Has there ever been a time when you stood your ground on an issue despite the risk of losing your friends or even a job?
I have gotten into multiple verbal fights with many close friends and apprentices. Most fights are usually about politics or religion and everyone knows there is not ever a concrete right or wrong, only the individual’s opinion. One of the worst arguments I have got into was with a coworker of mine who argued that is was unnecessary for our government to spend money on helping our mentally and physically handicap Americans. I have a special needs younger sister and have spent my whole life around handicap kids, which was my flame into the argument. This coworker said some of the most ignorant things I have ever heard and was sincere with what he was saying about how they are just “retards” and it was their parents fault of the outcome of their offspring. I usually am not a physical person but I have the mentality of helping and defending those in need. Long story short, manager kicked both of us out and I have not said a word to the kid ever since.
I have never met anyone who is so ignorant as to believe that all special needs children are a result of their parents. I am happy to know that you stood up to him until you got kicked out of work :) but hopefully you didn’t get fired or anything. I also have a brother who is “handicapped.” He was born without vision but with surgery he gained minimal vision, so his life was difficult but just recently he went completely blind again. This was in no way my mother’s fault. It was determined that there were high levels of mercury in the water and that is what most likely led to his blindness. There was a class-action lawsuit but my brother was not included because the other children affected had different symptoms and he would “weaken the defense.” Needless to say, without the help of the government, my brother would be completely dependent on my family. This co-worker of yours must have been extremely ignorant on the causes of mental disorders and physical defects.
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