When you see a handicapped person...

[Madam Pain]

*Please don't take the questions in this post the wrong way. I am being serious, and am not poking fun at those with handicaps.*

Okay, suppose you're walking through the mall and you stop to look at a booth full of colorful merchandise. When you get bored with that, you then turn around toward your original destination, but right in front of you is an old man in a wheelchair. He has one leg, and what remains of the other leg is a swollen stub. Do you...

1. Look away immediately upon making eye contact? (Because had you been prepared, you wouldn't have looked at all)

2. Find yourself staring? (It's just too great a shock and you can't help it)

3. Try to do penance for looking at the bad leg by nodding politely or expressing your pity/compassion/apologies some other way? (Oops)

4. Act in a way that you know to be blatantly inappropriate? (Especially when you are with friends)

...What do you do?

[zz1000zz]

I ignore it, as it doesn't matter.

[Psychotic Episode]

It's probably a combination of the first 2. I'm actually quite a shy person (I know, shock horror) but I tend to stare alot. Like on the bus to school, I'll stare at someone and then when they look at me I'll look away.

[Czevak]

I'd kick 'em.

[Ceol]

1. Look away immediately upon making eye contact

I'm incredibly shy and hate situations like that. However, I would look away immediately upon making eye contact with anyone, so it wouldn't be the leg that would cause me to do that. I might avoid looking at him after that though, which I guess in a way is sort of rude.

[Karou_ken]

I just act normal. Just because there is a disabled person nearby doesnt mean I'll get all uncomfortable and act all sympathic and I mean its not like I dont have any sympathy for their current condition but you shouldnt really change your mood just because they are handicapped because its pretty rude. I'm sure that they just wanted to be treated normally like everyone else so why not treat them like a normal person. And I dont mean act rude and make cruel jokes or anything. Just mind your own business. Im sure you dont go staring strangely at every single person you see and act all sad for them. So just be your self around them, its not like they're gonna jump out and bite you.

[Avanti Lark]

I do none of the four. There was a time when I'd turn away immediately upon making eye contact. Fact of the matter is, that's not the polite thing to do. You see tons of people walking down the street all the time, but you never look away to avoid staring. People look at eachother. That's what we do. It's often more insulting to a person with a handicap to not be looked at at all than to be stared at.

So what do I do? I smile at him and go along on my way, just as I do to anyone else who meets my eye.

[Liffy Glitter]

Ignore. I do that to "normal" people too, so... um, whatever?

[WongFeiHung]

Act normally. My Uncle only has one leg, I'm used to it.

[marixa]

Jed the Angsty Ghost

I'd kick 'em.

yea and if i saw you kick it i would get a baseball bat and hit you in the balls domokun

[Dark Angel Of Silence]

How about neither of those? I'd walk away, but I was a 'hahdicapped person' today when my teacher told me to take down the thing that helps them walk to a room. The best way was by doing what handicaps do, use it. Climbing up the stairs was the hardest thing though. whee

[Reverend Smooth]

marixa

Jed the Angsty Ghost

I'd kick 'em.

yea and if i saw you kick it i would get a baseball bat and hit you in the balls domokun

I am not an it, yo. gonk

(I do have two legs, but I do need a wheelchair.)

I'd also deck Jed, though.

[Totally Disturbed]

first or last one! im quite shy myself, but sometimes i can show my true feelings about something!

[marixa]

WongFeiHung

Act normally. My Uncle only has one leg, I'm used to it.

me too my dads been paralyzed ever since i can remember so im usedto it my friends are usedto it plus my minivan has handicapped on the liscense plate so if i seriously wanted to i could park there and not get fined for it hehe but im not that mean

[Mitani_Yuuko]

It doesn't matter to me. I wouldn't even notice them if some people didn't have massive wheelchairs.