Staring at Disabled People?

Why do some people stare at disabled people?  Do a self check.  If you’re walking along or sitting somewhere and you see a disabled person, what do you do?  Do you start staring at them?  Does your brain go into an analysis or curiosity mode?  Do you find yourself staring at whatever body part of the person is different from yours.  It’s like our mind is trying to create a story line that explains the difference.  You could be having a conversation with a friend and then you see the person, the disability or difference and you go into a stare/analysis mode.

A few of us who make contact with a disabled person may find your mouth asking a question.  “What happened to_____”  Fill in the blank with the appropriate body part.

My theory is that we all suffer from People’s Stupid Curiosity Syndrome, PSCS.  I think we need a three second staring rule.  That’s all you need to do your analysis.  Three seconds of stare time.  And no looking back for a second look.  We need street referees to enforce the rule.  If you are caught breaking the three second rule you get a yellow card.  Three yellow cards and you can’t walk outside for a day.

Suppose someone disabled or different was staring at you?  How would you feel?  Especially if they weren’t  smiling?  You’d think something was wrong with you or they didn’t like you. So today if you find yourself staring at a disabled person, stop it!!