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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2019 - 12 - 31 - ID#ei7mr7
2
Are phrases like “turn a blind eye” considered offensive? (self.Blind)
submitted by [deleted]
[deleted]
SightlessTrips 8 points 3y ago
I'm blind and I don't find these offensive.
Laser_Lens_4 1 points 3y ago
This. I wish people would stop getting offended for us
KE5TR4L 6 points 3y ago
100% best part of being blind is that I get to use phrases like that as a joke.

Some people just really want to be upset
abgjpodcast 1 points 3y ago
I totally agree. When I make these types of jokes, my brothers used to not like it but now they tell me about other phrases and thinks so we can crack up about them.
razzretina 3 points 3y ago
The only one out of those I find bothersome is “the blind leading the blind” because it’s ignorant. The best O&M instructors I’ve had are blind and they’re damn good at their jobs.

You can tell this was written by some woke sighted person when they’re uptight about one of the most common phrases in English, “I see what you mean”. You (general you)...you can reference that vision exists guys. If you try to dance around it, I’m going to chain as many sight related words into a sentence as I can just to make you uncomfortable. :D
Pacificem 3 points 3y ago
I have on occasion quite literally “turned my blind eye” (turned away my good eye) towards a situation I did not want to see. Albeit it was something trivial like a gruesome scene in a movie but still! Absolutely no offense taken to the phrase - I actually think it’s pretty clever!
codeplaysleep 2 points 3y ago
Nope... Now, people who think we need to somehow be sheltered from common phrases and everyday expressions in order to protect our feelings, on the other hand... I find those people offensive.
BlueRock956 2 points 3y ago
Everyone is in different stages. Someone who is losing their vision will probably not appreciate the use of these fraces.
torelma 1 points 3y ago
That's fair, tbh in my case I just never notice it and neither do (edit) sighted people around me, since the whole point of these expressions is that they're not literal. When you call someone a "dick" or a "cunt" you don't picture (whoops?) literal genitals, because that's obviously not the meaning in context, and in the same way the word "see" is very often used to mean something other than "perceive visually" and even when it is, who gives a shit.

The only thing that kind of offends me (and even that's a strong word) is using "blind" or "watch where you're going" as a literal insult for someone who's being clumsy, because it hits a little too close to home since I'm both losing my vision and clumsy as fuck.

Then again I've been called ableist (by an able-bodied person, no less) for calling an asshole a fucktard and called racist for expressing misgivings about harassing gay Jews on Grindr with BDS Discourse™, so I may not be the best authority on what passes as woke for able-bodied, upper-middle-class, white 14 year olds at this point.
blindbat84 2 points 3y ago
No and not bothered by them at all. They are just phrases, nothing more.
FeelingCeiling 1 points 3y ago
Absolutely not! I honestly feel sorry for some people in our society today. It seems that people are actively looking (oops, I did it again) for things to get riled up about because they have no real lives. Once, my ex girlfriend, who is visually impaired herself, jokingly threatened to knock my lights out. I then came back with... "But they're already out".
chloem86 1 points 3y ago
I usually find it’s other “sighted” people that get offended on my behalf over phrases like that.
I use them all the time without realising- and sometimes just turn them into a joke
“See you next year guys.... or not in my case”
😂
ABlindManPlays 1 points 3y ago
I'm blind. I don't find these offensive at all. Usually I just chuckle at them, or the sudden discomfort that people have when they say it and then realize that they may have said something insensitive.


I tend to joke about it with others as well. One of my clan members remarked that I would not be able to join them in the new year because I do not have 2020 vision. After a few seconds of silence, I said, "Do you think that's funny?"


Total silence. I let them hang there for a few seconds before I said, "Because I do."


The joker now claims I took a few years off of his life span with that joke.
angelcake 1 points 3y ago
Just asked my blind BF and he rolled his eyes and said no.
bradley22 1 points 3y ago
I don’t care.
Remy_C 1 points 3y ago
I have no problem with any of these. It's way too much work to get riled up by phrazes which are so common place and innocent.
OutWestTexas 1 points 3y ago
Not offended
RJHand 0 points 3y ago
Nope.
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