Ok taboo subject I guess but I feel very uncomfortable with the Paralympic games and I don't think I'm the only one if truth be told.
I'm blessed, my daughter was born normal and we are both in good health and the world is geared up for 'able' human beings. It's right that those who through no fault of their own are incapacitated in some way are included and fully integrated in to our society but I've felt really awkward watching some of the events at these games this week.
For instance today I've watched on national TV a person of restricted growth beat a person with no arms to speak of, in the swimming pool. Think about it if I had pitched say a film pilot of having a swimming show down between a dwarf (forgive me if that is not the proper term to use) and a double amputee, as to who was the best swimmer was, I'd be thrown out of the building!
Yesterday I was watching the tandem track cycling, which basically consisted of a able bodied 'guide' cyclist, with a person with sight difficulty sat behind.
Now the race was about tactics, moves and feigns, then peddling bloody fast at the end. The able bodied person did ALL the tactics with just the disabled just helping with the peddling at the end - so to me the best disabled cyclist did not win, it was the disable cyclist who had the most savvy abled person with them who won!
Fair play for people wanting to challenge themselves and yes at times I guess you have to add 'apples' to 'pears' in order to get some sort of a competition together but at times watching the games is making me uncomfortable and at times even squirm!
What about you?
I'm blessed, my daughter was born normal and we are both in good health and the world is geared up for 'able' human beings. It's right that those who through no fault of their own are incapacitated in some way are included and fully integrated in to our society but I've felt really awkward watching some of the events at these games this week.
For instance today I've watched on national TV a person of restricted growth beat a person with no arms to speak of, in the swimming pool. Think about it if I had pitched say a film pilot of having a swimming show down between a dwarf (forgive me if that is not the proper term to use) and a double amputee, as to who was the best swimmer was, I'd be thrown out of the building!
Yesterday I was watching the tandem track cycling, which basically consisted of a able bodied 'guide' cyclist, with a person with sight difficulty sat behind.
Now the race was about tactics, moves and feigns, then peddling bloody fast at the end. The able bodied person did ALL the tactics with just the disabled just helping with the peddling at the end - so to me the best disabled cyclist did not win, it was the disable cyclist who had the most savvy abled person with them who won!
Fair play for people wanting to challenge themselves and yes at times I guess you have to add 'apples' to 'pears' in order to get some sort of a competition together but at times watching the games is making me uncomfortable and at times even squirm!
What about you?