Something to ponder

On rare occasions tv shows can surprise me. Very rare occasions.

I was watching Just Shoot Me. The bumbling shopaholic, alcoholic, drug experienced Nina Van Horne was doing a stint as a presenter on the red carpet of an awards night. The ditzy ex-model commented on the appalling outfit of one of the stars.

The fallout? Angry mobs outside the Blush magazine building. Outrage from press and other celebrities. The public cried for Nina's blood.

The show deteriorated at this point into the usual humdrum of American comedy.

Oh, right, you're wondering why there was such an outcry regarding a stars' couture. The star in question was in a wheelchair.

Without being insensitive I am of the view that someone in a wheelchair is exactly the same as an "able bodied" person. A person who has lost the use of their legs has not lost the use of their brain.

Whoa, hold on there with your hate mail. I'm not suggesting a person in a wheelchair should just get up and walk. Nor am I suggesting it's okay to patronise, disregard or abuse ANYONE.

What I am suggesting is the simple idea that maybe, just maybe, people (of all kinds, colours, shapes, sizes, religions, abilities, gender) might actually like being treated as an equal. Think about it for a minute.

How many times are people discriminated against?
Have there been times when you've walked away from a situation with a sour taste in your mouth?

Just Shoot Me got me thinking of all the times I'd been overlooked, carelessly ignored and, yes, discriminated against. Now I've never been in a wheelchair, I've never had a disability and, by most accounts, I'm "normal". However, I do have a disorder. This apparently doesn't make me stupid, but rather "complicated".

Yet I've still felt the humiliation and anger at having been discriminiated against.
I worked with someone at Telstra who decided that because I'm fat, she would be rude, condescending and patronising to me. There were many times others noticed her antics, however no one would speak against her. Not even me.

So what did I want? I wanted her to treat me like she treated everyone else; fairly.

Unlike Just Shoot Me, I didn't have a happy ending. The "star" in question from the show ended up making a press release explaining that he was thrilled someone treated him like everyone else. Nina didn't notice the chair in which the guy sat. She criticised his choice of clothes. Just like she did with everyone else.

I rarely get the luxury of people seeing past my weight. Apparently I'm not worth knowing.

If only life were as simple as they are in tv shows.