Now we can laugh at disabled people!

Great piece in the Times about 'The last Leg',  think it will break down taboos.

"I love it because the disabled themselves have the blackest sense of humour around - it's what keeps us going - but up until now we've been surrounded by able-bodied people being offended on our behalf. Nobody thinks it's a good thing to laugh at the disabled. But it is a genuine problem that the able-bodied have up until now felt unable to l;augh with the disabled"

(presenter of the show)

I quite like the 'is it ok to ask?' section. Some of the questions... 

Sarah, they think that the charities for disabled people may re-evaluate their approach, it's always been so erm.... humourless.

Sussex Runner (NLR) wrote (see)

So should Sarah Storey become Sports Personality of the Year? 4 golds and 11 in her career?

A contender, there will be so many this year.

kittenkat wrote (see)

Sussex Runner (NLR) wrote (see)

So should Sarah Storey become Sports Personality of the Year? 4 golds and 11 in her career?

A contender, there will be so many this year.

Certainly so many cyclists, anyway!

Ah but we're not laughing, we're already having a very pc conversation.

The taboos are still there, maybe?

I'm not saying that we should laugh at people directly, just you've got to admit that's there's some humour in the subject.

Adrian Stillwell wrote (see)

Well being Deaf, i have had my fair share of humour directed at me, a lot is very unfunny and when you have had the "Pardon" joke more times than i have had hot dinners.

But if a joke is funny then i will laugh, but please make it original.

I'm waiting for the 100 metres for Tourettes syndrome sufferers. "On your marks, set, FUCK OFF!" 

My lads a runner with a form of muscular dystrophy, I'll check to see if he's game for a laugh. 

He is!  He laughed his arse off when I suggested the posting. "send it" he said, " it'll kill the thread stone dead". 

Actually not sure how his disability is supposed to manifest itself as only Great Ormond Street seems to acknowledge it. The lad meanwhile seems to be able to crack 60 seconds for 400m on the track and smash golf balls 300 yards despite weighing less than 100lb's.

 Supposed to affect his IQ as well. It must have done, he only got 15 GCSE's most at A, A* despite being born in August.

This is really not meant to be "bragging" and I am, certainly in terms of running, pretty useless.  I do however enjoy it.  I suffered a "severe" diffuse axonal brain injury a couple of years ago and broke my spine in a couple of places.  I am now registered as partially sighted and walk with a white cane.  I also have a few other brain injury related "issues".  That said, I took part in a 5k race yesterday and will be doing a 10k this morning.  Although I have a "sense of humour failure" at times, this is possibly brain injury related.  I like to think that I usually look on most things (including my own condition) with irreverant humour.  The terms that I and my wife etc. use to describe me, now, are distinctly lacking in "political correctness"!

RicF wrote (see)

My lads a runner with a form of muscular dystrophy, I'll check to see if he's game for a laugh. 

He is!  He laughed his arse off when I suggested the posting. "send it" he said, " it'll kill the thread stone dead". 

Actually not sure how his disability is supposed to manifest itself as only Great Ormond Street seems to acknowledge it. The lad meanwhile seems to be able to crack 60 seconds for 400m on the track and smash golf balls 300 yards despite weighing less than 100lb's.

 Supposed to affect his IQ as well. It must have done, he only got 15 GCSE's most at A, A* despite being born in August.

He obviously didn't read the muscular dystrophy rulebook!

PhilipAllen wrote (see)

This is really not meant to be "bragging" and I am, certainly in terms of running, pretty useless.  I do however enjoy it.  I suffered a "severe" diffuse axonal brain injury a couple of years ago and broke my spine in a couple of places.  I am now registered as partially sighted and walk with a white cane.  I also have a few other brain injury related "issues".  That said, I took part in a 5k race yesterday and will be doing a 10k this morning.  Although I have a "sense of humour failure" at times, this is possibly brain injury related.  I like to think that I usually look on most things (including my own condition) with irreverant humour.  The terms that I and my wife etc. use to describe me, now, are distinctly lacking in "political correctness"!

I think political correctness in many instances is just a tool for people to feel morally superior and smug, it also comes back to the quote above about people being offended on behalf of others, when the 'others' would rather they didn't. It can be patronising.

I also think there is a big difference between finding humour in something and being nasty about it, and that's where I think 'The Last Leg' has definitely triumphed in the former. Good stuff.

killermiles wrote (see)

Bit of both. Sometimes run on my own, the other times at the club and for a while been running with a couple of 17-year olds. As we run together more, We're getting loads of training in, and even done a few weekend runs and whole day runs.

problem if one runs on their own, we don't get pushed (as in RicF's comment), but run better under pressure, or to better oneself in a team. 

kittenkat wrote (see)

RicF wrote (see)

My lads a runner with a form of muscular dystrophy, I'll check to see if he's game for a laugh. 

He is!  He laughed his arse off when I suggested the posting. "send it" he said, " it'll kill the thread stone dead". 

Actually not sure how his disability is supposed to manifest itself as only Great Ormond Street seems to acknowledge it. The lad meanwhile seems to be able to crack 60 seconds for 400m on the track and smash golf balls 300 yards despite weighing less than 100lb's.

 Supposed to affect his IQ as well. It must have done, he only got 15 GCSE's most at A, A* despite being born in August.

He obviously didn't read the muscular dystrophy rulebook!

He's been in training ever since he was seven years old. The medics say that the fact that he trains like a distance runners isn't a factor in keeping the symptoms at bay. I don't usually disagree but in this case I ask them how do they know since there's no study on the subject. My lad calls what he has as lazy muscle syndrome, since if he doesn't train then he loses fitness and ability much faster than seems normal. His varient is called Beckers'. It doesn't make comfortable reading.

RicF wrote (see)

killermiles wrote (see)

Bit of both. Sometimes run on my own, the other times at the club and for a while been running with a couple of 17-year olds. As we run together more, We're getting loads of training in, and even done a few weekend runs and whole day runs.

problem if one runs on their own, we don't get pushed (as in RicF's comment), but run better under pressure, or to better oneself in a team. 

 

kittenkat wrote (see)

RicF wrote (see)

My lads a runner with a form of muscular dystrophy, I'll check to see if he's game for a laugh. 

He is!  He laughed his arse off when I suggested the posting. "send it" he said, " it'll kill the thread stone dead". 

Actually not sure how his disability is supposed to manifest itself as only Great Ormond Street seems to acknowledge it. The lad meanwhile seems to be able to crack 60 seconds for 400m on the track and smash golf balls 300 yards despite weighing less than 100lb's.

 Supposed to affect his IQ as well. It must have done, he only got 15 GCSE's most at A, A* despite being born in August.

He obviously didn't read the muscular dystrophy rulebook!

He's been in training ever since he was seven years old. The medics say that the fact that he trains like a distance runners isn't a factor in keeping the symptoms at bay. I don't usually disagree but in this case I ask them how do they know since there's no study on the subject. My lad calls what he has as lazy muscle syndrome, since if he doesn't train then he loses fitness and ability much faster than seems normal. His varient is called Beckers'. It doesn't make comfortable reading.

I just Googled it, wow he sounds like a fighter. Good luck with his running.

Cheers KK.

If she's done the homework, I'll second it.
PS I'm just too lazy to train as well. I think that goes down as the official disability category T055-er.