A voice for others

Today was an interesting day. Besides it being the day after Sports Day (that will have to be another posting for tomorrow), I witnessed something that drives me to a point of rage and it leaves me wondering about how the world is in an urgent need to rid itself of ignorance, intolerant and cruelty.

This evening, I went to see Bride and Prejudice with my mates Kate and Maie. The movie was great - a bollywood film in English. Afterwards, we made our way to our friend's Renee and Phil's condominium complex. After having an ice cream cone, I decided that I should be heading home. I walked down to the train station (Taringa) and waited for the train to come. While I was walking to the station (which is less than 250m outside of Renee and Phil's complex), I noticed that there was a man who had a physical disability (I would guess that it would be cerebral palsy but I am not certain). He was also heading in the same direction as me. There were a few guys (I would say they were from the ages of 18 - 21 years old) and they were taking the piss out of this guy. They were calling him extremely vulgar and rude names and making gestures at him. Other people on the platform were looking at what was happening and no one intervened. Well, not no one...I did. I told those guys to lay off and that what they were doing was completely childish and utterly assinine. I could feel my blood boiling. Why on God's green earth are there people like that in this world? Why is it such that people with physical and intellectual disabilities (including socio-economic differences) face such hardships from members of their own society? I could feel myself shaking with anger. I know that if I were the only one on the platform, then I would have placed myself in danger by confronting those guys but I didn't care. I noticed that some people were smiling and making comments after I told those guys off. In fact, the gentleman that those assholes were making fun of, came up to me on the stop that we got off on (Toowong) and thanked me. It was hard to understand him at first but I have had experiences with having long and complicated conversations with people with cerebral palsy (an acquaintance of mine in Calgary - Mike - him and I went to the same high school and university. He has severe cerebral palsy and he is doing a PhD in political science). From what I could make from the short conversation, he told me that no one has stuck up for him in a public place such as a train platform. Most of the time he ignores it and continues what he is doing. We shook hands and I scurried up the stairs and out of the station. It was the first time that I have cried since leaving Calgary.