What the flying...?

[author_by_night]

Disabled show host causes controversy

In one chat room, a father lamented that Burnell being on the show forced him to have conversations with his child about disabilities.

Um... so what?

Now, I realize the show is meant for little kids, but.... I just think that the fact that parents are implying that a TV show host shouldn't be a host because of a disability shows that society still has a lot to learn.

Why is it bad to teach your kids that there's different people out there? If you expose them to it early, they'll learn there's nothing to be afraid of.

And you know what? When I read the headline, I looked at the picture before reading article, and it took me a while before I even noticed she only had one arm. I did notice her pretty smile right away, though.

I read the comments, and here's what one says:

Do any of you who think this is so "unbelievable" actually have kids? It's very hard, as a parent, to have every social issue jammed down the throat of your kids before they even hit first grade.

I'm no parent, but I'd rather my kids be exposed early on, when they're young enough to matter-of-factly accept that everyone is different, than when they have a disabled classmate and I find out they've made fun of him because I never taught my kid that it's okay to be different.

Comments

[katieay.livejournal.com]

I actually think this closeting away of anything "different" is partly why our generation (ie the ones now having kids) is so completely screwed up. Kids do not care, and how are we to teach them to be empathic, compassionate, WHOLE people if they are not "confronted" with something that is a serious issue for many, many people. How are they to help the old woman in the wheel chair get up the hill if they are taught through osmosis that anyone in a wheelchair is different and therefore to be closeted away and therefore inherently something bad.

How are they meant to stand up to the bully of the child with hearing aids, if they are not taught that it's perfectly okay to have this disability and that anyone who lives a solid, fulfilled, daily life DESPITE THEIR DISABILITY makes them not somone to be shunned and closeted, but someone to admire and look up to.

The whole fact that is even an issue sickens me. This woman, who is beautiful, leads a fulfilled life and was probably thrilled to have the job at the BBC should be lauded, not shunned. Any parent who thinks they shouldn't have to explain any hard things to their children is lazy. Any parent who thinks their child isn't confronted with hard-to-deal with things every day from birth onwards (yeap, from birth. "Hard" is all relative) is stupid.