(no subject)

[rivka]

Walking back home from the cafe where I had brunch, I saw a blind guy standing on the streetcorner waiting for the light to change.

A car pulled up on the cross street, and the passenger jumped out and jogged up to the blind guy. "Hey, do you need some help getting across the street?"

"No," the other guy said politely, "I'm just waiting for the light."

At that moment, the light changed. The sighted guy said so, and walked across the street alongside the blind guy. Then he came back, got in the car, and drove away.

I know that the sighted guy was just trying to be helpful and nice. But my question is this: how did he think the blind guy got to that corner, anyway? Didn't it occur to him to wonder how the guy handled every other intersection between his point of origin and his destination? Didn't he wonder why someone would head out alone for a walk if he wasn't capable of handling basic walking tasks like crossing the street?

I would certainly point out any unusual barriers to a blind person - "hey, they've got the sidewalk blocked off up ahead, so you might want to cross over to the other side of Read Street." But, for the most part, I assume that people with disabilities don't start off doing things that they're not capable of doing. Maybe that's just me.

Comments

Re: Altruism

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

I believe that the desire to help is just another impulae (in some people, quite a strong one), not a proof of virtue. As with other impulses, the desire to help needs to be shaped by having some idea of what's going on.