Attitude Towards the Mentally Disabled
The book Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, follows Charlie Gordon after he receives and experimental procedure to increase his intelligence. Charlie experiences going from being totally ignorant of life to being highly intellectual, and back to less than he was in the beginning. His emotional changes from beginning to end give the reader an indication as to his option on different topics, from the treatment of the mentally disabled, to the usage of untested surgery on human patients. From his odyssey, we as a society can learn how we should treat those with mental disabilities. Instead of treating them as less than human, we should treat them with empathy and understanding, just the same as we treat …show more content…
In ignorance, I assumed that when treated as exactly equal, they would become equal. While my stance has not altogether changed, it has become less clear-cut and monochrome. I have very little experience with those that have a mental disorder, so I can only speak from what I have learned through the past few weeks. Those with mental disabilities cannot be treated as totally equal to those without, that would be illogical. Ignoring the differences does not help the individual get the assistance that they desperately need, and it does not help our consciousness as a society by blind ignorance. As Aldous Huxley is famously quoted as saying: “facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored” (Huxley). On the other hand, treating them with extreme care does not allow them to grow and become self-reliant. Instead, as Charlie said, we should see them with the same attitude that we see each other, as people with their own challenges, struggles, and expertise. When we watched the video about Tyler, in the beginning I thought it was going to make the point about “hidden” disabilities that we cannot easily distinguish, but it took a turn that I did not expect. It showed how people with disabilities can achieve as much as we can, even if some of the achievements are
The book Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, follows Charlie Gordon after he receives and experimental procedure to increase his intelligence. Charlie experiences going from being totally ignorant of life to being highly intellectual, and back to less than he was in the beginning. His emotional changes from beginning to end give the reader an indication as to his option on different topics, from the treatment of the mentally disabled, to the usage of untested surgery on human patients. From his odyssey, we as a society can learn how we should treat those with mental disabilities. Instead of treating them as less than human, we should treat them with empathy and understanding, just the same as we treat …show more content…
In ignorance, I assumed that when treated as exactly equal, they would become equal. While my stance has not altogether changed, it has become less clear-cut and monochrome. I have very little experience with those that have a mental disorder, so I can only speak from what I have learned through the past few weeks. Those with mental disabilities cannot be treated as totally equal to those without, that would be illogical. Ignoring the differences does not help the individual get the assistance that they desperately need, and it does not help our consciousness as a society by blind ignorance. As Aldous Huxley is famously quoted as saying: “facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored” (Huxley). On the other hand, treating them with extreme care does not allow them to grow and become self-reliant. Instead, as Charlie said, we should see them with the same attitude that we see each other, as people with their own challenges, struggles, and expertise. When we watched the video about Tyler, in the beginning I thought it was going to make the point about “hidden” disabilities that we cannot easily distinguish, but it took a turn that I did not expect. It showed how people with disabilities can achieve as much as we can, even if some of the achievements are