The BBC news, gone stupid. (not meant as a political post)

[technowhistle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXNJ3MZ-AUo

Jody McIntyre who is a wheelchair user was allegedly pulled out of his wheelchair and dragged across the floor by police at a demonstration about tuition fees.

In this interview with the BBC, cerebal palsy sufferer Jody gets asked by the reporter if he threw anything at the police in a recent protest after he had already explained that he needs his brother to wheel him around.

I was shocked to hear such insinuations put to Jody who totally outclasses the sceptical, ignorant style of interview shown here with superior intelligence and grace.

Also, the reporter looks upon the term 'revolutionary' as something bad. Now we all have different opinions on the tuition fee rise and the demonstrations and violence that happened in London but whether a revolution is bad or good is totally subjective.

Concise, intelligent, impartial interviewing you would have come to expect from the BBC this ain't.

Unfortunately the uploading/encoding process or something means the video skips in places but you still get the idea.


Mods, please read and delete this post if it is not suitable for this forum - I just wanted a good moan.

[mutepointe]

People with disabilities are regularly abused and taken advantage of, even by the most well meaning of people. It's a regular occurrence around these parts for someone in a wheelchair (usually motorized) to be traveling down the side of the road and get wiped out by a car (sometimes killed) and the response from the public is to ask why they were going down the side of the road. Like people with disabilities should just sit in the livingroom or nursing home and wait to die.

That this story makes news is the news. That a policemen is doing the abusing is nothing new either. Probably thought the guy in the wheelchair should be thankful for what he receives and didn't deserve to protest.

[I.D.10-t]

Interesting, looking up Jody McIntyre, it seems something similar happened 3 months earlier but in that report he was also called a journalist (1). His name also brings up other protests and activities(2). In the latest incident there is mention of officers not displaying identification(3).

1) http://www.demotix.com/news/533789/anar ... -fees-vote
2) http://www.google.com/search?q=Jody+McI ... =firefox-a
3) http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/dec/1 ... wheelchair

[dwest]

In Viriginia the police prefer cars for getting the wheelchair bound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn8orkOhvwM

[mutepointe]

What an opportunity to point out how wording minimalizes people who use wheelchairs. "The wheelchair bound" takes the person out of the whole definition. This is a perfect example of a well-meaning person who just doesn't know better. People don't want to be referred to as wheelchair bound anymore than you would want your whole identity referred to as computer bound or Slovak-impaired.

Here's a website that promotes "People First Language."
http://www.disabilityisnatural.com/

Here's the wiki page for those familiar with that format. The wiki page has a lot of criticism of the political correct people first language but this is the current standard in the United States.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People-first_language

(As a side note, a few of us, probably other people too, are trying to come up with a better word than "disabled". Differently abled is one of the best that we've come up with so far. We'd like to get the point across that maybe a disability isn't a disability. You're welcome to help.)

[Hotblack]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXNJ3MZ-AUo

Jody McIntyre who is a wheelchair user was allegedly pulled out of his wheelchair and dragged across the floor by police at a demonstration about tuition fees.

I in no way condone the actions of the police. In fact it's disgusting and to drag someone out of their wheelchair like that is inexcusable, but we're only getting one side of the story so far. In an interview on BBC Breakfast this morning Jody McIntyre refused to answer (or rather just ducked the question) on why he was involved in trouble. I await to see and hear more before I make any decisions on the story.

[I.D.10-t]

(As a side note, a few of us, probably other people too, are trying to come up with a better word than "disabled". Differently abled is one of the best that we've come up with so far. We'd like to get the point across that maybe a disability isn't a disability. You're welcome to help.)

An interesting example would be the Deaf community. They have claimed their word and use it to refer to a cultural identity. Not the same thing, but I can think of other communities that went from the never ending defensive relabeling to a more offense based outreach/education campaign.

[dwest]

I just call my mum the rollinator and my sis the crip. Around these parts we call it differently en-abled, a bit more positive than differently abled. I reckon West Virginia is a little hide-bound.

[mutepointe]

I just call my mum the rollinator and my sis the crip. Around these parts we call it differently en-abled, a bit more positive than differently abled. I reckon West Virginia is a little hide-bound.

I'll bring up differently enabled when I see folks this week. And I must say, you've come a long way already to mention your families members without mentioning their Slovak-impairedness. I'm sure it's something your whole family faces daily with bravery and resignation that there is no cure.

[dwest]

I just call my mum the rollinator and my sis the crip. Around these parts we call it differently en-abled, a bit more positive than differently abled. I reckon West Virginia is a little hide-bound.

I'll bring up differently enabled when I see folks this week. And I must say, you've come a long way already to mention your families members without mentioning their Slovak-impairedness. I'm sure it's something your whole family faces daily with bravery and resignation that there is no cure.

We're having a mini-UN here for Christmas Eve but no Slovaks are on our Chekov Liszt, got everybody from around them though. I guess they'll just have to go Hungry, nobody'll home though, they'll all coming here too. If you guys hadn't been so set on getting the divorce ya could have come with the Czechs.

[chrisoff]

There are far more offensive articles about this than the BBC. Just witness Richard Littlejohn (surprise) in the Daily Mail (surprise!):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/colum ... round.html

[I.D.10-t]

From the outside it seems to me like the area has three groups of people broken down by generations. The oldest want what was promised, the middle age finding that they are scraping together to afford what they still have, and the youngest adults realizing they can never afford what they need. This seems to be the cause of conflict.

Is this at all a fair statement?

[s1m0n]

In an interview on BBC Breakfast this morning Jody McIntyre refused to answer (or rather just ducked the question) on why he was involved in trouble. I await to see and hear more before I make any decisions on the story.

Was he willing to say when he stopped beating his wife?

[I.D.10-t]

If only English had the word for "I cannot answer that question because it is based on a false premise."

[dwest]

So is McIntyre actually a student with a horse in this race or professional provocateur?