This is topic Locke on Handicapped Parking Spaces in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by HRE (Member # 6263) on :
 
Notice: This is an attempt at humor. If you feel that this is offensive and cannot take it as a joke, please refrain from letting me know.

Locke stated that the government must protect my life, liberty, and possesions, else my contract between the governed and the government is null and void.

Since I stand greater odds of being hit and killed the longer I am in a parking lot, the government is not adequately protecting my life. Instead, they are giving a greater right to life to someone who is less likely to contribute to society than I am.

Thus, my contract with the government can be justly revoked and rebellion should quickly ensue to rectify the injustice.

You might suggest that a basic harms-benefits analysis would find that due to mobility, a handicapped person has the same likelyhood of being hit going from their space to the store as a non-handicapped person.

If this is the case, you have failed to consider that people react more benevolently around the handicapped and elderly. Cars are much more likely to slow down for Christopher Reeve crossing a parking lot than for Mr. T.

In fact, if you were to require the handicapped to park furthest from the store, the parking lot would be full of them. This would cause vehicles to generally travel slower in parking lots, making the situation safer for both the pedestrians and the handicapped.
 
Posted by jebus202 (Member # 2524) on :
 
If Mr. T was crossing a parking lot I'd be in full reverse out of fear of my car exploding from the coolness.

If Christopher Reeve was crossing a parking lot, I'd run that zombie over and kick his ass all the way back to his grave.
 
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
 
*shrug*

Sure, it's offensive, but considering how much anti-disability stuff is out there, it's pretty mild.

It's also flawed in its reasoning in many areas -

A few examples:

*People in wheelchairs are probably more likely to get hit by a car due to the fact that their heads are lower, one of the reasons that kids get hit more often than adults. They're harder to see.

*Many people need to be closer, due to things like unshoveled snow, limited strength (people with heart conditions, emphysema, etc.)

*Need to define what "contribution" is before you go making declarations about who's more likely to contribute - or in the case of elderly disabled persons - who has already made contributions.
 
Posted by HRE (Member # 6263) on :
 
quote:
*Many people need to be closer, due to things like unshoveled snow, limited strength (people with heart conditions, emphysema, etc.)
So they plow the snow while they're at it. That's what I call making a contribution to society.

quote:
*People in wheelchairs are probably more likely to get hit by a car due to the fact that their heads are lower, one of the reasons that kids get hit more often than adults. They're harder to see.
I guess it wouldn't be too difficult to supply them with those tall red flags...

quote:
*Need to define what "contribution" is before you go making declarations about who's more likely to contribute - or in the case of elderly disabled persons - who has already made contributions.
Bah, semantics.
 
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
 
Have fun.

I'm not playing any more.

The subject isn't particularly funny or clever.

[ November 07, 2004, 08:10 PM: Message edited by: sndrake ]
 
Posted by Rappin' Ronnie Reagan (Member # 5626) on :
 
quote:
If you feel that this is offensive and cannot take it as a joke, please refrain from letting me know.
So, basically, you don't care whether you're offensive or not?
 
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
 
Be glad that making a contrabution to society isn't a neccessity for justifying ones life...

Otherwise you would be more SOL than most of us.

Kwea

[ November 07, 2004, 10:22 PM: Message edited by: Kwea ]
 
Posted by jebus202 (Member # 2524) on :
 
OMG STFU YOU ARE INSULTING DISABLED PEOPLE!
 
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
 
What are they gonna do? Beat me up? With their canes? Seriously, I have nothing against the disabled. I just think it's odd that the Walmart in my home town has three parking rows that are taken up to the halfway point with handicap spaces. Seriously, how many times are there going to be 40 handicapped people at Walmart at the same time? Answer, in my home town (Average age 70), about the time everyone gets their social security check, usually ever 1st and 3rd Thursday. We avoid Walmart on those days...
edit: [I actually find this funny, not because I'm morbid or anything, but because I've been stuck behind an elderly person traveling at the healthy clip of 5 MPH in a 25 MPH zone, with no passing lane, for 20 minutes. I'm all for public transportation for the Elderly, which in turn would decrease the need for handicapped spots]

[ November 08, 2004, 01:40 PM: Message edited by: Boris ]
 
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
 
It might be interesting to have reserved parking spots up front for the totally self centered.
 
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
 
The humility challenged?

I think those would fill up too quickly.

Kwea
 
Posted by Lost Ashes (Member # 6745) on :
 
Joke or not, I'm greatly saddened that someone took the time to write that tripe down.
 
Posted by jebus202 (Member # 2524) on :
 
Good to hear! Thanks for your input!

Not to worry, your lack of sense of humour will not be noticed on this site!
 
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
Unfortunately, HRE's lack of a sense of humor has been noticed.

If you're going to be offensive, at least make it funny enough to get a laugh.

Dagonee
 
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
 
Amen, brother..
 


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