First of all, I apologize for you being offended. It is mostly your fault, because it means you misunderstood my post and the meaning of it, but for the degree to which I contributed to your offense, I sincerely apologize.
But I would also like an apology from you.
A few years ago, I was as able bodied as you, at least to the degree I pushed myself. I was born with CP. I was told I was never going to be able to walk at all. Then we finally found a doctor that was willing to do an experimental surgery on my leg to compensate for the effects of the CP I was suffering from. Despite fairly long odds, the surgery worked. I could walk- initially with braces- but I did it. When I was 8 my mother told me what the doctor had said when I was young about being unable to walk. I was a kid, but I swore to my mother I would not just walk. I would run a marathon.
I spent the next ten years training for it. It hurt like all mighty hell. My back had been thrown out of whack by the surgery. I spent much of my training on pain killers. But when I was 18 I entered the New York Marathon. I didn't do spectacularly, but I did finish, and was not the last to do so. Close, admittedly, but not last.
I also used to play football, and some other sports as well, despite my physical limitations. Among other things, I am missing several muscles in my right leg.
Now, a few years ago, I slipped on ice, fell, and broke my right ankle with a nasty eversion, and tore up one of the muscles there badly. Had it been you, or somebody else with a normal body, I would have been back on my feet in a month or so. Maybe I would have been ok had I not put on a lot of weight in my twenties- I weighed about 350 lbs when I fell. But with my condition from the surgery, it took three weeks before I could put weight back on it, and when it screws up, as it does randomly, I am likely to fall.
My doctor told me I should be using a wheelchair. I refuse to be disabled, and don't. I do walk with a cane most of the time, although I will not if I can be reasonably assured of not falling. I'm stubborn. Perhaps stupid, in fact.
I know that people who are disabled are not always apparently so, and I respect that. I have immense compassion for people who are physically disabled because I know what its like. I am even understanding of people who are less stubborn and less stupid than I am, and are willing to not tear up whats left of their body trying to be as able bodied as possible. '
But I have no tolerance or respect for the sadly many people who think that using a wheelchair or scooter is cool because they could get to the front of the line or other such nonsense. Because they don't understand the living hell life becomes when you are a cripple. I have a seething loathing hatred of the few people who actually attempt to take advantage and fake out the system for the "benefits" of being disabled- because they deprive those of us who need it, or would seriously derive needed benefit from it.
I do not think many people actually fake it. I did not imply it, and your inference of such a feeling was entirely in error. I do think a lot of people have the false feelings that you think I have. You got it backassward, Bruce. I wasn't suggesting that people pretend to be handicapped, and I hate them for it. I was saying that OTHER people think that its a game, a fake, a trick, and I hate THOSE people for it.
