The double standard of it all : Children of a lesser God
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 05, 2014 -

Differently abled. Politically correct but difficult to say if the same can be said about society’s attitude towards those who are physically or mentally disabled.

The reality can be uncomfortable and not something which anyone would admit to easily but it is there.

Time to admit this or else society as a whole will continue to live longer in self denial mode and this will not in any way help anyone.

Pity is certainly not something which physically or mentally disabled people need but understanding.

Easier said than done, but it is rare to find anyone ready to take the extra step to understand someone with some physical or mental handicap.

Not politically correct to use the term handicap or disabled but then it may not be always prudent or wise to be politically correct while missing out the true picture.

Moreover there is also the need to be blunt so that the message reaches home, particularly to those self proclaimed ‘normal’ beings who may say one thing but act differently. Time for society as a whole to accept this.

The degree of the handicap may vary and while it is best left to the medical professionals and other experts to deal with the handicap, there is the pressing need for society to acknowledge the fact that more often than not the hurdles that the physically and mentally challenged persons have to overcome are mostly created by mindsets shaped and nurtured by society.

Granted no one will openly mock the physically and mentally challenged persons, but it should be admitted that they are ridiculed and given the short shrift by society at large. Manipur is not an exception and the sooner this is admitted, the better it would be for one and all.

Yes times have changed. The days of openly mocking or aping someone with physical deformities may not be so blatant or loud today, but the mental divide is still sharp.

This mental divide can metamorphose into loud, physical expressions, especially amongst children and in many cases children learn from the elders.

On December 3, Manipur joined the rest of the world to put aside a day for the differently abled persons with the State Government announcing that the one time financial assistance for them (the differently abled persons) has been increased from Rs 3000 to Rs 6000.

How far will Rs 6000, that too a one time financial assistance, go to help the differently abled people is open to debate but this is an indication that the Government is satisfied with this and thereby hangs a tale.

A reflection of the Government following the mentality of society as a whole and there is nothing to crow about this.

If setting aside a day for the differently abled people is to have any meaning and purpose then it should start with a thorough overhaul of the mindset of each and every individual in society.

It reeks of hypocrisy to honour them on a specific day but think nothing about reducing them to snides and jeers in private.

Give a thought on why society continues to sneer at anyone with physical or mental disability.