"Legitimately disabled". So I am guessing Robin Williams was perfectly well in your book KUSA?

There is a group of people who have purposely given themselves a mental disability in order to have conversations with an imaginary friend.

As for this lady, She needs help.

(October 3, 2015 at 1:17 pm)Nay_Sayer Wrote: There is a group of people who have purposely given themselves a mental disability in order to have conversations with an imaginary friend.

I guess the vast majority of the population has "given themselves" a mental disability then. I guess that means I'm mentally ill.

Religion, as much as I disagree with it, isn't a mental disability.

Merely because you can still function day-to-day and be religious. It may be mentally irrational to me and ultimately harmful, but it isn't mentally unhealthy enough to hinder functioning in society day-to-day.

If everyone took every word of it literally then it fucking would be, but if that includes the old testament, the unhealthiness of it would be the least worry, it would be things like killing your children for talking back at you that would be of greatest worry.

As much as I detest cherry-picking, thank fuck for cherry-picking. It's an irrational cognitive bias that keeps a lot of religious people sane and harmless.

(October 3, 2015 at 8:00 am)Yeauxleaux Wrote: I'm actually questioning whether this thread is serious, or whether it's a troll-ish mockery of over-dramatic "SOCIAL JUSTICE!!!" internet culture. I'm not convinced either way.

Not quite sure how another woman blinding herself affects you either. She and her family are the ones who have to live with it. We can "appropriate blindness" now apparently...

Not to discredit your experiences with blindness Quill, I understand you've had struggles. I just think this reaction is totally un-warranted and over-dramatic in this particular instance.

People have a tendency to be overly dramatic and concerned about things that directly matter to them - Most people only care about their own little cause and don't give a shit about how that will affect the common good and public order. It shows how overly individualistic and narcissistic western societies have grown to be. Everyone wants to be entitled to anything but few want to actually discuss it and listen to the other side.

(October 3, 2015 at 2:11 pm)EvidenceVersusFaith Wrote: Religion, as much as I disagree with it, isn't a mental disability.

Merely because you can still function day-to-day and be religious. It may be mentally irrational to me and ultimately harmful, but it isn't mentally unhealthy enough to  hinder functioning in society day-to-day.

If everyone took every word of it literally then it fucking would be, but if that includes the old testament, the unhealthiness of it would be the least worry, it would be things like killing your children for talking back at you that would be of greatest worry.

As much as I detest cherry-picking, thank fuck for cherry-picking. It's an irrational cognitive bias that keeps a lot of religious people sane and harmless.

I think cherry-picking is different from open disagreement or rejection - Most believers I know who don't follow all the bible claim that they rejected certain verses for many reasons, so they're not really picking, just rejecting some as unworthy. I agree that the standard used to evaluate religion are biased, but there's not an easy way to tell and convince people that magical sky daddy doesn't exist.

You have to be a cherry picker when you read the Bible. Even if you try to follow the Bible word-for-word, there will come a point where you are forced to be selective about morality, because the Bible flatly contradicts itself on numerous things.

(October 3, 2015 at 3:25 pm)Yeauxleaux Wrote: You have to be a cherry picker when you read the Bible. Even if you try to follow the Bible word-for-word, there will come a point where you are forced to be selective about morality, because the Bible flatly contradicts itself on numerous things.

Exactly, but from my limited understanding of the English language cherry-picking means choosing what is better, more desirable or even more moral, and that is not the case with the bible - If you read many contradictions, you can adopt any criteria you wish and the truth is that hating gays is not the most desirable option but some groups still pick that option - Even the most fundie needs to make a few choices otherwise they would act incoherently.

With any situation like hating gays or being "pro life" (always in quotes for me), I think the issue isn't so much the religion, it's people using it as an excuse. Not going to absolve religion of gay-bashing, it's there in the Bible for you to see, but it's the fixation some Christians have on this one little sentence that's interesting. You notice how many people are suddenly devout Christians when the topic of homosexuality or abortion comes up? And these are more often than not people who have atrocious track records for adultery and scandal themselves.

"pro life" is a fucking joke and I don't know how more people don't see right through it. George Carlin said it best, with these conservatives it's "pro-life" until the child is born, then it's "no welfare! no food stamps! no gay adoption!". And again these same conservatives love to talk about some "pro-life" but in the same breath, defend America's poxy "right to bear arms". You can miss me with this "pro-life" bullshit.

(October 3, 2015 at 1:49 am)BrokenQuill92 Wrote:

(October 3, 2015 at 1:33 am)Faith No More Wrote: Why would you want to shun her if she's mentally ill?

Do have any idea the mental and physical adjustments people like me go through? Learning to dress yourself? Learning to eat without making a total mess. The self-consciousness of going out for a walk. The sensory overload when suddenly you have to wait and listen for doorways? The overwhelming smells? The people who coddle you constantly? The loneliness because most people don't want to date a disabled woman? The -75% employment rate? Fighting tooth and nail to paid a proper wage?  She's a total ass.

No, she is disabled and was disabled before she blinded herself.   She's mentally ill.  Blinding herself is a symptom, not a political act.  It has nothing to do with you or other blind people.  I wouldn't want to be blind for a moment.  And I'm sure you do go through a lot because you are.  But she is not you.  And her illness does not reflect on your blindness.