Alive and Bigoted

CarA FB friend posted a photo of this upscale vehicle, together with the comment to the effect that it was parked in a handicapped space.

Mind you, there’s a handicap hanger shown in another photo of the vehicle, so the driver was entitled to park in a handicap-designated spot. That wasn’t the issue. The remarks were that obviously no one who was actually handicapped should have a car like this, therefore this driver was clearly somehow dishonest.

Since when is disability an automatic exclusion from wealth? If you’re handicapped physically, does it mandate you empty your bank account, sell all your worldly goods, and sit on the sidewalk begging for alms? That was the predominant attitude from everyone commenting on the post, even after I pointed out that being disabled wasn’t the same thing as being dirt poor, and doesn’t necessarily mean living on public assistance. I was mocked and belittled for saying such “ridiculous” things, even when I pointed to physicist Stephen Hawking, who is disabled and certainly not destitute.

It’s a sad commentary on US society, though I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. It falls into step with the rampant bigotry perpetuated by the Trump machine, who has been elected as the GOP nominee for President. People voted for this man, over and over again. Millions of people. It boggles the mind. He thinks nothing of making slurs against women, other races, and the handicapped. “Politically correct” is a casualty of the election. Write its obituary, and carve the gravestone for any hopes of equality or even basic civil rights.

I believe Trump’s rise is an international tragedy, and yet it doesn’t surprise me. Television has become a cesspool of so-called “reality” shows that have precious little to do with reality, and our collective intellect has crumbled under its onslaught. Schools stopped teaching long ago, only allocating time to force-feed incessant testing and eliminating all social development. Kids are all but told NOT to think for themselves. If there was any intelligence blooming, it’s removed and the psychological wound cauterized before a child is out of kindergarten. Is it any wonder we react like hypnotized walruses to someone who exudes authority, regardless whether or not there’s qualification behind it?

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