Just replacing the wheelchair isn't enough. If they really cared they would offer to help over a lot of her medical expenses or help with accessibility options that many people can't afford at home and work (special lifts, etc.).
For the inconvenience yeah, they should probably do more than replace it. Doesn't have to be crazy, but offer to cover some additional expenses. If she's a student, thats easy to do.
Comparing pushing a wheelchair down stairs to breaking someone's legs are completely BONKERS. Insane how many likes it got. Not trying to minimize what he did, but this reaction is over the top. People looking for reasons to be outraged.
You are giving people even more reasons to be outraged with such a ridiculous statement here. I was in a wheelchair like this for months last year and absolutely depended on it as an extension of my legs. Without it I couldn't get by in most of things in daily life. Even worse if you are in a public and dangerous environment like a packed and upstairs bar.
Being reliant on a wheelchair itself is no cakewalk as your body suffers many ailments for being in that position for so long.
Aside from breaking someone's legs, I can't think of a more apt-analogy. Even an analogy of parking your car and having some teen push your car off a cliff is not the same as taking away a human being's only method of mobility not to mention the violation and destruction of personal property.
Yes this is a case of an idiot rich hockey kid who didn't think twice about what he was doing and just wanted to do a funny prank of tossing some furniture down the stairs but that's an issue in and of itself that he doesn't think that this might be important to another human being.
I assumed you were, based on your opinions. If you're not an ableist could you still offer some insight into your perspective in this matter?
I think you have to view through the lens of intent.
If the scenario plays out like this: "Guy in a bar is talking to / hitting on a woman in a wheelchair and they get into some type of argument / disagreement. She leaves and has to leave her wheelchair unattended for a moment, so he goes and pushes it down the stairs."
Paints a very different scenario than:
"Dumb hockey bro finds a random unattended wheelchair at the top of a staircase at a bar. Thinks it would be funny to push it down the stairs and does so."
We can see the difference, right? This guy obviously didn't set out to ruin someone's day / week / life and didn't even consider the potential results or implications. I'm not arguing against it being a very stupid and ignorant thing to do but trying to make it analogous with an assault or horrible crime is viewing it through a different lens vs. what actually happened.
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For the inconvenience yeah, they should probably do more than replace it. Doesn't have to be crazy, but offer to cover some additional expenses. If she's a student, thats easy to do.
For some feel good to add to this thread, the popular jerryrigeverything youtube channel has had a lot of content about how he made everything wheelchair accessible for his wife like adding an elevator in his house and making their car drivable to someone who can't use their legs, etc. These are the things that would make a life changing difference to someone (and something the Briere's can easily afford) if they really cared.
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I think you have to view through the lens of intent.
If the scenario plays out like this: "Guy in a bar is talking to / hitting on a woman in a wheelchair and they get into some type of argument / disagreement. She leaves and has to leave her wheelchair unattended for a moment, so he goes and pushes it down the stairs."
Paints a very different scenario than:
"Dumb hockey bro finds a random unattended wheelchair at the top of a staircase at a bar. Thinks it would be funny to push it down the stairs and does so."
We can see the difference, right? This guy obviously didn't set out to ruin someone's day / week / life and didn't even consider the potential results or implications. I'm not arguing against it being a very stupid and ignorant thing to do but trying to make it analogous with an assault or horrible crime is viewing it through a different lens vs. what actually happened.
And yet the impact is exactly the same.
As I said, you can either view it as a malicious act or an act so devoid of good judgement that the only conclusion you can make is that Briere is a complete idiot, and it doesn’t really matter. What do you, personally, win in ensuring everyone understands it’s one and not the other. Aren’t you the one losing the plot at this point if that’s what you think is important?
The broken legs analogy is victim-focused, not perpetrator focused, that’s why you and a couple others had trouble with it. Destroying a wheel chair for someone who requires a wheelchair restricts their mobility. It can be life changing in a negative way. They are expensive and if custom are difficult/time consuming to acquire.
Take yourself out of Briere’s shoes (not sure why you prefer to be in them in the first place) and put yourself in the victim’s. Now think about how this effects you.
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I think you have to view through the lens of intent.
If the scenario plays out like this: "Guy in a bar is talking to / hitting on a woman in a wheelchair and they get into some type of argument / disagreement. She leaves and has to leave her wheelchair unattended for a moment, so he goes and pushes it down the stairs."
Paints a very different scenario than:
"Dumb hockey bro finds a random unattended wheelchair at the top of a staircase at a bar. Thinks it would be funny to push it down the stairs and does so."
We can see the difference, right? This guy obviously didn't set out to ruin someone's day / week / life and didn't even consider the potential results or implications. I'm not arguing against it being a very stupid and ignorant thing to do but trying to make it analogous with an assault or horrible crime is viewing it through a different lens vs. what actually happened.
Thank you. What I believe is that it should be met with more emphasis that his ignorance doesn't absolve him from doing serious damage to someone's well-being. It should be frowned upon as a society so that people don't do this sort of thing.
What I would like to leave you with, is that a wheelchair isn't just an appliance to someone who requires it to navigate the built environment, it's an extension of themself.
To what extent someone should be held responsible is up to no one but the person who he put in this position, IMO. If it was me I would ask that he join me for a couple of days as I show him what it's like to use a wheelchair.
I would like to use this as an education for those who may find themselves in a similar situation. Don't mess with a person's or an establishment's medical devices. Simple.
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I think you have to view through the lens of intent.
If the scenario plays out like this: "Guy in a bar is talking to / hitting on a woman in a wheelchair and they get into some type of argument / disagreement. She leaves and has to leave her wheelchair unattended for a moment, so he goes and pushes it down the stairs."
Paints a very different scenario than:
"Dumb hockey bro finds a random unattended wheelchair at the top of a staircase at a bar. Thinks it would be funny to push it down the stairs and does so."
We can see the difference, right? This guy obviously didn't set out to ruin someone's day / week / life and didn't even consider the potential results or implications. I'm not arguing against it being a very stupid and ignorant thing to do but trying to make it analogous with an assault or horrible crime is viewing it through a different lens vs. what actually happened.
In either case, the wheelchair serves the exact same purpose.
In either case, it's stupid and senseless.
A 24 year old has enough brain development and years of life under him to know the function and implied value of a wheelchair and the danger of flipping it down a long staircase. He did it anyways.
Wheelchairs don't just sit scattered around in corners of venues for no particular reason like some other common inanimate object you'd happen upon. It doesn't take intent to know that that's probably the last thing you should vandalize "for fun".
Being reliant on a wheelchair itself is no cakewalk as your body suffers many ailments for being in that position for so long.
I quoted H&L here, simply for use as an example of health issues that can arise - I know these are big words, Philly, but I imagine you can copy & paste? Look up autonomic dysreflexia. That's just one issue. I don't want to overwhelm you with the multitude of health issues that can be at play for a single wheelchair user, so maybe just read about that one.
My daughter is facing being in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. For her, it's not a bad thing, because it will mean far more mobility for her, once her body craps out to the point she needs the wheelchair. The absolute perfect wheelchair for her, which would allow freedom of movement in the world around her/her home, for her particular health concerns, runs about $40K minimum. That's without any add-on items, such as a customized cushion. She will have to have a power chair, as she will not be able to operate a manual chair. Maintenance on those isn't exactly cheap either, and finding someone who can/will work on your specific brand of chair isn't easy either - it can mean being without the chair for months at a time, and risking damage to the chair, because you may have to ship it to the shop that will repair it and no one gives a flying eff about disabled people, trust me. I've more than seen the evidence. There are so many variables at play here.
And, on the off chance you "know a disabled person/have a disabled person" in your life, you probably haven't been apprised of these issues by them, because you've clearly made it known you're not someone they can trust to have these sorts of conversations with.
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Take yourself out of Briere’s shoes (not sure why you prefer to be in them in the first place) and put yourself in the victim’s. Now think about how this effects you.
A disabled woman having a semi-famous person ruin their wheelchair in a highly publicized way? This lady just hit the jackpot.
Wow, I was trying to be respectful OOTC. She was not a participant in this. Are you suggesting it was orchestrated? Why do you hate the disabled? Did someone call you out for parking in a designated accessible parking stall without a placard? DId it hurt your feelings? Explain why you feel the need to diminish the seriousness of this incident.
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I don't understand why you're arguing?
I pointed out that kids of pro athletes may not get a lot of time with that parent, and therefore may suffer from it, even if they're wealthy. That's not a crazy statement, and it doesn't negate the fact that children from poorer households suffer similar situations.
Of course having wealthy parents is a net positive that provides children more opportunities, but I'm not sure where I said it didn't.
That's...exactly what you said, that they may be worse off socially than their middle class/poor peers because their dad is playing hockey and not home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mass_nerder
I think it would be reasonable to say that kids of professional athletes probably don't get a lot of face to face time with that parent, and therefore may be worse off (socially, rather than financially) than their middle class/poor peers.
Anecdotal, but I went to the same school as Fleury's son from his first marriage, and despite having a rich hockey Dad, his life seemed pretty tough.
I am going to go out on a limb and suggest she would rather have not had this happen and not have $6K, than have had this happened and have $6K. I don't think she "hit the jackpot" at all...
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Wow, I was trying to be respectful OOTC. She was not a participant in this. Are you suggesting it was orchestrated? Why do you hate the disabled? Did someone call you out for parking in a designated accessible parking stall without a placard? DId it hurt your feelings? Explain why you feel the need to diminish the seriousness of this incident.
No, I suggested none of those things and feel none of those things.
You (and others) are obviously too emotionally close to this to have a grounded take on things so I'll just leave you to it.
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A sizeable donation to an Erie Disabilities advocacy group, or perhaps the StrazStrong Foundation (named for Humboldt Bronco Ryan Strashnitzki) may partially make amends.
Strashnitzki's dad was on Twitter and was beyond upset.
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