychology class...

The point is, of course you treat them differently- you have to. This isn't about discrimination- it's about giving them equal opportunities. We haven't made handicap parkings because we feel guilty or because we think that they're idiots who'd get lost during the walk from the car to the shop, we made that handicap parking because they need it to live normally.

As for the "is being frown upon for pointing and laughing at them discrimination"... uh... I... guess... I mean, of course everyone should be mocked equally, and of course it's not fair to not say 'that show has jumped the shark' to Jimmy just because his legs got eaten by a shark.

...The point, I guess, is that you shouldn't point and scream "look, she has a flaw!" whatever the case.

Still, whatever. I'm not your mother XDD

 

[NoOne852]

It is immoral to poke fun at those with handicaps, and those with handicaps are treated better because it's the curitous and polite to do. I realize it's an example, but the handicap parking spaces exist because it helps those who cannot move easily have a bit easier access to common things to make up for their disabillity.

 

[Avistew]

I don't think handicapped parking is discrimination. I think it's trying to make up for stuff. It's still more of a pain for a handicapped person to get from their handicapped parking spot into the store than it is for me to get from my non-handicapped spot into the store. Because I'm not handicapped.
So I don't think they're having it "better", it's just trying to even things a little bit and able-bodied people still have it better in the end.

After all, there are also lots of cases when they're discriminated against. Like, I know a guy with only one leg. When he buy shoes he still needs to pay for both even though he only needs one. I suggested he find someone with the same shoe size, similar tastes and who's missing the opposite foot, but realistically that's not going to happen. So he pays for both shoes when he only really has use for one of them.
Or if you're blind and go to the movies, you only get to hear the movies, not see any of it, yet you pay full price. Same goes in reverse if you're deaf, you get to see it but not hear it but you pay for the whole thing.
So seriously, it's not going to bother me that they can park closer, when getting from one place to the next is way more of a hassle for them than for me, or that they don't have to wait in line for hours when even a few minutes are uncomfortable to painful. I think it's just normal.

 

[Skoosh]

I don't like when special needs kids get full excuse for everything. They need even more structure than normal kids, don't let them get away with atrocious behavior. If he doesn't know any better, teach him. Yes, its harder, but not impossible. Don't give up the moment you hear a diagnosis.

I don't completely agree with everything in your post though. Equality is overrated. We are all different, with different strengths and weaknesses. We don't have to treat everyone the same to be fair. I'm not going to make the guy in a wheelchair take the stairs or a dude with a broken leg park half a mile from the door.

 

[Kaymish]

well technically it is discrimination but the whole discrimination is bad thing is not really true
i remember a quote from some guy Martin Luther King i think it was
"If i have two children and the shoes of one them breaks should i wait for the shoes of the other to break and buy them both new shoes or should i buy the first one some new shoes right away" '
not a exact one but that's the gist of it its a whole discriminate for need thing if some one needs something it is ok to give it to them with out giving the same thing to someone else who does not need it
i know im not explaining it well sorry about that i need to sleep

 

[Frungy]

Is it discriminatory to make allowances for people with handicaps in order to allow them to function at an equivalent level to non-handicapped people? Hell no. This means that if someone is in a wheelchair then you'd have to be a complete dick to say, "Go use the stairs!", and it's entirely right and proper to insist that there are wheelchair access ramps or to give them priority access to the lifts/elevators if there are no ramps, because they can't get up to the second floor any other way.

Where it becomes discriminatory, in my opinion, is when allowances are made that have nothing to do with their handicap, for example hiring a less qualified/experienced/etc handicapped person for a cerebral occupation like lab work simply because they're in a wheelchair... it is both insulting (because it implies that having something wrong with your legs means there's also something wrong with your brain) and discriminatory.

So by all means let's have a level playing field, but when you start over-compensating it becomes a form of discrimination.

 

[Quigglebert]

yes it is discrimination towards both parties, as one party must suffer if the other is to gain, but society today does not treat either side better pasé, its the case that those who have more difficulty in life are given the help where they most need it, such as handicapped parking and braille book in libraries e.c.t

 

[Garroman]

Doing some nice things for handicapped people is not a bad thing in any way. The few good things we do for handicapped people does not outweigh all the horrible stuff that we do to them either intentionally or unintentionally.

Tons of buildings and places are not handicap friendly. We have tons of rooms at our university that have no access.. unless you think it is okay for a wheelchair bound person to drag themselves up a flight of stairs. Buses are fairly hard to access (and the pretty little shit on her phone texting rarely gives up her space at the front). It's hard to get around in the winter because most people do not shovel the snow well.

Oh and good luck getting a job. Whole sectors of work are physically impossible to do if you are in a wheelchair. Also a lot of people are not going to hire someone in a wheelchair. It's illegal to discriminate against them... but it's pretty easy to make up some other B.S. reason why they are not the best candidate.

 

[Erana]

Ideally, you're a nice and considerate person to everyone, right?
People blatantly having much harder lives than you should just be a reminder that you should behave as the good person you'd like to be.

Really, though, people complaining that people do more nice things to people who have harder lives and not them are being so damn greedy. Is there any good reason to justify the idea that, say, the Make a Wish foundation shouldn't do nice things for terminally ill children just because they aren't going to, say, convince Blizzard to make a cool phoenix mount for you?

You do good where you can, and being kind to someone with real life issues can make an act of altruism go even farther. Life isn't fair, no, but when fairness comes down to superfluous things that make people feel loved and happy, is it really worth complaining about?

I mean, when you have a real problem in your life, even little acts of kindness can make a world of difference.

I'll tell you what lead me to this thought. My girlfriend is watching tv in the living room . I enter the living room , look at the tv, and look at the girl on the show. I tell my girlfriend that the girl is ugly, to which she replies, "she has cancer"( i did not know this prior to her telling me this ). I said so what? Her having cancer does not make her any prettier , i don't discriminate. Cancer or not she's ugly. Does her having cancer make her prettier ? To which my girlfriend replies " well no i guess not, but she has cancer so it's not right to say she's ugly ".

Wait, seriously?!
You walk in, see a girl on the television, and the first thing that pops up in your head is to criticize her appearance?

You really need to stop and reflect on your behavior here.

Well, yes. As you said "the first thing that pops up in your head is to criticize her appearance?" He did not know about the cancer, so that does not make his any more evil or anything like that. it just makes him a little rude. He didn't know the context nor anything else. He only saw her face. He saw an unattractive woman. 'nuff said

You don't see a problem with someone's first reaction to seeing another human being to criticize them out loud?

 

[spartan231490]

Before i begin , i will state that i know the politically correct thing to say is no.

That being said, isn't treating someone with a physical and/or mental hadicap better than "normal" ( i know i might get some shit for saying normal, sorry for the lack of another word in advance ) people discrimination ? Isn't discrimination by definition treating a group of people differently because of "x" reasons?

I'll give you an example. Handicap parking. Handicap parking is a parking spot that can only be used by people with a handicap. Thus discriminating towards people who DO NOT have a handicap , because we cannot park there.

Another example. If i looked at a random person , and laughed at them because i thought they looked funny , it would be okay ( okay in the sense that although it would be mean , people wouldn't throw a FIT over it ) . But if it was to laugh at a random person that had a mental handicap , well then i would be looked down upon by everyone and be a heartless bastard. Meaning i could laugh at a "normal" ( sorry again for this term no mean to offend ) person , but not a handicapped person. Thus putting the handicapped person on a sort a social pedestal, in other words, they are higher up on the social ladder ( almost like better people that shouldn't be messed with )

This , in my opinion is discrimination , we treat one group of people ( the handicaps ) better than the rest of Us. Handicaps are like in a "no touch" zone, while everyone else is fair game.

I'll tell you what lead me to this thought. My girlfriend is watching tv in the living room . I enter the living room , look at the tv, and look at the girl on the show. I tell my girlfriend that the girl is ugly, to which she replies, "she has cancer"( i did not know this prior to her telling me this ). I said so what? Her having cancer does not make her any prettier , i don't discriminate. Cancer or not she's ugly. Does her having cancer make her prettier ? To which my girlfriend replies " well no i guess not, but she has cancer so it's not right to say she's ugly ".

I will end this post stating that , i am pro-equality for everybody , including people with handicaps, but to achieve equality wouldn't we then need to treat everyone as equals, and not treat one group differently for whatever reason ?

What do you escapists think?

Of course it's discrimination, but that doesn't necessarily make it wrong. I'm of several minds on this topic, and if I go into much detail I'll probably start contradicting myself, so I'm gonna be brief. It is discrimination, but sometimes people need and unfair advantage, to even participate. If you ever played sports against your dad when you were really little, like 5-10, imagine what it would be like if he didn't hold back. Sometimes a bit of an advantage is in order.
Do all the people who get these advantages need them? of course not, but where you draw the line is a sticky question.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

What do you escapists think?

I think you should quit trying to justify being a jerk

This. Handicap parking spaces aren't discrimination, they help people who can't move easily, something that you take for granted. And yeah, if you laughed at a guy in a wheelchair or a person who was mentally retarded, you are going to get called out on it. Rightly so. Equality doesn't mean treat everyone the same, because people all aren't the same. It sounds like you are trying to rationalize being a jerk to the less fortunate.

 

[FaceFaceFace]

snip

The universe didn't treat them equal to you when it handicapped them, so as people we make up for that. You want to treat everyone equally, but everyone isn't equal. Someone without legs is not equal to you, someone with legs.

If everyone who is missing their legs were given a pair of legs, would you demand a free pair too? I hope not. So just let them have the better parking space.

Your cancer example is legitimate, though. She isn't any less ugly because she's going to die. Though I hope you don't go around telling ugly people how ugly they are, regardless of their medical problems.

 

[DuctTapeJedi]

On a similar note, why do only poor people get to go to soup kitchens? I like soup, too!

In all seriousness, disabled people have enough other problems. Giving them extra assistance now and then seems to be less discrimination, more being a decent person.

 

[zehydra]

It is technically discrimination, but discrimination just carries a negative tone, it is not itself a negative thing. The word has been abused to death by politicians and the like

 

[chiggerwood]

Here's the thing I have Multiple Sclerosis among other things and much of the time I run out of energy real quick and when I do I'm in an catastrophic amount of pain and every little activity takes away from me in some way, no matter what it is. Just walking through the store can put me down for several days, some things are really a necessity just to make it through he day. really just read this: http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/

 

[Rule Britannia]

I find myself more polite to handicapped people. However if they're just arseholes with wheels then fuck 'em, they treat me shit I'll treat them shit. (please refer to Season 3 episode 1 of 'The Inbetweeners')