Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!think.com!yale.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!101!460.0!Mika.Pyyhkala
From: Mika.Pyyhkala@p0.f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org (Mika Pyyhkala)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: blind politics
Message-ID: <16102@handicap.news>
Date: 17 Jun 91 20:25:33 GMT
Sender: wtm@bunker.isc-br.com
Reply-To: Mika.Pyyhkala@p0.f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org
Organization: FidoNet node 1:101/460.0 - VI/BUG, Holbrook MA
Lines: 44
Approved: wtm@bunker.hcap.fidonet.org

Index Number: 16102

[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hi Tim,
Good point for discussion you brought up.
Another possible situation to ponder:
We likee to talk about airlines on this echo, so
heres another twist to the airline, and things you've discussed.
Now, let's suppose you are on a flight.  Everything has
gone fine, no wheelchairs, no arrogant flight crews.
Your sitting back having a drink, and the aircraft is hijacked.
Finally, the hijackers land the plain, and there everybody
is on the ground in some airport, panick stricken, unsure
what is going to happen.
Now let's suppose that you are the only handicapped
person on the plane.
Also, let's suppose that you are about 20 years of age, and
that there are lots of 20 year-olds, and you are the only blind ones.
Let's also supose that there are some elderly people on
board.
Now, often hijackers will release "elderly, and handicapped," people.
What if the hijackers said they would release you?
Or, what if they took it a step further, and said they would
release you because you were blind?
You could say on, and tell them you don't want special treatment
because you are blind.  Who knows what they would do, or
how they would react.
Or, you could agree to be released, and then on TV, and
in the press, you could here, John Doe,
a blind person, was released from the Flight 417 hijacking,
while the other passengers are on the plane.
Both choices would involve a degree of disadvantage and risk:
On the one hand, you could be more assured of life.
Or on the other hand,  you could stay on, and I'm sure
you'd get a lot of press attention there too, headlines like,
"blind person stays on hijacked aircraft, says prerelease was
discriminatory"
So, what any one of us would do, I don't know if we could predict for
sure.

--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!101!460.0!Mika.Pyyhkala
Internet: Mika.Pyyhkala@p0.f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org