This is an interesting perspective. Although, being blind myself, I’ve often told blind jokes that others find funny, I now wonder whether all blind people would be appreciative of such jokes. I think I’ll try to be more sensitive to this issue going forward.
“I’m not racist! Some of my best friends are black!”
“I’m not bigoted! Some of my best friends are LGBT!”
This century-old defence is generally dismissed, especially on the internet. People try to claim that, due to the presence of minorities in their circle of friends, they are above reproach. They can’t possibly be prejudiced. Would a racist have black friends? Would a bigot have gay friends? The general consensus is yes!a thousand times yes! Your best friends don’t shield you from your biases, even if they are willing to ignore or even embrace them.
Several months ago, someone I respect very much (let’s call her Alison) made a stereotypical blind joke: “Shouldn’t ads for blind people be on the radio instead of TV?” or something to that effect. I took no issue with the joke’s complete lack of comedic value; your mileage may vary, perhaps? What I did…
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albertruel 