Okay, yet another ridiculously asanine lawsuit that I can't help but comment on.
According to an article on FOXNews.com, a group of 3 people are suing Walt Disney World because it will not allow them to use their segways in the park. For those who aren't familiar, segways are two-wheeled mobility machines in which the driver stands and steers. The three who are filing suit can stand, but cannot walk for extended periods of time. They claim that segways offer more dignity than wheelchairs.
Disney, in response, has said that they do not allow segways because they can go speeds of up to 20mph, and they are afraid that they could potentially harm other guests. It sounds to me like Disney was trying to avoid injury lawsuits by enacting this ban, but in return, they are being sued for "discriminating."
The three disabled people claim that Disney is violating the American Disabilities Act.
Are you kidding me?
So I did some research. On the U.S. Department of Justice website, in the section that covers the ADA, the only thing I found pertaining to this topic is called the Architectural Barriers Act. This basically requires public facilities to offer wheelchair access. Disney has already done a marvelous job with this. In fact, I cannot tell you how many times I've stood in a line at Disney and watched as someone in a wheelchair was ushered to the front of the line. Yes, I would certainly say that Disney works hard to make accomodations for the handicapped.
So this lawsuit is just plain garbage. Some people will always need something to complain about, and there will always be lawyers just itching to turn their complaints into financially rewarding lawsuits. Disney is a huge corporation with billions of dollars. I can just about guarantee you that these same people have not been prohibited from using their segways in other places, but the lure of a big lawsuit was not there until they learned that Disney also banned the machines.
It really makes me sick. And don't tell me that I'm just not being compassionate. I'm extremely compassionate and sympathetic towards the disabled, and I DO think that we should do everything we can to accomodate these people and offer them the same opportunities as able-bodied people. But you and I know that equal access is not what this suit is about. It's about the hopes for a big payoff.
I truly hope Disney fights back.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The ADD Generation
I am a ninth grade English teacher. Every day, I interact with the leaders of tomorrow, and quite frankly, it scares me. We are raising a generation of self-righteous, self-absorbed, crybabies with an unfounded sense of entitlement. But that's not even what inspired me to sit down and write this evening. Here is what did:
We began a discussion on the Holocaust and genocide a little over a week ago because I am going to be introducing the novel, "Night," by Elie Wiesel soon. As we began talking, I was appalled to learn how little my students actually knew about the Holocaust. In addition, they did not understand what genocide was, and they had no idea that any other genocidal atrocities had occurred since WWII. As I read out the words, "Rwanda, Darfur, Cambodia, Armenia," it occurred to none of my students that these were recent sites of genocide. At that moment, I decided to hold off on introducing the novel for a while, and instead, spend some time investigating the realities of modern genocides with my class.
I am a firm believer in the adage, "knowledge is power." My goal has always been to empower my students with as much knowledge as I can inject into their brains over the short course of the school year. In order to prevent crimes against humanity from happening, it is imperative that we are aware of them, understand them, and talk about them. So, I began by showing my students a powerful PBS documentary entitled, "Ghosts of Rwanda." For the most part, my students were moved and shocked by the gruesome realities that the the film depicted. I say "most," because there was another, shall we say, "less interested" group of students that also viewed the film.
After showing the first half of the documentary to one of my rowdy classes, I expressed my disdain for their behavior during the film. That is when a very sad truth came out and slapped me in the face. I'm not sure why I wasn't prepared for it. I should have suspected this would happen. Perhaps I was only fooling myself by believing it wouldn't. But the honest reaction from one of my "less interested students" was, "I'm sorry miss, I just couldn't pay attention. I tried. But it was just too boring. I couldn't watch it."
Too boring??
I stood up there, unsure of how to respond. My instinct was to take the kid by the shoulders, give him a good shake, and ask him what the hell was wrong with him. But I didn't. I couldn't. I shook my head and sat down behind my desk.
Too boring. Those are the words that sadly reflect a large part of the upcoming generation, and it got me thinking. These kids have been raised to expect constant entertainment. From the time they were little babies, their brains have been bombarded by sensory overload through constantly changing, brightly colored, flashy cartoons and games; through the loud, beating sounds of music or noise associated with movies, video games, and computers. They have become accustomed to constantly changing stimuli. So when they have to sit down and watch a film outlining an atrocious crime against humanity, they cannot focus, because it is not stimulating enough to their senses.
What happened to intellectual stimulation?? Since when did teaching become a job of entertainment? I didn't see "tap dancing," or "juggling bowling pins" listed anywhere in my contractual job description. But consider this: if students have come to expect teachers to entertain them, and to never have to sit still and study things that aren't going to bombard their senses with excitement, but are nevertheless, important, what does that say for the future of education? And in turn, what does that say about the direction our nation is heading, both socially and economically?
We're entering dangerous territory, folks.
We began a discussion on the Holocaust and genocide a little over a week ago because I am going to be introducing the novel, "Night," by Elie Wiesel soon. As we began talking, I was appalled to learn how little my students actually knew about the Holocaust. In addition, they did not understand what genocide was, and they had no idea that any other genocidal atrocities had occurred since WWII. As I read out the words, "Rwanda, Darfur, Cambodia, Armenia," it occurred to none of my students that these were recent sites of genocide. At that moment, I decided to hold off on introducing the novel for a while, and instead, spend some time investigating the realities of modern genocides with my class.
I am a firm believer in the adage, "knowledge is power." My goal has always been to empower my students with as much knowledge as I can inject into their brains over the short course of the school year. In order to prevent crimes against humanity from happening, it is imperative that we are aware of them, understand them, and talk about them. So, I began by showing my students a powerful PBS documentary entitled, "Ghosts of Rwanda." For the most part, my students were moved and shocked by the gruesome realities that the the film depicted. I say "most," because there was another, shall we say, "less interested" group of students that also viewed the film.
After showing the first half of the documentary to one of my rowdy classes, I expressed my disdain for their behavior during the film. That is when a very sad truth came out and slapped me in the face. I'm not sure why I wasn't prepared for it. I should have suspected this would happen. Perhaps I was only fooling myself by believing it wouldn't. But the honest reaction from one of my "less interested students" was, "I'm sorry miss, I just couldn't pay attention. I tried. But it was just too boring. I couldn't watch it."
Too boring??
I stood up there, unsure of how to respond. My instinct was to take the kid by the shoulders, give him a good shake, and ask him what the hell was wrong with him. But I didn't. I couldn't. I shook my head and sat down behind my desk.
Too boring. Those are the words that sadly reflect a large part of the upcoming generation, and it got me thinking. These kids have been raised to expect constant entertainment. From the time they were little babies, their brains have been bombarded by sensory overload through constantly changing, brightly colored, flashy cartoons and games; through the loud, beating sounds of music or noise associated with movies, video games, and computers. They have become accustomed to constantly changing stimuli. So when they have to sit down and watch a film outlining an atrocious crime against humanity, they cannot focus, because it is not stimulating enough to their senses.
What happened to intellectual stimulation?? Since when did teaching become a job of entertainment? I didn't see "tap dancing," or "juggling bowling pins" listed anywhere in my contractual job description. But consider this: if students have come to expect teachers to entertain them, and to never have to sit still and study things that aren't going to bombard their senses with excitement, but are nevertheless, important, what does that say for the future of education? And in turn, what does that say about the direction our nation is heading, both socially and economically?
We're entering dangerous territory, folks.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Why???
So often, I find myself looking around at my fellow inhabitants of this country, and all I can do is gaze down, shake my head, and ask "why?" Society scares me. The direction we are headed in petrifies me. Knowing that I coexist with a bunch of psychotic weirdos whose mommies and daddies didn't show enough love to as a child makes me tremble... and feel the strange urge to purchase a gun. I am nauseated by the rampant lawsuits over people's own stupidity. I am sickened by the "blame game" and the inability of individuals to own up to their screw-ups. I am disturbed by the gluttonous, greedy, gross consumers that our country is full of. I am embarrassed by our society's selfishness. I am ashamed by our infidelity and lack of self control.
And I need to vent.
So here it is: my unabashed, in-your-face, brazenly honest view of some of the societal culprits of embarrassment to what was once "the good old U. S. of A."
And I need to vent.
So here it is: my unabashed, in-your-face, brazenly honest view of some of the societal culprits of embarrassment to what was once "the good old U. S. of A."
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