Posted on 06/17/2013 5:42:11 PM PDT by grundle
What is wrong with this picture?
It's one of those things that you don't get, until you get it. Unless you are eternally empathetic, you look at this photo and don't see much wrong at all.
To Anne Belanger, mother of Miles, the photo is unbearable to look at.
When the class portrait for her son's Grade 2 class came home, she opened it excitedly, and immediately shoved it back in the envelope. She couldn't look at it. It broke her heart.
Anne's son, Miles, has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. At the age of 13 months, his parents were told that Miles would never walk, he has spent his life in a wheelchair.
Miles knows he's different than the rest of the kids, but he still tries to fit in. So there he is, on the far side of the image, neck craning as far as he can to stretch into the frame with the rest of his friends. He's beaming. It's school picture day and he's thrilled.
But the photo still broke Anne's heart. The photo was a clear example of how set apart her son is from society. Instead of a big group hug photo with Miles at the center, and classmates and teachers all around, a fully inclusive image, he was stuffed off to the side, some 3 feet away. An after thought, it seems.
(Excerpt) Read more at shine.yahoo.com ...
I haven’t goaded you at all.
I was asking questions. Apparently you think - but don’t know - that your child should be included in plays or band, even if he doesn’t want to be? or is not able to do those things?
Some of the people here are really heartless and have obviously never had to raise a child who has a disability.
the photographer could have easily moved to class to the right end - leaving no gap between them and the boy - the clueless teachers could have arranged that as well -
those that think ‘mommy’ is being over sensitive - may you never be in her shoes. Thank your lucky stars. And lower your noses a bit. Rarified air clouds understanding...
exactly - and any one of the teachers could have done the same - clueless - as are some freepers here
jerk
Constantly referring to an innocent child as “the cripple” is another good example. I just don’t get this need that some people have to insult disabled people, and treat them as untermenschen. As though the other children would have been harmed by the inclusion of this boy with the rest of the group.
Kids that are hurting on the inside because people around them are clueless - more often then not, put on a brave face and a big smile. It is a defense mechanism.
People that don't understand that "are the problem"
What is your point? Come out with it. Enough of the questions.
Yup, it was justa poor composition.
You'd never make it as an Empath.
to repeat m y post # 187
"Kids that are hurting on the inside because people around them are clueless - more often then not, put on a brave face and a big smile. It is a defense mechanism."
The 'smile on his face' is more likely a brave face masking hurt...a face he probably wears a lot to cope in a clueless world.
May you never know what that feels like.
I didn’t have a point
totally unworthy post for FR - but that’s getting to be common.
(FR isn’t what it used to be.)
It's a shame so many Freepers now seem to be people who would be better fitted to DU
Clueless: 101
You summed it up pretty well.
The people who insist this child didn’t deserve to be included with the other children probably wouldn’t say the same things about a child without disabilities.
What if we took the kid who is in the middle of the group, and had him switch places, to be the one singled out for banishment from the group? Would they be okay with that? And if they discovered the reason for singling him out was because his favorite toy was a water gun, would they join in ostracizing him too? I doubt it. I think their disdain is reserved for kids in wheelchairs, women on feeding tubes, and others they view as less than.
Maybe the mother understands that a smile can be a cover up to keep from crying -
Seems., from the posts here, that a lot of freepers have been fortunate enough not to live with daily hurt, hurt they have leanred to cover up with a smile, because most peole don't see or don't give a damn.
Many posts in this thread are proof of that.
AMEN
yes it does if you look at the bench seats. He was right next to the seat...the boy looks happy and smiling. A smart mother would focus on that and tell her son he has a great smile...
It’s a class picture and I’ve had four kids who over the course of their entire k-12 life, hated their class picture at one time or another. It’s not a big deal really. Hell, I hated numerous class pictures I was in way back when.
Geez, it amazes what we’ve becone.
Maybe Mommy or the media wants an issue?
Maybe we really are becoming a nation of whiners?
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