Monday, June 15, 2009

Impractical term

KEMAMAN, June 13 — People with a disability should not be referred to as “disabled” but rather “People with Special Ability” as that would best fit their description said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

Thoughtful indeed, but I can help to think it’s purely sugar coating. If he was trying to score points with the disabled community, the minister is definitely shooting blanks.

What’s in a name you tell me. Unless a disabled person on wheelchair possesses a super special ability to overcome insurmountable environmental barriers or get to ride on a wheelchair-unfriendly public bus, a shit by any other name would smell as bad.

That’s the stinking reality. The struggle we have to put up with in order to lead a normal and meaningful life like our able-bodied counterparts IS the reality, and this is the area where the powers-that-be should put some extra effort into.

Everybody’s capable of coining with phrases. And in this case to come up with the most politically correct term usable will not provide us an inch of progress. If there’s a need to change, the word special should be replaced with beneficial instead.

Personally I don’t mind the rudest expression one could think of as long practical changes are made.

So until the government comes up with something beneficial, I’m sticking with the commonly-used term, the disabled person.

Or crips, or cacat...whatever.

19 comments:

anfield devotee said...

or brainless gooner . . . etc etc.

Pi Bani said...

Biasalah... window dressing lebih...

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

yes bala, or a retarded pool...i mean, fool...ehehehehe...


kak Pi,

and practicality is something we can only dream of...sigh.....

cakapaje said...

Salam kerpie,

Hey! You trying to insult me? I'm going to sue you for that laptop. Er...you got money for me to sue also not? :)

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

wsalam shah,

i may have to sell off my wheelchair i think. but you get yourself registered with JKM first then only you have the right to feel insulted...hehehe...

Unknown said...

hmmmmmmmmmm hey kerpie!! what can you expect from one of them ... only stupid things come out of their mouths 24x7x365

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

i know. but this one sounds like 'people first, performance later'...kira bodek dulu, kerja belakang cerita.

Achilles said...

Kerp: I like your line "shit by any other name would smell as bad.". hehehehehe...

But you know-lah... our govt. Usually they solve all their problems with one Song. Got unity problem? write one song. Want more people to do IT studies, write one song.

So look out for the song to educate people on how to be more helpful to OKU's. Should be coming out soon.

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

rajan,

its true la. nothing smells as rosy as we'd hoped for. its mostly crap, and this latest issue is a fine exmaple.

Anba said...

Kerp...nice one...retarded pool
hahahah...

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

he started it first bro...hehehe...

Apa Kau Nak said...

Maybe it's in their KPI! Coining meaningless names to stuff so that it appear 'new and different'! Like 1 Malaysia. Come on lah. My late grandfather and his best friend, the chinese vegetable farmer has been a '1 Malaysia' since the japanese occupation...

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

eskapisminda,

yes, 1Malaysia is one example. and not to forget the infamous Islam Hadhari. while the former is still relatively new before we learned the actual meaning najib's trying to get it across, sadly the latter's campaign was a dud. to many malaysians, Islam is Islam. period.

vesewe said...

testing

monsterball said...

Yes Kerp...tell them to fark spider with their sweet talks.
It's actions that counts...and not the usual bullshits with no serious and sincere help.
I recalled there is around 200,000 disabled Malaysians.....and do you all have an Association?....I mean not those two I know..such as Deaf & Dumb and Leprosy Home.
Can you all be grouped into one......"The Pan Malaysia Disabled Association"
You can speak louder with a united force.

Daphne Ling said...

Hi Danny,

Ok, to be politically correct is one thing, but to be patronising is too much la...Sigh...Sugar coat is right!

PS: Read your email. Will reply soon. Was out with the flu...Or something...

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

mr goh,

yes we do get involved in many disabled associations. it does help tremendously, especially when it comes to adjusting life amongst the society. thanks.


Daph,

no worries, sis. just sharing the news with ya.

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