The following excerpted article comes to us via the Inclusion Daily Express and it puts me in mind of a couple of things. Years ago when I was a blind kid on the playground I often got bullied. That’s hardly a singular story and heck I’ve even written about it in my first memoir which bears the same name as this blog. I was the kind of kid who had the gift of gab. I know where that came from: both my parents were funny, smart, inveterate story tellers and they certainly gave me their love of language. Just so, when a bully went after me on the swing set I’d tell him what a hairy homunculus he was. And of course other kids would laugh. Years later when I was in college I discovered the delightful fact that ancient Welsh poets used to satirize people, a matter that gained them considerable power at court. These are just some morning thoughts before I head into the hurly-burly day with all its homunculi, hairy or otherwise.
S.K.
Mind Your Language: Words Can Cause Terrible Damage
(Independent)
November 17, 2009
LONDON, ENGLAND– [Excerpt] Racism was rife in the playgrounds of my youth. It seems incredible looking back, but if someone would not share their sweets or lend a few pennies to a friend in need of crisps, they might be mocked as “Jews”. Or even “Yids”. Sometimes, children would go so far as to rub their noses in a “Shylock” gesture to emphasise the point.
It must have been hellish for the handful of Jewish pupils. Thankfully, as we grew older and began to learn the brutal history of anti-Semitism, the taunts dried up. Today, such behaviour is stamped upon. A lexicon of loathsome words has been driven underground as we make faltering steps forward towards a more tolerant society.
So why is it acceptable against people with disabilities? When did they become such a forgotten minority that they ceased to matter in the battle against bigotry? A group so exiled still from mainstream society that it has become acceptable to fling around hateful words such as “retard” and “spazz” without a murmur of disquiet. Not just in the playground, where these words and many more like them are commonplace, but online, in the office, in the home and in Hollywood.
Entire article:
Mind your language: words can cause terrible damage
http://www.InclusionDaily.com/news/2009/red/1117d.htm
Planet of the Blind 
Thank you for showing us so powerfully the harm that words can cause. Another example is when a person with walking problems is asked “What’s wrong with you?” . Words have the power to harm, but kind words and encouragement have a tremendous ability to heal.
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