When someone stares at you, you wonder what’s...

18th February 2012

When someone stares at you, you wonder what’s wrong. You wonder if there’s something on your face, if you’re dressed horribly, or if it’s something more sinister. You wonder if it’s a stalker or a potential rapist. You wonder if it’s a murderer. You wonder if it’s all three. For able-bodied people, they know enough to get nervous at prolonged staring. They know there’s something not right about it.

When it’s us gimp folk? When were out with a cane, crutches, chair, stick, or anything else? It’s a rather constant thing. We can’t assume that everyone staring is an evil horrible person just waiting to murder you without a second thought. But we can’t assume that everyone staring is ‘just curious’ either. This isn’t just unpleasant. This isn’t something we should just have to accept. This is something that can put us in danger. How do we tell who the curious person is over the rapist/murderer? They’re both acting really creepy with their staring.

So the next able-bodied person who tells me to stop being annoyed at people’s stares? You tell me how you feel the next time you’re in a bar and there’s some creepy perv who won’t stop staring at you. The next able-bodied person who tells me that I shouldn’t mind someone pulling me aside to talk because they’re just curious? You tell me how you feel when that strange man pulls you behind a large white van just to talk to you.

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