raposadanoite:
noenemieswithin:
marauders4evr:
Alright. Let...
Alright. Let me explain you a thing. Hang on, where’s Eleven?
There we go! Now, I hate to be the boring one who’s going to ruin the joke for everyone. But that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Sorry.
1. Not everyone who is in a wheelchair is permanently disabled.
Many people, myself included, have the ability to stand and even walk short distances. Hence, there’s nothing saying that a woman cannot stand up for a brief moment in order to reach something from the top shelf. Yes, I understand, it’s alcohol!
Scandalous!
2. Let’s make Sherlock proud and do some deducting, shall we?
The woman’s spine is twisted. She is leaning against the shelf for support. And you can see how the lower part of her spine/bottom is arched out, meaning that she is leaning forward and putting a majority of her weight into her arm as she twists to use the other arm to reach for the bottle. She is standing a few inches away from the wheelchair which means that she probably put the brakes on, stood up, clutched onto the shelf for support, and used her other hand to reach for the bottle.
3. Is anyone going to talk about the fact that there is a person on the left side of the frame and clearly a person taking the photo?
The person that we see is walking away and of course the other person is careless enough to take the photograph.
4. Hey how about a guilt trip?
Imagine that you’re as old as the woman in the wheelchair. Perhaps it is your daughter’s birthday or you’re throwing a get-together for you and a few friends. You have gotten everything except the wine to toast. You enter a store and see a bottle that you like. Unfortunately, it is on the top shelf and you are in a wheelchair. So you shakily stand up, using your left hand to clutch onto the shelf as you try to reach towards that bottle of wine. Meanwhile, another customer will walk right past you and somebody will be heartless enough to take a photo of you, posting it online where it will soon become a cruel meme.
Now, obviously that’s not the real story. So what is? No idea. I don’t know and neither do you. For all we know, she could actually be faking a disability and subsequently slips up in the alcohol aisle. For all we know, powers that are beyond our understanding could have performed a miracle to allow her to spontaneously leap up and grab said bottle. But until we know, it’s cruel and ignorant to keep posting this picture.
Two things:
One, the other person in the picture could have offered help and had their offer declined. If I want help getting something, I’ll ask, and I know I’m not the only one. I like to do whatever I can to be independent.
Two, there needs to be major emphasis on the fact that only about 20% of people using a wheelchair cannot use their legs at all. Get it out of your head that wheelchairs are ONLY used for people without functioning legs, because it’s not true. It’s an indispensable aid to people with ANYTHING that prevents walking. And sometimes we can even walk short distances! *gasp*
That’s why I get paranoid when using my cane or wheelchair. I’m terrified of having my photo online and this happens a lot with people who can still walk without help.
