Boy with down syndrome scores touchdown

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/74822947.html

Now, I can certainly see why people would feel good about this story and I realized it was done with the best of intentions, but as a person with a disability, I have to say that my first thought after reading this was how patronizing! It's almost as if it was more about everybody else feeling good rather than the boy with down syndrome.

Of course the boy is going to feel happy scoring a touchdown, but he probably wouldn't feel very happy if he knew that the other team just let him without trying.

I'm sorry, but many people with disabilities are only able to survive because society is patronizing.

This didn't hurt anyone, and if it made the kid feel good, I'm fine with folks being patronizing. I'm sorry he doesn't have the same level of sophistication that you do, chump.

Here's the touchdown run:

Link

He looks like a young Purple Jesus!

Good for him though, I don't see the harm. Nice to see his teammates celebrating with him at the end too.

Actually he has first down syndrome.

Please elaborate.

I'm not saying it hurt somebody. However, I do think that it's more about everybody else "feeling good" than the "kid". How would you feel if your allegedly successful business was due to people feeling sorry for you and absolutely nothing to do with your own efforts?

Again, not saying it harmed anybody.

By the way, did you get my friend request on Facebook?

I'm sure that should make up for all the times the elastic on his diaper has been torn and looped on top of his head.

No, I didn't get your friend request.

What do you mean, elaborate? Many people with disabilities would be dead if society didn't take care of them. And there is nothing wrong with society taking care of them.

It is sort of patronizing though, don't you think?

I was gonna say touchdown syndrome...

Yeah, I didn't even read the article. *shamed*

Wow! He was so fast, it looked like most of the defense had given up on even trying to tackle him.




Seriously, good on everyone involved.

I kid, I kid.

No, I don't think so. There is a difference between providing a service (which provides employment, I might add) that people require because they are human beings and fooling someone into thinking they have accomplished something, supposedly to make the person feel good when it seems to me to be more about making they themselves feel good, which is patronizing. All in my opinion, of course.

Well-intentioned? Yes. Good? I'm not so sure.

Hmm, I'll say that was well-intentioned. I hope he doesn't find out he didn't really score on his own. As long as he doesn't know, he'll be happy.
If he does find out... yeee-ouch. Dunno that I'd want to find out if I were him. It would hurt.

What do you think about low level jobs for people with severe mental handicaps? I've been in scenarios before where they require 1 on 1 supervision. The supervisor makes more than the handicapped person is paid and the business gets a tax break. I'm talking about for things like washing dishes.

Isn't that patronizing?

I would say that it certainly can be and probably is. Unless it is teaching job skills for future, more suitable employment.

Nope. They can't even was dishes on their own. How are they going to do something more challenging?

I can understand the desire to work, though. Most of us want to be useful, and being handicapped should not be an impediment to that.

J.

Didn't some retarded kid score a basket during a game last year?
I seem to recall something like that.

Then it's pretty much just paid babysitting and yes, patronizing.

My Canadian friends will know what I mean when I say:

Gretzky!

Off the top of my head, I don't know what you're referring to.