Respect

Lately, I have been noticing that a lot of people in the disabled community lack the ability to stick up for themselves. I have been there. Everyone, whether an individual has a disability or not, has dealt with this at one time or another, but I think it is more prevalent in the disabled community. We have to work so much harder to gain acceptance and respect from everyone in an able-bodied society.

There are people in this world who are not going to like what you do or say and will try to confront you about it.  Confrontation is human nature.  I, for one, do not like confrontation, but I think it is the only way that people will grow and learn from each other and that is a great thing.  However, there are people who love confrontation and they will try to take advantage of you.

I came across a great quote that states, "Bullies thrive wherever authority is weak" and I agree with it 100%.  Bullies gain power by picking on people who they perceive to be weaker than them.  I was bullied as a kid and I am sure you were too.  Did you do anything about it?   I think kids should be taught at a young age how to stick up for themselves.

As I said before, I am the type of person who does not like to fight back.  I try to ignore negative comments, but some argue that this behavior feeds into the perpetuation of the stereotype that disabled people are weak and lack the ability to stick up for themselves because I am not doing anything to stop it.  There have been times when I did fight back, but not in a mean way.  I think if we stick up for ourselves we will gain more respect from our peers and the society we live in.

I am also the type of person who sometimes likes to make light of my situation and joke about my own disability.  Some people argue that this behavior also feeds into the perpetuation of those stereotypes. 

What are your thoughts?