30 July 2001
Sometimes, I really hate people.
I especially hate people with children during school holidays.
For those of you who have just recently joined us, I walk with a crutch. It's there to help me balance because I'm not as steady on my feet as I once was (as D was rudely reminded when last week he had to drag me off the middle of a road, again - but that's another story entirely). So, bearing this in mind, I walk a bit slower than I used to, and am generally less responsive when obstacles are placed in my path.
Particularly when said obstacle is a young toddler, who is wobbling all over the place, right in front of me, and comes within a whisker of actually walking into my knees.
Where, I hear you ask, was said toddler's mother while her precious child was trying to play chicken with my kneecaps?
Talking to her mother. That's where, and completely oblivious to what her daughter was doing.
Oblivious, that is, until I made a loud, irritated noise and slammed my crutch on the ground in a desperate attempt not to fall on my face, and flatten her daughter. At which point she suddenly developed a maternal instinct and snatched her child out out of the path of danger.
Which would have been fine. I didn't necessarily need an apology, but what I did not expect to her was: "Fuck sake! I'll straighten her face for her..." directed towards my back when she clearly thought I was out of earshot.
I turned round as fast as I could and said "Pardon me?". I think I surprised her because she stuck her head down, grabbed her daughter and shot off as fast as she could. I don't think she expected anyone to stand up to her, much less a fat cripple like me.
I really thought that I'd got used to the ignorance and rudeness by now, but it really pissed me off.
I especially hate the "hard nut" mentality round here, where manners are a sign of weakness, and even if you're in the wrong, you get to be rude and angry and indignant because someone had the cheek to be inconvenienced by your actions.
I know that being a parent is difficult, but I get more and more concerned (and pissed off) when I see parents that are completely oblivious to what their offspring is doing most of the time. If it's one thing I've had to adjust to it's that getting around under normal circumstances with no obstacles in front of me is no guarantee that I won't have an accident, and that one of these days, I'm not going to be able to stop in time, or something will happen and I'll fall, and probably injure myself. I also can't guarantee that I won't wind up hurting one of these ankle-biters in the process and then there really will be trouble, because I won't hesitate to claim for compensation if parental negligence causes me to wind up in a wheelchair or in hospital again.
I have enough shit to deal with in my daily life, I don't need it made life more difficult for me.
I only need to keep dragging you out of the middle of the road because you have this fascination with the gravel that covers the white lines and you feel the need to see it up close.
... the online home and (not very) alter(ed)-ego of Ann McMeekin, a recently freelance Web Accessibility Consultant.
... passionate about many things, most of which will turn up on this site at some time or other.
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