Retarded person wanders, throws rock at young girl - advocates angry at VICTIMS

[American]

"Caution: Retards in Area" (http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=374518)


Let's begin with the perpetrator:


Eyewitness News: "Why did you put that sign up?"

Neighbor: "I've been harassed for six months, my daughter has been assaulted."

Eyewitness News "By who?"

Neighbor: "The young boy, we got pictures and everything and they would not press charges because he is handicapped."

The neighbor claims Colton threw a rock at his young daughter. Other neighbors told us they have frequently found Colton wandering onto their property.



This is going to be a very short discussion, one would predict, since no reasonable person can simply gloss over having rocks thrown at your daughter, nor finding stray runaways on your lawn for which - as a property owner - you are legally liable should they injure themselves.

So let's stay on topic. Start another thread if you want to moan about in-then-th-itivity or the wrongness of a cardboard sign.

[TragicMonkey]

If this kid isn't responsible for his actions, then his parents or guardians are. Why can't they be held responsible? If he's out chucking rocks, then they are clearly neglecting him. They say he's "like a three year-old"...who the hell lets their three year-old wander around unsupervised?

[American]

If this kid isn't responsible for his actions, then his parents or guardians are. Why can't they be held responsible? If he's out chucking rocks, then they are clearly neglecting him. They say he's "like a three year-old"...who the hell lets their three year-old wander around unsupervised?

They even admitted the boy can't possibly know he is being made a subject.

The only harm is to parents who want to pretend "retarded = normal". It's happening everywhere now... parents forcing their severely disabled kids on schools that can't handle them, certainly not at reasonable cost.

But now I am off-topic, which I stated we mustn't be....

[fuelair]

They even admitted the boy can't possibly know he is being made a subject.

The only harm is to parents who want to pretend "retarded = normal". It's happening everywhere now... parents forcing their severely disabled kids on schools that can't handle them, certainly not at reasonable cost.

But now I am off-topic, which I stated we mustn't be....

Or force a school to let a child with severe tunnel vision play soccer with the other kids (let that sink in thoroughly and that's seventh graders we ar talking about). and I don't think it's off topic here.

[Mycroft]

Clearly here we have an issue where both parties are at fault. If this child has been throwing rocks at other children and is found wandering on other's property, then he's not being supervised well enough. At the same time, hanging an offensive sign from a tree is clearly not a good way to deal with the problem.

[gtc]

Hey waddaya know, the reds were trying to destroy the American way of life


(sorry off topic)

Seeing that the handicapped person is a victim of his guardians inaction, perhaps they should change the sign to 'deadbeats in area'.

[OMGturt1es]

well, at first i did wonder why the sign referred to retards is the area, rather than a retard. then i noticed the apostrophe in the plural form of 'retard', and it all came together.

i know i'm nitpicking, but i still find it ironic, in a depressing way.

[OMGturt1es]

Clearly here we have an issue where both parties are at fault. If this child has been throwing rocks at other children and is found wandering on other's property, then he's not being supervised well enough. At the same time, hanging an offensive sign from a tree is clearly not a good way to deal with the problem.

and on a serious note, i agree with the above entirely.

if the child has the mental capacity of a three year old, the child should not be wandering around without supervision, but a sign warning of a retard in the area!?-- wtf is that going to do to help the situation? nothing.

[epepke]

I'm with the person who hung the sign.

There comes a point where, when one has to deal with idiots long enough, it is quite appropriate to express yourself according to the right of free speech in a way that is not violent.

By the way, if you think that the "retards" in question include the handicapped kid, I think you're making a basic category error.

[TragicMonkey]

A more mature method of dealing with the problem would have been to phone the local social services and inform them that there's an unsupervised retarded kid wandering around alone throwing rocks and possibly injuring himself. That has the dual benefits of being both a) the right thing to do, and b) getting the parents into heaps of trouble and fuss and paperwork.

It might help if in your concerned call to the authorities you give them your impressions, because any little tidbit of hearsay will help them pursue their duties. "I'm not sure, but I think his parents are in the house drinking again"..."He's holding something, I'm not sure what, it could be a razor and he might be cutting himself"..."There's been a creepy man driving around the neighborhood in a van, I think he might be looking for vulnerable children to kidnap"...Oh, it turns out none of things were the case? Well, they might have been, and surely when a child's safety is involved, it's better to be safe than sorry. And if that involves cops and child protection agents breaking down their door and searching the place for hard drugs, well, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for them. Because it's for the children.

[shuize]

A more mature method of dealing with the problem would have been to phone the local social services and inform them that there's an unsupervised retarded kid wandering around alone throwing rocks and possibly injuring himself. That has the dual benefits of being both a) the right thing to do, and b) getting the parents into heaps of trouble and fuss and paperwork ...
That's all well and good. But personally I think I'd just turn the garden hose on him.

[Jocko]

Clearly here we have an issue where both parties are at fault. If this child has been throwing rocks at other children and is found wandering on other's property, then he's not being supervised well enough. At the same time, hanging an offensive sign from a tree is clearly not a good way to deal with the problem.

It seems to me that the sign isn't there to address the problem of an unsupervised handicapped person, it's supposed to address the lack of redress available, i.e., no charges being filed or actions taken against the guardians.

I agree that it's cruel and heartless, but I think the city is as much the target of their ire as the neighbors are.

[BPSCG]

Fraser Nelson, Executive Director, Disability Law Center: "People with disabilities are probably the last group for whom we continue to use language that is hurtful and offensive. " Tell that to the bald and fat people you know.

This is a very badly-produced news story. Says little about why the family put up the sign instead of pursuing some other remedy, or what led up to putting up the sign. He threw a rock at their daughter. Did the families talk about it? Was this a one-time occurrence, or is this kid a real danger to himself and others? What charges did the family try to press, and why didn't the police want to get involved?

Lots of questions to be answered, but the local news just focuses on the language, which, everyone involved acknowledges, the kid doesn't even understand.

I think TM has it right; if the parents can't or won't control their kid, call child protective services.

[hgc]

...
This is a very badly-produced news story. ...Typical, and typically leading to badly considered threads. Perhaps we should post an insensitive sign around here warning of the retards who start idiot threads.

[BPSCG]

Typical, and typically leading to badly considered threads. Perhaps we should post an insensitive sign around here warning of the retards who start idiot threads.Yeah, but then you wouldn't be allowed to post anything here...

Sorry, low-hanging fruit. :p

[DaChew]

This is a very badly-produced news story. Says little about why the family put up the sign instead of pursuing some other remedy, or what led up to putting up the sign. He threw a rock at their daughter. Did the families talk about it? Was this a one-time occurrence, or is this kid a real danger to himself and others? What charges did the family try to press, and why didn't the police want to get involved?

That was my first thought. Nobody just puts up a big-ass ugly sign on their own property unless they've really had it with the situation. I really would like to know what solutions they tried prior to the sign.Their problem is going to be that the majority of folks will probably think they just put it up right from the get-go. Maybe they did but the story doesn't really say.

I do think it's a bit insensitive and I probably wouldn't have done it to my own property. I would imagine that it will have some effect now. There is going to be some resolution to the situation now that there is this much focus on it.

Completely unrelated: I'm going to have to go home and see if I can dig out my Dead Milkmen albums.

[Jocko]

Completely unrelated: I'm going to have to go home and see if I can dig out my Dead Milkmen albums.

You know, Stuart, I like you. You're not like all the other people, here in the trailer park.

[BPSCG]

You know, Stuart, I like you. You're not like all the other people, here in the trailer park.You mean the mouth breathers? The window lickers? The 'tards?

[American]

Typical, and typically leading to badly considered threads. Perhaps we should post an insensitive sign around here warning of the retards who start idiot threads.

I be here 5 years.

[Jocko]

You mean the mouth breathers? The window lickers? The 'tards?

Yep, those guys. (http://www.plyrics.com/lyrics/deadmilkmen/stuart.html)

[BPSCG]

Nephi, Utah, city council. (http://heraghty.diaryland.com/images/ugly_twins.gif)

[DaChew]

You know, Stuart, I like you. You're not like all the other people, here in the trailer park.

The important thing here is that we get to the part where you ask me how I'm gonna get down to the shore.

[Jocko]

The important thing here is that we get to the part where you ask me how I'm gonna get down to the shore.

Don't even start dueling Milkmen with me, kiddo. I was playing them on my high school radio station when they were brand new! ;)

I have explicit instructions in my will that my funeral will feature The Thing That Only Eats Hippies playing as loudly as local ordinances will allow.

[DaChew]

Don't even start dueling Milkmen with me, kiddo. I was playing them on my high school radio station when they were brand new! ;)

I have explicit instructions in my will that my funeral will feature The Thing That Only Eats Hippies playing as loudly as local ordinances will allow.

Kiddo? Sir, I will have you know that I was playing Bitchin' Camaro and (to at least peripherally tie this derail back to the original thread) Takin' Retards To The Zoo on my college radio station in 1984. Yes, I am that old as well.

Further, I believe I was likely the first person in history to play a bootleg of The Screamers on a high school station. WPHS - Warren, MI circa 1981.

Kiddo indeed.

[Jocko]

Kiddo? Sir, I will have you know that I was playing Bitchin' Camaro and (to at least peripherally tie this derail back to the original thread) Takin' Retards To The Zoo on my college radio station in 1984. Yes, I am that old as well.

Further, I believe I was likely the first person in history to play a bootleg of The Screamers on a high school station. WPHS - Warren, MI circa 1981.

Kiddo indeed.

I stand corrected. Welcome to the old folks' home, better get in line for pudding like the rest of us! :D

[hgc]

Yeah, but then you wouldn't be allowed to post anything here...

Sorry, low-hanging fruit. :pThat's OK. I'm going to pay you back with a brand new Insane Leader Chronicles thread, as soon as Insane Leader provides the material. Unfortunately, he's ceding a lot of ground to Insane Chief of Staff and Insane Press Secretary right now.

[BPSCG]

That's OK. I'm going to pay you back with a brand new Insane Leader Chronicles thread, as soon as Insane Leader provides the material. Okay. Remind me to read them one of these days. :D

[Phrost]

I wonder if L. Ron inspired "Born to Love Volcanoes"...

Back on topic, it really irks me that "retard" is now considered a slur when it was originally a PC attempt to avoid using the term "Mongoloid". And I'd need bionic eyes to roll them hard enough at someone who used the term "differently able" around me.

[BPSCG]

And I'd need bionic eyes to roll them hard enough at someone who used the term "differently able" around me.Last time someone used that term at me, I asked her, "What abilities do they have that I don't, other than the ability to drool without getting embarrassed?"

We didn't have a second date...

[Katana]

well, at first i did wonder why the sign referred to retards is the area, rather than a retard. then i noticed the apostrophe in the plural form of 'retard', and it all came together.

i know i'm nitpicking, but i still find it ironic, in a depressing way.

Maybe they meant "Caution. Retard is in area."

No? Ok. Didn't really think so.

They should have removed the apostrophe, retards.

[Thomas]

Back on topic, it really irks me that "retard" is now considered a slur when it was originally a PC attempt to avoid using the term "Mongoloid". And I'd need bionic eyes to roll them hard enough at someone who used the term "differently able" around me.
Quite, well, I can only speak from Denmark, and here the terms for.. challenged groups.. change every now and then. And to be quite frank, I'm tired of changing term every decade to be politically correct.

And by the way, no one should be allowed to throw rocks at anyone, despite their classification.

[Dave1001]

"Caution: Retards in Area" (http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=374518)


Let's begin with the perpetrator:




This is going to be a very short discussion, one would predict, since no reasonable person can simply gloss over having rocks thrown at your daughter, nor finding stray runaways on your lawn for which - as a property owner - you are legally liable should they injure themselves.

So let's stay on topic. Start another thread if you want to moan about in-then-th-itivity or the wrongness of a cardboard sign.

solution: adopt a blind kid and buy them a beebee gun?

[Jocko]

Maybe they meant "Caution. Retard is in area."

No? Ok. Didn't really think so.

They should have removed the apostrophe, retards.

I hate to tell you this, but there's only one retard in the story, and presumably one retard in the area, so "retard's" is correct (if stilted) and "retards" is not.

Howver, I agree that the retards next door probably didn't know the difference in any event. Face it, it's Utah. Everyone's suspect.

[Katana]

I hate to tell you this, but there's only one retard in the story, and presumably one retard in the area, so "retard's" is correct (if stilted) and "retards" is not.

Howver, I agree that the retards next door probably didn't know the difference in any event. Face it, it's Utah. Everyone's suspect.

That's kinda what I was getting at. They can lump themselves into this politically-incorrect group along with the kid's parents. Bunch o' morons (now that's ok, isn't it?).

[Jocko]

That's kinda what I was getting at. They can lump themselves into this politically-incorrect group along with the kid's parents. Bunch o' morons (now that's ok, isn't it?).

Let's just say that the browlines tend to cast slightly longer shadows out that way and leave it at that, mmmkay? ;)

[Katana]

Let's just say that the browlines tend to cast slightly longer shadows out that way and leave it at that, mmmkay? ;)

Eeeewwww!


Mmmkay.:)

[epepke]

A more mature method of dealing with the problem would have been to phone the local social services and inform them that there's an unsupervised retarded kid wandering around alone throwing rocks and possibly injuring himself. That has the dual benefits of being both a) the right thing to do, and b) getting the parents into heaps of trouble and fuss and paperwork.

That's a good idea, but I get the impression that they tried this, or at least they spoke to people who should have suggested this course of action.

After all, not everyone looks at the world in such an askew yet accurate way as you do, or even as I do.

[TragicMonkey]

After all, not everyone looks at the world in such an askew yet accurate way as you do, or even as I do.

If more people looked at the world the way I do, there would be a lot more stuff on fire.

[gnome]

The biggest thing I see here is that the sign misses its target. Presumably (unless they're the jerks people are thinking they are) it's the violence (rocks) and uncontrollable behavior of the child they object to, not his "retartedness".

They should perhaps post a sign, "Violent, unruly child in area", if they don't want people to think they have a problem with the mentally handicapped.

For perspective, if there were a neighboring child that was black, that had thrown rocks or broken into people's homes... should the sign read, "Caution: black child in area" or "Caution: criminal in area"?