Wednesday, 10 September 2008

Those Who Stare

I am constantly amazed at people who stare at others, for whatever reason. I'm 6'8" and I get people who stare at me or make comments about me, thinking maybe I might also be deaf. Well I assume they think that otherwise they are even more dumb than I already think they are. Or there are those who stare at blind people, at those with dwarfism, and at those with some form of disfigurement.

It's disgusting. Some claim it's human nature but it isn't. Take this story on the BBC at the moment. This lady has a facial disfigurement. I can only imagine how her life is made miserable by the unusually curious and the downright rude. So this is my little note to others:

There are millions of "unusual" people in this world. Those with disabilities, with little quirks and with something interesting about them. As such it's not so unusual. So really there is no excuse for staring. If, by the age of 20, you still find this sort of thing unusual you have lead a very sheltered life. Do not stare, get over your own malign curiousity and get on with your life.

P.S. My favourite thing to do when someone stares at me is to stare right back at them, perhaps at some part of their face and the game is to see how long it is before they stop staring and starting trying to find out what I'm staring at. Sure it's mean to play with the mentally challenged but it sure is funny to see them rubbing furiously at their cheek as if it's suddenly had something grow on it.

3 comments:

Duni said...

Hi,
ever since I moved to Germany I experience people staring at me a lot, and for no good reason?!
I tried 'out-staring' them, but some of these people are really persistent.
:(

Chandira said...

I'm with you, staring is rude, and freaks me out. I get stared at, and there's nothing particularly obviously different about me, I'm pretty average, I think it is just human nature, but it's still rude!

Jae Kay said...

Thanks for commenting.

For it to be human nature, then surely it should be a universal quality? But it's not. It may well be cultural but it's no excuse.

And it's human nature to have sex but we don't do it in public (well not that often!) so again.. no excuse. I can hear those ill mannered people now saying "It's just human nature" when confronted with their rudeness. It wouldn't hold muster with me.