Aware & Thankful...

A blog I read touched on a subject that struck a nerve with me & makes me realize somethings for which I am thankful.  The blog is The Ravings of  Blackhaired Barbie.   This particle entry was responding to an article on Kotaku about mean-geek reactions & slurs slung at female gamers.  If you have to ask what mean-geeks are they are like mean-girls but geeky & male.  These pathetic little boys couldn't handle female players, especially not when the girl kicked their asses.  The geeks resorted to slurs consisting mainly of fat, ugly or slutty.  These comments have become some common place among these boys there is a FUS blog.  It isn't a blog to cry poor me those boys won't let me play their geek-deer games.  It's a blog mainly about the stupidity of gamer boys.

I'm aware it can be a total pain to be female in this society.   I'm not saying it's easy being male either, but it's the hell I know.  I don't have to worry about getting pregnant, having a period or getting menopause.  I don't have to worry about lower pay rates or glass ceilings.  Most men will never knew the feeling of being treated purely like property or as a piece a meat/ass, like any woman will.  I realize there are some things this society will tolerate from women that they won't from males.  I think that is total BS as well.  Simpy stated, I am thankful I am not female.

Last Thursday, CSI aired an episode about deaf people.  The culprit in the story was a total loser who thought that deaf & wheelchair bound people had everything in society given to them so he tried to con them.   I nearly spat out my drink when the character said that, the audacity & stupidity of such a statement.  Still, some people do feel that way.  I guess they never consider the trade-off or not being able to hear or being trapped in a chair forever.  Hearing & mobility, without those in this society, at least for me, would be unimaginably hard, almost herculean.  To lose my music or not be able to go into any store I wanted because it didn't meet the needs of my particular disability would be awful & frustrating.  Only an idiot would be jealous of someone else just because the other person had a disability.

I am on SSI.  I am considered disabled.  I am +.  However, I know things could be so much worse.  I am thankful for not being female, not being deaf & most importantly I am thankful I never had any children.  I'm sure some people would gasp at that statement.   But, what could I do to help them, to take care of them if I did have children?

I am aware that I am thankful for these things.   But, I can't sympathize with them, I'm not even sure I can entirely empathize with these people.  I am none of these things mention above & nothing in my life leaves feeling confident enough to say I know what they're going through & how it feels.  What I can do, is to acknowledge these peoples' struggles, not add to them, be helpful where I can & be very thankful that their lives are not my own.