i present the...
question: where do laws come from? let's not get too deep into this question, now.
in the news the other day i heard a story, that i just didn't get. so if anyone is able to help me, then please do so.
in a school on the east coast a girl is on the track team. what does the track team do? to my knowledge they run around a track. run being the operative word here. well, she is in a wheelchair due to some spinal cord disease, and she is on the track team. she wins everytime. here is the link to the story... teen is off to the races
my question is why?
at first she wasn't allowed on the team, but then a judge said that she had to be allowed on; due to a lawsuit of some kind. the other girls on the team love it. they don't care.
fine, but wait a minute...track team. running. she has a set of wheels; which as we know, are able to go faster than a pair of legs. an obvious advantage. a mechanical epo.
so a judge handed this verdict down. a law that comes from where? in this case, emotion. sure it sucks that she is in a wheelchair, but the point is not to rule through emotion. if we ruled through emotion, then how would our society be built? laws are set up to instill some sort of conformity, or fear of repercussions. don't do the crime, if you can't do the time. i do not do 'x', because of the consequences of doing 'x'. a type of fear, or knowledge that my actions have an effect on others, if not myself.
there is no empirical reason for her to be on the team. none. she is more than able to compete with others in wheelchair's, but should not be able to compete with able bodied persons. if this is allowed then why don't other para-olympic athletes compete with able bodied athletes?
in my view this decision is un-lawful, and a smack in the face of society.
in the news the other day i heard a story, that i just didn't get. so if anyone is able to help me, then please do so.
in a school on the east coast a girl is on the track team. what does the track team do? to my knowledge they run around a track. run being the operative word here. well, she is in a wheelchair due to some spinal cord disease, and she is on the track team. she wins everytime. here is the link to the story... teen is off to the races
my question is why?
at first she wasn't allowed on the team, but then a judge said that she had to be allowed on; due to a lawsuit of some kind. the other girls on the team love it. they don't care.
fine, but wait a minute...track team. running. she has a set of wheels; which as we know, are able to go faster than a pair of legs. an obvious advantage. a mechanical epo.
so a judge handed this verdict down. a law that comes from where? in this case, emotion. sure it sucks that she is in a wheelchair, but the point is not to rule through emotion. if we ruled through emotion, then how would our society be built? laws are set up to instill some sort of conformity, or fear of repercussions. don't do the crime, if you can't do the time. i do not do 'x', because of the consequences of doing 'x'. a type of fear, or knowledge that my actions have an effect on others, if not myself.
there is no empirical reason for her to be on the team. none. she is more than able to compete with others in wheelchair's, but should not be able to compete with able bodied persons. if this is allowed then why don't other para-olympic athletes compete with able bodied athletes?
in my view this decision is un-lawful, and a smack in the face of society.
posted by hamad at
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
3 Comments:
Ooooh man, touchy subject. I agree, a wheelchair should eliminate one from being qualified for the able-bodied track team. However, the Americans with Disabilities Act, (and to a lesser extent, Title 9) works against that premise.
The spirit of the ADA was to ensure equal treatment under the law, as guaranteed by the constitution, but the result has been (in some cases) to treat some people as more special than others because they are "differently abled", etc... Hence you have wheelchair bound athletes on the track team, simply because the public schools cannot afford to offer a track team for those who cannot use their legs, for example.
equal treatment i get. but when we are different, then what? let's say i'm a girl on this team, and i'm a really good runner. but because of the girl in a wheelchair i don't win as many races as i could, and thus goes any chance for a scholarship to get into college. now, i'm screwed because somebody that shouldn't be on the track team is, and i'm out an education...
and maybe not a public school having the funding, but what about city, county, state funded races or some orgnization for people in wheelchairs. like some of the bike races in the area, where bike shops or what not, put these things on? it's an option...
The legal approach to addressing all that you've said is "it depends".
I agree with you, and I'd like to think that people would have the common sense to say to themselves "gee self, it's pretty obvious I'm in a wheelchair, perhaps I should consider trying out for a more specialized team that addresses my needs and highlights my abilities, rather than ruining it for everyone else on the track team." Obviously, some people have a sense of entitlement, and misuse legislation to their advantage. Jerks.
I say give all the other girls bikes to ride when wheelchair girl is racing. Or maybe one of them should sue for the right to also use a wheelchair in her races. Heh.
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