The Hesitation of an Inspiration

For those who know me, it's a pretty apparent fact that I'm in a wheelchair. Not so apparent is the reason why. Upon meeting me for the first time, some are riddled with questions about what I have, how long I've had it, can I go to the bathroom by myself, and basically any other question you can think of. You name it, I've been asked it. Then there are those who freeze in their tracks as if I will spontaneously combust if they say the wrong thing. Both reactions are little irritating but mostly just entertaining. Come on, you know watching people freeze up like an iceberg is pretty hilarious.
My disease is named Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type II, a neuromuscular disease that causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. As a result, I've had many unique experiences (both good and bad) that I think people would find interesting and enlightening. Many of my friends have said that since they've known me, they no longer feel awkward around handicapped people or wonder what they should be doing. That's what I want this blog to be all about. Giving one girl's perspective to the world- the ups and downs of a quirky, loving, obsessive, determined, disabled college student just trying to find God's perfect plan for her life.

To my pleasant surprise, I am not alone in this quest. I have found multiple blogs of people with SMA and other disabilities that discuss their life and how they live it. They are some of the best blogs I've read, and I hope you take the time to read them also:
http://www.the19thfloor.net/
http://gobecky.net/
http://busybee24.wordpress.com/
http://guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jul/11/lady-campbell-disability-peer

I've entitled this post "The Hesitation of an Inspiration" to address the comments made in every one of the blogs I've read about the position of being called an inspiration. Since childhood I've had people tell me that I'm an inspiration to them. As nice a compliment as that is, it has always struck me as uncomfortable and a little confusing. I've done nothing super special so far, I possess no extraordinary powers. And yet people say that just by getting up every morning and putting a smile on my face, I inspire them to live life to the fullest. But my only response is this: what other choice do I have? Not get up? Frown and complain all day? Nope, that's not the way to live. Every person on this earth has many obstacles to overcome, mine just happen to be easier to see. This said, I do hope my life and testimony can inspire people to follow the Lord. My disease doesn't give me a reason to smile, but my Lord Jesus Christ sure does.

"I have a question: when you were born, did your mommy have to push out your chair too?" Asked by a kindergarten boy, this is still my favorite question anyone's ever asked me. The serious question of this curious boy reminded me that people really do just want to know about my experiences. Therefore, I have taken the lead of some of these blogs and made a list of some things you might not know.

The Top 5 Myths of a Disabled Person Debunked:
1) Since you can't walk, I guess you can't hear either.
Wrong! We can hear just fine. Shouting your greeting in super-slow motion is not only obnoxious, but you look pretty foolish. Count on us to tell you so.
2) You look like a great portable storage system.
Unless we give you explicit consent, do not hang your purse, backpack, umbrella, lunch, etc. on our chair. We'd love to ease your load, but we are not Simply Storage. Expect a bill.
3) If you say "let's take a walk", it's not offensive.
We consider rolling equivalent to walking. Don't feel bad, freeze up, and continually apologize if you let the 'w' word slip.
4) If I touch you, I just might kill you.
So not true. We're just fine. As long as you don't put us in a vice hold, it's all good. In fact, hugs are very much appreciated.
5) You are the same height as a normal adult.
No, actually more like the height of a 5th grader. So when you're talking, getting on our level would make our day. Also, our face is at the level of your rear. Please don't fart. ;)

So that's it for now. Thanks for reading and I hope you learned a little bit more from someone in a different perspective. I will write again soon. Merry Christmas!

The Future of Journalism

http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/cs/ContentServer/jrn/1212611716674/page/1212611716651/JRNSimplePage2.htm

I read the newspaper probably once every other week if I don’t forget to pick one up. And I write for a college newspaper, plan to be an author, and love more than just about anything to read. Please tell me, what is wrong with this picture? If someone with my interests and career goals can’t seem to make a habit of getting a newspaper, why do we think the average American citizen will? With the advent of the Internet, iPhone, television, blogs, and about 50 billion other technological advancements made in the past years, there should be absolutely no surprise that newspapers have been thrown under a carpet somewhere. Why? Not because they’re not valuable. In fact, I will argue that news reporting is an essential factor to the continuing of our country. However, the real reason is because they have failed to evolve along with the rest of the world.

In the article (link is above) “The Reconstruction of American Journalism”, the writers argue this same fact- journalism has got to change. But first, they argue about why news reporting is even necessary at all. I mean, why read the New York Times when we can just watch the parody version of what’s happening on the Saturday Night Live news segment, right? Wrong! As Downie and Schudson say, “reporting the news means telling citizens what they would not otherwise know. News reporting draws audiences into their communities.” SNL is not going to explain how your medical insurance just flew out the window, or that the weird guy that lived on the next block just got arrested for theft. Without journalism, the world and each community in it would be disconnected in irreparable ways.

Another reason why news reporting is necessary- it holds the government and other authority figures accountable for their actions. If a high school principal is rumored to be abusive, this could easily slip by as slander. Write it down in black and white with quotes and witness? Fired and in jail. “Independent reporting not only reveals what government or private interests appear to be doing but also what lies behind their actions. This is the watchdog function of the press—reporting that is aggressive and reliable enough to instill fear of public embarrassment, loss of employment, economic sanctions, or even criminal prosecution in those with political and economic power” (Downie 2009). This is a not just journalist bragging about their importance, but the truth. Remember a man named Walter Cronkite? Let me refresh your memory. President Johnson refused to run for office again, saying “If I’ve lost Walter Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America.” Needless to say, the power he had was pretty huge.

However, journalism needs to catch up with the times- go virtual! Most already have, but are dragging their feet and still have not got it down to an art yet. Nevertheless, they need to get started on it now, for this is definitely the way of the future of journalism. I look up the news online everyday. From the LA Times to the Press Enterprise to Yahoo! News, I get my fix of every type of reporting all under 10 minutes while I’m on the go. What could possibly be better than that? It also has its benefits for reporters. “Journalists can research much more widely, update their work repeatedly, follow it up more thoroughly, verify it more easily, compare it with that of competitors, and have it enriched and fact-checked by readers” (Downie 2009).

Sadly, many are losing money, and therefore Downie and Schudson came up with this masterful plan- ask the government for funding. Well guys, I was completely with you up until this point. Now I know that you have utterly lost your mind somewhere in between sanity and crazy. Why would we fight to keep the institution that holds the powerful accountable, and then give them the keys to run the place? In a country where your cars, bank accounts, and homes are now owned by our thoroughly debt-ridden government, there is no way that anybody with a care for our country and its democratic ideals should desire this for the journalism industry. In fact, philanthropists, donors, and all people in general should be standing in line to offer their money to keep that from happening. But then again, that’s just one college girl’s opinion for you. And I don’t even read the newspaper.

Guantánamo Bay

The Bill of Rights protects the citizens of the United States from the government. As citizens, we expect the leaders of our country to protect us from the harm of others and our environment. For the most part, this is much easier said than done. As a major world power, we have enemies in practically every corner of the world that disagree with our policies, religious beliefs, and just about any other controversy one could think of. The government, through the Armed Forces and political leaders from all branches, has to consistently defend us through different means to allow us to keep those rights that we have earned. Of course, there are always factions of citizens who disagree with their maneuvers, but what happens when these complaints restrict the government to the point where they cannot properly protect us?

This is the case in the much controversial topic of the Guantánamo Bay prison, where suspected terrorists are being held as “enemy combatants” of the United States that started after the tragic attack of September 11^th on our own soil. After watching people throw themselves out of Twin Towers in New York, hearing the last minutes of conversation on the hijacked planes, and dealing with the thousands of mourning families and citizens, everyone knew that something radical had to be done to keep this devastating event from repeating itself. Almost all of America was behind past-President Bush when he declared war on the terrorists and the countries to which they belonged. This included putting people that are known to be or highly suspected of being terrorists into the Cuba prison without the rights of ordinary American citizens while the government tried to clean up the mess that these people left behind.

However, passion waned, as it was bound to do, and people started to second guess whether all of this effort was worth it. Stories about Guantánamo prisoners being mistreated and even tortured leaked into the media and homes- jumpstarting a movement to close down the prison and allow equal American rights to those locked inside. After all, the right to full justice and dignity was embedded into the very foundation of this country, was it not? For these reasons, people began to attack Bush’s policies on the subject, demanding closure of the prison and release of the prisoners in an effort to expand the rights stated in the first 10 amendments of our constitution to the rest of the world. Although this view of universal human rights is great in theory, the government has a duty to protect its own citizens before allowing freedoms to foreigners not under their jurisdiction. However much we would like to see the government save the world; that is not their job. The Bill of Rights apply to American citizens, not to foreigners who are a threat to our country.

In saying this, I still do not believe that our government should be able to torture and kill anyone who is not an American citizen. The difference between detaining and questioning known terrorists and slaughtering innocent foreigners is huge, and I do not believe that our government has crossed that line in the least with the institution of the Guantánamo Bay prison. It angers me when the citizens of a country value freedom so highly, but complain about how their government is achieving it. The hypocrisy of our nation is getting worse and worse. The leaders of our country have tried to the best of their abilities to stop the war on terrorism from ever hitting American soil again, and so far they have succeeded. One could argue that Guantánamo has even played a vital role in this fact. Do we want to tie our government’s hands behind their back in their effort to protect us? If we do, we are daily risking millions of lives for the rights of a few who have betrayed our trust in the first place.