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 ...
This kid doesn’t need to be toughened up and taught that he isn’t welcome among some people because of his disability.
This is incredibly stupid. WHERE DOES THE ARTICLE STATE THAT THE CHILD WAS UPSET?! NOWHERE! YOU are making assumptions and building your own story. I told you about my MiL to show you that you are lost in PC crap. I guess it's permanent.
I am truly sorry for that.
Have a great afternoon.
“This is a case of a child being excluded.”
No this is a case of a school photographer not framing a picture properly. That is all this is.
You have no idea how much or how little the boy in the wheelchair usually interacts with his classmates or what limits are placed on his participation in class activities.
People who draw conclusions by looking at one piece of evidence without any facts to explain the evidence are called Liberals.
Keep in mind the adage “If you hear hoofbeats, watch for horses not zebras.”
Teachers don’t make the call on how the class photo is taken. The photographer does.
Thank you for your story.
Let me tell you something that most will probably find hard to believe, but if they do, I’d recommend some readings on the subject of manipulation of images. I’ve studied the subject, and practiced it for a long time, and am still learning.
There nothing intrinsically wrong with the photograph! Nothing, nada! In fact, if someone like this mom insisted on interpreting its content emotionally (as she did), he/she could very well interpret it positively. Look, the teacher and the disabled kid are in prominent/privileged positions framing the scene. Or something like that.
What I am saying is that the meaning of the content of the photograph is imposed on us by the tearjerking story that accompanies it, and definitely not by anything within it. This is something to be aware of, as such things are used to influence our votes, and, more often, our buying decisions. The hidden persuaders at work.
Why, it’s a nice picture.
No, he didn't have to be the center of attention with a big "group hug" about him, but there shouldn't be such a gap. This could easily have been fixed by having the teacher on the right side of the photo instead of the left, and having the kids shift down that way.
Of course, that would require moving the camera, and those guys set up once at the beginning and that's the end of it.
But "mama drama" aside, it's a terribly composed picture.
I agree. It was a bad picture, could have been better, but its not something to make a federal civil rights case over.
“Instead of a big group hug photo with Miles at the center”
All about “me”.
The “dream” is a bit excessive on the “exclusion” (excludes all of the other kids from the focus of a group hug).
OK, I think we’ve all become a little callous to people who are truly disadvantaged. The liberals have stolen our compassion with all the ADA, prostitution of minority status, and all the “for the children” justification of their agenda.
I don’t think it’s a “Momma Drama”, or “...center of attention” issue at all.
I’ve coached baseball and T-ball for about 20 years, and I’ve run across lots of parents who think their kids are the best players on the planet, and they don’t mess with me. Why? Because I treat EVERY kid as important, and give no quarter to whiners.
You just have to remember what it’s like to be a kid. Look out for them, and make sure you spend time working on their problems. I’m a 53 year-old man who HATES the “everybody deserves a trophy” culture. I can recognize whiny parents and kids a mile away, and this doesn’t sound like it.
I would have had the kids move all the way down the bleachers next to his wheelchair. He wanted to be included. Just like we all do.
Jerk.
It’s still a elementary school picture. We all looked dorky. I just think you’re over analyzing it and I think that will cause more trauma than if you just ignored it.
I’m chilling. It’s still a elementary school picture. We all looked like dorks.
I think it would have been better/less traumatizing for the young man if they would have just ignored it.
it’s called being funny. handicapped or not, a fart joke is the same
a jerk would point out that by having the radically handicapped kid in the class, instead of a special needs class, the other kids education suffers as they get least of the teachers time. but hey... as long as we all feel good, what does it matter if little Johnny, pictured to the left, doesn’t have his problems with basic math or reading addressed
best if we all ignore the obvious and emote a little harder. right?
It’s refreshing to read rational posts like yours.
Nope. Not buying it. The kid is doing everything he can to be included, and a jerk is making fun of him. You wanna laugh at first grade toilet humor? Fine. Not funny to me. Just dumb.
Thank you. Have a great weekend.
Lemme tell you about Egon:
Before his family knew they had an autistic child, in a small old-fashioned country school where ALL the kids played on the playground at the same time, and there was only ONE impaired (retarded) kid in the bunch of about 43, he was the first to defend her from teasing and turned the tide in her favor without any adult supervision OR SPECIFIC TRAINING from home, per se.
God knew what He was doing when He blessed Egon’s family with a disabled kid — and I don’t remember whether that was before or after that little guy was “on deck,” but it was certainly before the family knew we had a needy fella on board this Lifeboat.
More on Egon’s family: brother next to youngest (autistic) missed out on a lot of enjoyment because his companion-brother (he was #3 of 4) wasn’t “there” for him...his biggest sorrow growing up...
As a Coast Guard “lifer” at an event in San Diego a couple of years back, he ended up having to do a takedown on an Asperger’s young adult who was panicking because of unexpected separation from his dad...#3 did the takedown on asphalt efficiently WHILE protecting the young man’s head from impact, then had to remind the gathered crowd to get him some help...after reuniting dad and son, the son shook hands and thanked our Coastie...perhaps at dad’s prompting, but both dad and son understood — and #3 was given a chance to see his loss through different eyes...God is good.
Say “yes” to God’s redemptive love - that’s the lesson for all of us — and setting good examples for each other just grows out of that: thanks, Egon, for being such a good example, over and over and in so many ways.
I love you.
Pinging Egon to posts 336 & 337.
Thank you Orgiveme for the additional background.
I want to thank you again, and make sure you understand how important it is that you made those positive posts. One of the FReepers who was saying mean things about disabled children happens to be someone I thought I knew. It’s very hurtful to know how she really feels about people with disabilities. So your timing was perfect. I really needed to see that positive attitude on display right then.
Go have yourself a blessed and happy weekend.
You are very welcome...we are very blessed, nk.
We have four sons, and we are proud of all of them, and they are ALL compassionate, including the youngest...and I don’t remember teaching them that...maybe not falling for the swan-song by a special ed teacher and a pediatrician urging us to institutionalize our little guy had something to do with it, I’m thinkin’...teacher’s hubby was a psychiatrist at the state hospital, the doc had done that with his own we learned later...hoping he had no choice, but not knowing...thank God for the Lanterman Act in California...
(smile)
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