Are you equal in Ireland?

I was driving in by Kevin Street (in town) today, and stopped at traffic lights at a large junction. As I waited at the lights, a middle-aged, frail, disabled man and his helper were walking across the street. He was so frail he was almost bent double, and moved at a very slow pace. Half way across the street, the lights turned green for the traffic behind him, and the driver of a waiting Citroen, astonishingly, beeped the horn at the disabled man. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

THis caused me to wonder about the life of this disabled little man, and if anybody cares about him at all. And whether he is living in a society where he is seen as equally important to any highly paid executive, media star, or politician?

I might be too cynical, you tell me, but it struck me as preposterous that our anonymous friend, shuffling along the street, would have his views & opinions sought and listened-to as eagerly as some captain of industry, or even your average middle manager. Politicians might listen & nod during a canvas & move on to the next door, but how seriously are the opinions of men & women like him honestly respected?

Like many of you, probably most of you, I've never doubted that I'd be taken seriously. I've had my middle-class card stamped in all the expected boxes of education, work & civic activities, and have never doubted that I have a voice. But I'm sure there are plenty of people who genuinely are not treated as equal, who are seen as burdens, or misinformed or, as suggested by the lady in the red Citreon, merely a slow-moving annoyance.

Do you believe your voice & views matter as much as any other member of the public, and that you are important in general, and do you believe that's general across society?

JustTheOne

My cats breath smells like cat food.

thecraicaddict

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

I was driving in by Kevin Street (in town) today, and stopped at traffic lights at a large junction. As I waited at the lights, a middle-aged, frail, disabled man and his helper were walking across the street. He was so frail he was almost bent double, and moved at a very slow pace. Half way across the street, the lights turned green for the traffic behind him, and the driver of a waiting Citroen, astonishingly, beeped the horn at the disabled man. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

THis caused me to wonder about the life of this disabled little man, and if anybody cares about him at all. And whether he is living in a society where he is seen as equally important to any highly paid executive, media star, or politician?

I might be too cynical, you tell me, but it struck me as preposterous that our anonymous friend, shuffling along the street, would have his views & opinions sought and listened-to as eagerly as some captain of industry, or even your average middle manager. Politicians might listen & nod during a canvas & move on to the next door, but how seriously are the opinions of men & women like him honestly respected?

Like many of you, probably most of you, I've never doubted that I'd be taken seriously. I've had my middle-class card stamped in all the expected boxes of education, work & civic activities, and have never doubted that I have a voice. But I'm sure there are plenty of people who genuinely are not treated as equal, who are seen as burdens, or misinformed or, as suggested by the lady in the red Citreon, merely a slow-moving annoyance.

Do you believe your voice & views matter as much as any other member of the public, and that you are important in general, and do you believe that's general across society?

To be honest, I think the person beeping in the citreon is very much in the minority, I like to think most people in this country have a bit more common decency and respect than that.

No society is ever going to hold every person's opinions and views with equal esteem. I think we're all guilty of that to some extent if a well-dressed business man approached you on the street as he needed to tell you something I'm confident that you'd take him more seriously than a junkie for instance.

thecraicaddict

thecraicaddict wrote: »

To be honest, I think the person beeping in the citreon is very much in the minority

JUst to clarify, I think the same. It's an isolated incident of exceptional rudeness, I'm just using the experience as an example.

Here's a more typical example. I'm a member of a political party, and have canvassed for them. There are some doors you knock on, and your heart sinks, because it's Biddy who's always dropping into the constituency office about her arthritis, and the waiting lists, and oh boys it's awful, and now you know you're going to get the same earful, and you'd have avoided this door if you remembered it was hers, and you roll your eyes when you eventually get away.

Whereas if it's the local G.P., or the guy who owns the local Spar, you have a fun exchange of views, and genuinely listen to his complaints, and looking at the time, you're genuinely sorry that you must move along and knock on doors.

This is probably a better example and one I ought to have used.

No society is ever going to hold every person's opinions and views with equal esteem. I think we're all guilty of that to some extent if a well-dressed business man approached you on the street as he needed to tell you something I'm confident that you'd take him more seriously than a junkie for instance.

Well I'm extraordinarily nosey and would probably listen to both with interest, but I absolutely take your point. As I said above, I'm as guilty as the woman in the red citreon, we all are; we're probably just better at hiding these inner judgements.

lawlolawl

Never, in the history of mankind have people been truly equal so i don't think Ireland is different to anywhere ever.

Olishi4

"All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others"

Canis Lupus

Did the driver tootling his horn see the old man? He might have just seen a greenlight and wondered why no one was moving.

MadDog76

JustTheOne wrote: »

My cats breath smells like cat food.

How many "Thanks" are you hoping to get?

dub_skav

MadDog76 wrote: »

How many "Thanks" are you hoping to get?

Just the one

MadDog76

dub_skav wrote: »

Just the one

I suspect he/she is hoping for triple digits ......... at least!!

Olishi4

thecraicaddict wrote: »

No society is ever going to hold every person's opinions and views with equal esteem. I think we're all guilty of that to some extent if a well-dressed business man approached you on the street as he needed to tell you something I'm confident that you'd take him more seriously than a junkie for instance.

Of the well dressed business man, I'd be thinking "what's he trying to sell me now ffs?"

The Rape of Lucretia

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

and the driver of a waiting Citroen, astonishingly, beeped the horn at the disabled man. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

A Citroën ?
Cripes. I understand your astonishment. BMW drivers sure. Audi drivers seem to be even worse these days and steeling the limelight from the beemer drivers. You expect nothing better from them at this stage.
But what is the country coming to when even Citroën drivers behave like that ? It would seem we are indeed becoming more equal sadly.

Wigglepuppy

Was watching a documentary about Father Peter McVerry and the work he does last night - some heartbreaking stories, folks who didn't have a hope from day one (not people with a sense of entitlement - it's important not to lump them together; these are people who badly need a helping hand). People definitely don't all have the same chances in life - however I dislike blaming the government or "society" (meaning nobody specific, just "them over there") for their circumstances, but I do believe in helping them to change their circumstances.

suicide_circus

If the man has a vote and has someone looking after him in the form of a carer then he's about as equal as he can hope for really.

Man, that is born of a woman, hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up, and is cut down, like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay.
In the midst of life we are in death.

the_syco

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

I was driving in by Kevin Street (in town) today, and stopped at traffic lights at a large junction. As I waited at the lights, a middle-aged, frail, disabled man and his helper were walking across the street. He was so frail he was almost bent double, and moved at a very slow pace. Half way across the street, the lights turned green for the traffic behind him, and the driver of a waiting Citroen, astonishingly, beeped the horn at the disabled man. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Hope the dude was a card carrying Nazi who could ring a few mates to track down the french piece of sh|t, and have it burnt it to a crisp!

Ted111

OP are you sure it wasn't the passenger who reached over and beeped.

Historically this is the job of the person in the passenger seat. Who then shakes their head saying "god you're such an asshole steve, everyones looking at you"

DEFTLEFTHAND

lawlolawl wrote: »

Never, in the history of mankind have people been truly equal so i don't think Ireland is different to anywhere ever.

Well of course not, nature doesn't work that way. We're not all made the same.

They only thing societies can do is ensure equal rights for all and protection for those who need it.

lawlolawl

lawlolawl wrote: »

Never, in the history of mankind have people been truly equal so i don't think Ireland is different to anywhere ever.

This has to be one of the most meaningless statements ever uttered on boards.

Never, in the history of mankind, have people been truly equal. So what? Never in the history of mankind was it five minutes to six on the 9th of September 2016. A precedent in human history happens with every tick of the clock.

The fact that something has never happened is not a good reason for it not to happen. Quite the opposite, usually.

The fact that Ireland is as bad as most other countries is similarly mind-bogglingly irrelevant.

Autonomous Cowherd

Nobody in Ireland (or anywhere else as far as I know) gives a shyte about my opinion on anything. No-one I vote for ever wins. My views on everything I have to generally keep to myself in case I am carted off, or shot, or followed by Men in Black Suits. I have no money, no power, no influence of any sort. I am glad about all this. It keeps things real.

hullaballoo

I was walking down the path yesterday evening and there was an elderly lady on a Zimmer frame standing on the road near the kerb in front of a few cars parked on the road. There was traffic going in both directions on this busy road. The lady was looking straight down at the ground, I guess because she couldn't rather than wouldn't look up.

The next thing she started out across the road at a very slow pace but there was a taxi coming up the road at a fair clip who wouldn't have been able to see her hidden behind the row of cars.

I thought I was about to witness something tragic and, just like in a dream, I tried to shout but couldn't so took to frantically waving at the taxi, who was only about 30m away from her. Thankfully, this frantic waving was interpreted the right way - rather than just a demented eejit desperately trying to hail a taxi - and the driver immediately slammed on.

It gave rise to similar reflections on my part about the nature of such a disability, as well as being older and probably alone with no one even to help you across the road.