last night I was at my usual cafe hangout. Busy night. Patio was crowded, and it has been hot lately here in Fresno (98 degrees yesterday)

Out on the patio, I am sipping my iced americano, listening to the convo's going on.

On the saidewalk, a dude rolls by in an electric wheelchair. He's got quite a few lights on it, and they are on. Is it over the top?......Er......yeah, it is a bit over the top.

As he passes, the snickers start, and the comments start to pulse on my brain and make my blood boil.......

"Ha, guy thinks it's christmas.......typical retarded."

(crowd laughs, even the women) and then they ensue further, each getting nastier and plain MEAN...

"Looks like my jr. high science project, he needs all those lights so he can see himself in the dark and remind himself how ridiculous he looks"

"I bet out taxes paid for all of his lights"

"If a guy like that landed in the south, every redneck would shoot him thinking aliens had landed"

"He obviously has issues, they shouldn't let people like that out at night....weirdo"

FINALLY...I couldn't stand it anymore. I quietly said the following:

Hey guys, read the news lately here in Fresno? You all pride yourself on being informed, do you realize that people in wheelchairs are getting HIT by cars when they are crossing legally in crosswalks? Do you realize the people who hit them, don't stop? Don't help? Don't apologize? Dude has all the lights on the chair...his LEGS mind you.........so he doesn't get hit. We don't need to go to the 'south' to have rednecks shooting at him...he can stay here in Fresno and get hit by a car. Do you realize how long it takes the government to REPLACE a chair like that if it does get damaged????? No, I don't think you guys ever thought of that. I applaud him taking action to protect himself at night. Maybe he has a job, or family that he visits at night? Maybe at one time he walked like us? Just think before you speak that's all......"

Every eye was on me. A few seconds of silence passes, and one guy says:

"Why are you so serious? We're just having fun?"

and then the barage of attacks started on me.......

snotty-hot girl, one of these botards girlfriends rolls on me with

"We not hurting anyone....and if you're so cool, why don't you volunteer of help with people like that?"

I looked her in the eye and said: "I do."

"Oh so now you're better than us" she icily replies....

Another guy rolls chimes in with "Oh...look at this loser who is gonna save the world"

"Why are you judging us....we're not doing anything wrong?"

"Guy doesn't know when we're kidding."

....they went on, and I went back inside to my table.....my heart hung in defeat.....

This is why I don't bother anymore. Hell... I was at a bar the other night, trying to drink myself unconscious while listening to a girl (on a date with a dude/sitting 3 seats to my left) confess to 3 guys that she's stolen things from other bars before and was rather proud of it. I got so fed up with it all, that I didn't even ask for the bill. I gave the bartender 100 bucks, got up and then walked out.

it's just the point......these same people talk about "taking a stand" and it usually involves jokes, arrogance, and sexual ineundo. The women in this group I have heard many times saying "guys today don't stand for anything except sex"

basically if you are a HOT guy who takes a stand......muy turn-on, if you are an average joe. You're obvioulsy a creep who just wants to get into my pants

Fruitless, but fuck those people and good job. This is why I don't tolerate having many people in my life.

The only kind of stand those people could make, is a one night stand.

You did what you did because your a guy with good values and I admire that very much, however as we all know doing whats right- as in this case- can be a thankless task at times.
I have learned its very important not to let other people or bad moods on my part to deter me form being true to my values. When I fail to live by this standard I feel terrible afterwards, much more so than the discomfort of doing whats right can sometimes bring about.

like your William James quote btw acorn. He was really the USA's only philosopher. In college in "intro to psychology" we read his work "Psychology, An Introduction"

At first the whole class hated it because it WAS hard to read. American victorian-venacular in an essay form...but by mid semester, we all loved it. He had a killler sense of humor as well!

Good for you, gmartinfan. These morons will never be able to understand or
care about anyone with a handicap. They should count their blessings and STFU.

I see people everyday who blow through red lights and don't stop for right hand turns
at a light or even a stop sign. They don't just "roll stop" either. Its unbelieveable to me.

The world would truly be a better place if there were more people like you , the thing to remember is you can't have a battle of wits with an unarmed person, billy and betty badass Will never understand what its like to be in a wheelchair unless you go over and praralyze them, they don't get that the disabled have to listen to that shit every day, its shit like this that makes me wish that these people would end up like the twilight zone, they get drunk get hit by a car and end up in a wheelchair while their taunts are still fresh in their heads, and then while you're volunteering you say "hey I remember you karma's a bitch huh ".

k I have to admit the alien one got a laugh out of me but only because I wasn't there.

Frankly I'm shocked by this, guess I don't spend enough time around people? That's always been taboo in my experiences. Any jokes made were kept within immediate earshot of close friends and were always only laughed at because of shock value, usually followed with a "that's horrible" comment or something.

You should write a letter to the editor just to maybe restore your faith in your immediate surroundings.

Also I'm willing to bet there were people in the crowd who agreed with you, but you know, social pressure to conform and all that.

I remember one time I involuntarily twitched involving myself in a group making fun of someone. As can be expected all attention turned on me. Someone demanded why I cared and said this girl deserved to be picked on because she's always crying and reacting all the time. I don't know how I did something right but I shot back, maybe because your always picking on her, bringing her out, taunting and leading her on. From somewhere in the back of the crowd a clap began that took over everyone. Then there was silence. I was stunned. Someone else has to take the pass after you. You didn't fail, they did.

Yes, as a matter of fact, you are. You stood up to the ignorant masses. You stood up for what's right.

Thank you gmartinfan for this post and many more thanks for what you did. Good men like you and TM112 (considering his post on chasing down a would-be offender) are a prime breed of humanity, an inspiration to small me who, despite being little, tries as best he can to do big things. The other day a guy was attempting to sell merchandise back to me. I found a $20 dollar bill inside it, and glanced up at the guy. He was on his cell, and it would have been so easy to take it quickly since he knew not (so I assume) it was there, but I brought his attention to it. He merely looked surprised, thanked me, and went on with his convo.

Let the blind lead the blind and the dead bury the dead.

....and just think....THESE MORONS CAN VOTE !!! Good job man. They're a bunch of heyenas anyway-picking upon those who cannot effectively defend themselves (sounds familiar doesen't it?)

If I made you an MSPaint medal for being awesome would it cheer you up?