Hello fine people,
Like a Ric Flair wrestling promo, get ready for a ride.
WOOOOOO! I also encourage everyone to listen to Pantera's "Walk",
while reading this because it fits my natural personality, and that's why this
article has a rhythm to it.
It's once again time for me, Brad Freeman, to break some
stereotypes. This time I would like to discuss how in this day and age, being
the non-stereotype is apparently the new denial. That's right. If you can
believe it, being ultra positive, and not ate up about the fact you have
cerebral palsy throughout your lifetime, is seen as a negative by A LOT OF
PEOPLE!
I've had millions of friends of every color, creed,
religion, sexual orientation, and gender. For all those millions of friends,
I've had a gazillion more people of all backgrounds, tell me I was in denial
throughout elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and even though
it's hard to believe, post college. Others have wondered why I don't join
Facebook groups as well. It's for the same reason. Unfortunately, there are
people of all shapes, sizes, and colors with "disabilities" that feed
in to the woe is me classic stereotype of a person with a
"disability." The people they grew up with also foster that behavior.
The people that think this way usually feel like everyone with a
"disability" thinks this way, and somehow because I don't, there is
something wrong with me. They're the types you see in the movies, and on TV.
You know, I'm just a poor mentally deficient, and physically incapable, failure
of a person, who can't do anything. So let me numb myself because I don't like
myself, and don't think much of myself. And if I don't think much of myself,
others probably don't either. The other thing I find disheartening, and
insulting in movies/TV is when a character does have something such as cerebral
palsy, they are either overly sensitive, or they are killed off when they find
some form of normalcy, or success, so to speak. Supposedly these film
directors, and producers are supposed to be more sensitive, and inclusive, but
they only perpetuate negative stereotypes unfortunately. That's why I write my
own stuff, so that I can act in it, and dismantle these offensive and just
utterly wrong portrayals. How's it going to help me to be stereotypically ate
up about my cerebral palsy? Isn't that just going to make people feel more
sorry for us, than they already do? How will that help us, and me personally,
when trying to strategically dismember these bogus perceptions? It won't. It
will just continue to perpetuate them.
On that same hand, the fact that I take issue with the
words, "disability", and/or "disabled" usually rubs people
the wrong way also. It's the politically correct term I know, but as someone
who studies history on a regular basis, people who live inside the lines don't
make history! They're just doomed to repeat it. I don't use any form of that
word because it makes it sound like we're defective pieces of equipment, and
have no value at all, like I said in the previous article. Don't you want
history to remember you for hundreds, and thousands of years, and speak of your
great deeds for generations to come, instead of being remembered for feeling
sorry for yourself? I know I do. I feel like I've been destined for greatness
from a very young age. What are you destined for? Feeling sorry for yourself is
going backwards in life, when you should be thinking of ways to move the world
forward, and benefiting society light years from now.
So with that, I leave it up to those reading this to decide.
Will you just wallow in mediocrity, or will you dare to be great? No one can
make up your mind for you. I'll leave that decision up to you. But as a person
who speaks from experience, the stereotype is kind of insulting. Be much more.
Being a rebel isn't always easy, but it's way more fun, and satisfying!
RE-SPECT! WALK! You talking to me!? :)
