MovieChat Forums > Nell (1994) Discussion > Disabilities

Disabilities

posted 14 years ago by blynnpatton
2 replies | jump to latest

Please stop with the insensitive questions and statements about intellectual disabilities or any other kind of disability.

"Full and half retard" statements are offensive. I don't care whether or not you are talking about an actor's performance. They are still offensive. Think about how such comments could make someone feel if they actually have a disability or have a loved one who does.

The same goes with questions like, "why are they so stupid?" or "why can't you train them like a house cat?" It's mean to compare a person to an animal. Again, think about how insensitive questions like these affect other people. I actually saw someone ask the two above questions. They are very offensive even if you say that you aren't intending to offend. Why would you ask such questions?

I have a niece who has Down Syndrome. I love her very much. She is a person just like everyone else. She also has many talents and abilities just like everyone else.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] blynnpatton 14 years ago

I understand your feeling, but I started putting my posts on the board after seeing many negative comments about people who have intellectual disabilities. The first time I noticed the negative posts was actually after visiting Chris Burke's page.

I agree that these boards should be fun. Unfortunately, many people use these boards to attack and make fun of others. That is not fun. I'm not just talking about posts about people who have disabilities. I've seen people call others names and make fun of them just because they expressed an opinion about a movie. Instead of just disagreeing about a movie. They turned their posts into personal assaults of each other. I'm just trying to stand up for what is right.