One day, as I was walking in QV mall, a dwarf walk pass me. No, not your World of Warcraft or [insert MMORPG name] type of Dwarf. A real life dwarf, a genetic disease.
Parallel to me, there were two kids looking at the dwarf as he walk pass them. They kept looking AND laughing at the same time, and then ran up to their father and had the following conversation:
Kids: Dad! Dad! Look at that guy! [Laughs and giggles]
Dad: What?
Kids: Dad, that guy over there!
Dad: What? He’s a dwarf.
Kids: [Laughs and giggles continues]
In Australia, where people are generally well informed about diseases around the world, I felt disgusted at the action of the father. He did not stop them from laughing. In fact, he said “What? He’s a dwarf” like it’s does not concern him, like it’s a matter of fact, like their kids can laugh at the dwarf. It is fortunate that no one is in the proximity of those children and the stupid father, and it’s even more fortunate that the dwarf didn’t hear any part of this conversation.
They laughed at a disease, at a sufferer. The father did not even take the initiative to educate his children about dwarfism, and it’s not right to laugh at people and that is why I think some Australians are stupid.
One a side note, this is a picture I found in the newspaper long ago about a storm in Melbourne. We are always taught not to stand under a tree in a storm, as the chance of being hit by lighting is significantly increased. However, Australian being Australian, here’s what you see:
More intriguingly, there’s a perfectly fine building at the back. I wonder why they do not stay inside the building instead.
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