David Gillon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
davidgillon) wrote2015-07-11 08:51 pm
davidgillon) wrote2015-07-11 08:51 pm
Entry tags:
Bloody (Evangelical) Christians
I'd no sooner rolled onto the high street this afternoon than a teenager came up to me, I'd guess his age at 16-18.
"Excuse me,"
He'd caught me literally half-on and half-off the kerb (fortunately the high street is pedestrianised on Saturdays), so he got a glare to start with.
"Can I ask you a question."
At this stage he could still conceivably have been asking for directions, and he was too smartly dressed to be a beggar.
"What?"
"What happened to you?"
"What? Why should I tell you? Have you any idea how rude that is?"
At this stage he started to look uncertain, but apparently was convinced his answer would show that he was in the right:
"I want to pray for you, I'm a Christian."
Wrong person to try that on.
"Why would you want to do that? You don't want to do anything for me, you want to feel good about yourself. Christianity has an appallingly negative attitude to disability. Look, God created us in his image, yes?"
He nods.
"Well here I am, in his image (gesture at myself and the chair), why would I want to change that? Don't pray for me, go away and pray for your own illumination."
It's never really happened to me before, ISTR short-circuiting a couple of attempts to start up that sort of dialogue and friends have had it happen multiple times, but it's the first time someone has plunged in so bluntly. And of course the wheelchair is probably a factor.
I think the thing that shocked me most about it was demanding to know "what happened to you" as his opening, the utter ignorance of disability and basic etiquette it reveals beggars belief.
"Excuse me,"
He'd caught me literally half-on and half-off the kerb (fortunately the high street is pedestrianised on Saturdays), so he got a glare to start with.
"Can I ask you a question."
At this stage he could still conceivably have been asking for directions, and he was too smartly dressed to be a beggar.
"What?"
"What happened to you?"
"What? Why should I tell you? Have you any idea how rude that is?"
At this stage he started to look uncertain, but apparently was convinced his answer would show that he was in the right:
"I want to pray for you, I'm a Christian."
Wrong person to try that on.
"Why would you want to do that? You don't want to do anything for me, you want to feel good about yourself. Christianity has an appallingly negative attitude to disability. Look, God created us in his image, yes?"
He nods.
"Well here I am, in his image (gesture at myself and the chair), why would I want to change that? Don't pray for me, go away and pray for your own illumination."
It's never really happened to me before, ISTR short-circuiting a couple of attempts to start up that sort of dialogue and friends have had it happen multiple times, but it's the first time someone has plunged in so bluntly. And of course the wheelchair is probably a factor.
I think the thing that shocked me most about it was demanding to know "what happened to you" as his opening, the utter ignorance of disability and basic etiquette it reveals beggars belief.
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After several previous exasperating incidents with other people
I had a young man "Can I ask you a question..."
in the tone of voice/body language that I know now from experience leads to rude health questions
and I just said firmly "NO!"
and he said "But I just want to ask you..."
"NO!"
He looked flabbergasted, but he did shut up and leave me alone rather than interrogating me about my health.
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