6.2
We've discussed a lot about physical/mental wellness. We know that if someone is physically incapacitated this does not mean that they are mentally incapacitated as well, or vice versa, but often people with physical handicaps are often overlooked and treated as such. Why do you think this is so? Often when there are two people and one is in a wheelchair, the conversation will be directed towards the physically capable person and not the physically handicapped person....I've experienced this on a personal level, maybe you've observed this as well. Why do you think this is so? Human nature, ignorance, .......a little of both? What are your thoughts?
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I think people treat others who are handicapped differently because it is part of the human nature. It is natural for people to think that physically or mentally handicapped people are different. However, I also believe a person's personality can have an effect on the way a person treats others. We need to adjust our views towards all people, handicapped or not.
ReplyDeleteI feel that people can sometimes treat people with physical or mental handicaps differently. I think people may judge someone by their appearence, not realizing that their mental or physical capabilities may not be so different then their own. Perhaps it is from a lack of understanding or the fear of something they have not personally experienced, either with their own families or a friend. I believe some people can under estimate the strength of the human spirit and the potential a person can have whether they are disabled or not.
ReplyDeleteThey view handcapped people as such because they think that they are different, they are incapable of preforming normal activities, so they are not accepted. Some people find it extremely awkward to talk to them. I mean, some people say they don't even know how to talk to them. The are normal individuals, there is nothing wrong with them, thay are still human beings!! The human nature is not willing to submit to changes or difference, so we aviod these. As for ignorance, we all have it. Some just don't have the time of patients to fix this.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic of discussion. Although I have never observed this situation, I think part of this issue is fear and anxiety. People do not want to think that they could likewise be handicapped or have their life changed in such a dramatic way. For instance, if there are two people walking in a street on the sidewalk, and all of a sudden a car comes crashing through the curb and hits one of the people, after the initial shock, and the proper course of action ensuring the safety and well-being of the person hit, I think, typically, the person unharmed would be prone to self-reflection. This person may then get a thought and feeling of, “If something so sudden can happen to this person, what else can happen to me? And also, why did it not happen to me when I was walking on the same street as they?” Thus, they start to become anxious perhaps about the unknowns of the world and the danger of these unknowns. Not only is there anxiety in such a scenario, it strikes a nerve at people's self-confidence as well: that their life could be so greatly changed by something such as a disease or an out-of-the-blue incident, makes them feel weak. Due to these feelings, some people may avoid being around people who may cause them to make these realizations.
ReplyDeleteI also think that people tend to associate more with things they consider more ordinary, thus meaning that since it is not usual (though not uncommon) for a person to be handicapped, they will be more willing to talk to someone with whom they feel more familiar. Another matter in this issue is a certain level of uneasiness in not knowing what to say to someone in a handicapped situation. Will they find it rude if asked what happened? Will they be offended or thankful if they are asked how they are doing? Also, despite the at times hurtful actions and behaviors of mankind, people on a whole do not like to see other people suffer, whether this suffering is real or perceived. Due to this, they may chose to distance themselves from handicapped people so as not to see them, “suffer,” even if they have managed to rise above their disabilities. I think because of all of these reasons, that although this sort of behavior can be unkind and insincere to those who are handicapped, it is, for the most part, unintentional and instead, stems from human nature, ignorance and other sources as well.
Often when there are two people and one is in a wheelchair, the conversation will be directed towards the more physically capable person and not the physically handicapped person. I think this simply human nature . When conversations are brought up, in this type of situation, where there is a physically capable person and a physically handicapped person generally some people would tend to give their attention to the more physically capable person only because from the looks of it and common sense, you know right away that they are more capable of physical activity.
ReplyDeleteThey may do this so it doesn't seem like they are focusing all of their attention on the handicapped person, as if they were staring at them. They also may not want them to feel bad, such as if they are in a wheelchair, they don't want to stare. People may do this just out of human nature, so they don't end up staring at the person and making them feel bad.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in the specific situation of a physically handicapped person and a physically capable person, and the conversation is directed toward the physically capable, it is out of the impulse to not make the handicapped person feel awkward. What I mean is, when you see someone in a wheelchair, automatically you want to look more (thus human nature), but then you are staring, and you don't want them to ask you why you are staring, so you try to avoid them altogether. It is wrong, of course, for one to treat a handicapped person differently than any other person. What changes that is the choices we make on how we view people. Do we label them? Should we feel sorry for a handicapped person? Or should we treat them like any other person living on this Earth, with feelings and a personality, and accept them for who they are??
ReplyDeleteI think some people feel uncomfortable with interacting with people who are different. Most people feel these people are alien and seem to ignore or avoid them.
ReplyDeleteI think a person can easily associate someone who is physically handicapped as being mentally disabled. They may think that because someone is in a different situation than them then they should be treated differently as well. Others may feel uncomfortable facing someone who is in a wheelchair causing them to seek the person who is the most similar to them.
ReplyDeleteI think that sometimes people may treat the disabled differently because they simply do not see them as people.
ReplyDeleteIt may be because they are not capable of living as most of us are used to, or it could just be a lack of respect. Some people I know even look down upon the disabled.
I think we all need to change our views on the disabled. Were all created equal. Even if those people lose an arm, a leg, or even if they're paralyzed.
They're still living breathing human beings, and they deserve to be treated as such.
I think it is really more about what we are used to seeing. Since the handicapped person is more rare than a non-handicapped one, people seem to have a hard time dealing with something they don't understand. I think people change once they speak to the handicapped person and find out what really is the truth.
ReplyDeleteI think that people are judgmental and do not really know all the in's and out's of what comes with being physically handicapped. They are quick to have opinions of people and do not take the time to get to know them. They see them as being different, which makes them not want to talk to them or spend the time to get to know them.
ReplyDeleteI dont think its Human nature at all i think its ignorance and its because of the type of things(tv,news, ect..) we are exposed to in todays world. I think its sad really iv never personly had this problem but iv seen it happen.
ReplyDeleteMost likely, the problem of lack of communication with a disabled person involves ignorance of the effects of the disability. A person may see someone physically disabled and assume that they are also mentally disabled. Familiarizing yourself with various disabilities can help with this situation.
ReplyDeleteBeing uncomfortable around a disabled person may also harm communication. If someone is scared to communicate with someone who appears physically disabled, he or she may try to avoid that person. The best to solve this problem is to overcome the fear by reaching out to a disabled person and understanding both them and their disability.
The difference in ways handicapped people are treated as compared to those that are non-handicapped vary from person to person. In a way, many of us are ignorant. Just as children would look and see an interesting, or scary, insect flying around in their garden (a butterfly, no doubt) adults and others are not usually accustomed to associating with those who seem to be physically disabled in some way. Therefore leading to the misinterpretation that they're also mentally unfit because they're never seen communicating with others.
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