Citizens of SO Unite to Help a Sooner Brother!

[David Earl]

We all know the SO is THE place to go for answers to many of life's pressing questions. Here's mine.

So I'm walking through Wal-Mart, minding my own beezwax. I look over to the side by the lunch meat section and there's this lady, a little person. (I'm not sure we're supposed to say "dwarf"; I don't want to offend.) She's obviously needing to reach something up high. She starts to climb up the shelf of the fridge. I'm talking scaling way up high.

I started to go over and offer to reach something for her. But I feared it might embarass her, or infringe on her sense of independence, or something else bad I hadn't thought of. People, I often offer to reach something for some frail little old lady or somebody in one of those handicap carts. But this time my gut said it was wrong; don't do it.

Now I regret not offering to help. What should I have done?

Any of you people that happen to be little people, please feel free to correct my ignorance.

[Jimminy Crimson]

You should have asked her to disinfect her shoes, before she climbed up the fridge.

[setem]

You should have hired her to walk around with you so you could have a place to rest your beer! Maybe you could have dressed her up like Yoda and had some kind of Jedi battle in the frozen foods section?

SHAME ON YOU FOR NOT HELPING!

[OKLA21FAN]

nevar had the problem at TARGET! :pop:

[Viking Kitten]

I've always heard the key to this sort of thing is that you are supposed to simply ask if they'd like help first. Don't just assume they need it. Give them the option to graciously decline if your help is unwanted.

If you kindly offer assistance to someone and they are insulted, then they have the problem, not you.

[OUDoc]

Lil's gonna kick your ankles in.

[David Earl]

You should have hired her to walk around with you so you could have a place to rest your beer! Maybe you could have dressed her up like Yoda and had some kind of Jedi battle in the frozen foods section?

SHAME ON YOU FOR NOT HELPING!

This is the kind of skitzo response that makes SO the place it is.
























A nut-house.

[Soonerus]

Awkward situation, you just do what you think is the right thing...and hope it is...

[King Crimson]

it's tricky. even though it comes from a good impulse. i have a buddy who has been a quadriplegic for 10+ years and there are people who *are* sort of ridiculously nice/condescending about opening a door or getting a grocery off a shelf who overplay it i guess to make themselves feel good about helping the "poor guy in a chair". you can see these people sort of pat themselves on the back after they do it. it's kind of gross. you see it all the time.

now, a lot of these people are yer Boulder Nader/Trust Fund faux-aristocrat types who are by nature pompous do gooders (when it's on their terms and doesn't really involve any real excess of effort).

all you can do is follow your gut. and be as casual as possible about it if you do ask--not make a show of it. i'd say it's more *how* you do it, not *if* you do it. remember, whoever it is does somehow manage to get through the rest of everyday 24/7/365 without you. and the other variables are some people--small or quads are mean jerks or genuinely appreciative. that part is beyond your control.

[David Earl]

I've always heard the key to this sort of thing is that you are supposed to simply ask if they'd like help first. Don't just assume they need it. Give them the option to graciously decline if your help is unwanted.

If you kindly offer assistance to someone and they are insulted, then they have the problem, not you.

After thinking about it a while that's what I thought. Unfortunately, in the heat of battle my mind was unclear.

[yermom]

i'm gonna wait for SicEm or SBSB to weigh in on this one

[KC//CRIMSON]

Hey booster seat, need a lift?

[OUinFLA]

What are you gonna be when you grow up?


Does your mother know you are climbing on the shelves?

It's kinda cool how short people can fit into all the really small fuel efficient cars, don't ya think?

De Plane! De Plane!

[RacerX]

Need some help, Midge?

[sanantoniosooner]

I offered to help a short lady reach something on the top shelf just a couple of days ago. She wasn't a midget or anything, but he was grabbing 1 liter bottles of pedialyte and I was afraid the weight and the stretch would combing for a painful drop of some kind.

[soonerhubs]

My wife has trouble reaching top shelf stuff sometimes. She's one inch away from being a "clinical" little person. She gets angry when I hide her footstools, but I get tired of falling on my fat *** when she leaves them in the kitchen.

She mentioned that she appreciates those who help her.

[setem]

Shoulda said..."Hey little boy you wanna come back to my place for a cupcake and a glass of wine?"

[Whet]

when I was at OU, there was a height-challenged person that rode around campus on a tiny bicycle - her name was Bridgette...... But, I never saw her climbing stuff..... just riding that little, bitty bike.

[Frozen Sooner]

You totally should have held her down and made her show you her pot of gold.

[setem]

when I was at OU, there was a height-challenged person that rode around campus on a tiny bicycle - her name was Bridgette...... But, I never saw her climbing stuff..... just riding that little, bitty bike.

That just made my day! Nice visuals!

[Viking Kitten]

You totally should have held her down and made her show you her pot of gold.

I'm changing my previous answer.

[OUDoc]

You totally should have held her down and made her show you her pot of gold.
That's just asking to become a registered sex offender.

[soonerscuba]

When life hands you dwarfs, make a dwarf toss.

[OCUDad]

That's just asking to become a registered sex offender.Mike doesn't need to ask.

[OU-HSV]

We all know the SO is THE place to go for answers to many of life's pressing questions. Here's mine.

So I'm walking through Wal-Mart, minding my own beezwax. I look over to the side by the lunch meat section and there's this lady, a little person. (I'm not sure we're supposed to say "dwarf"; I don't want to offend.) She's obviously needing to reach something up high. She starts to climb up the shelf of the fridge. I'm talking scaling way up high.

I started to go over and offer to reach something for her. But I feared it might embarass her, or infringe on her sense of independence, or something else bad I hadn't thought of. People, I often offer to reach something for some frail little old lady or somebody in one of those handicap carts. But this time my gut said it was wrong; don't do it.

Now I regret not offering to help. What should I have done?

Any of you people that happen to be little people, please feel free to correct my ignorance.
I had the same kind of thing happen the other day in my office building's parking lot. There's a guy getting out of his driver side door of his car and he's getting into a wheel chair. He looked like he was really, really struggling, and I almost stepped over to ask him if he needed help. But I remembered previous stories I've heard of how people in that condition like to do things on their own. Almost like they'd be offended if someone offered help. And I was thinking in my mind, "this guy probably does this 20 times a day...it's probably just the norm for him."
So I kept walking to the building. I have held the door for the guy before when the wind was almost slamming it shut. But I think that's different.

[OKC-SLC]

That's just asking to become a registered sex offender.
That horse left the barn a long time ago.

[SicEmBaylor]

We all know the SO is THE place to go for answers to many of life's pressing questions. Here's mine.

So I'm walking through Wal-Mart, minding my own beezwax. I look over to the side by the lunch meat section and there's this lady, a little person. (I'm not sure we're supposed to say "dwarf"; I don't want to offend.) She's obviously needing to reach something up high. She starts to climb up the shelf of the fridge. I'm talking scaling way up high.

I started to go over and offer to reach something for her. But I feared it might embarass her, or infringe on her sense of independence, or something else bad I hadn't thought of. People, I often offer to reach something for some frail little old lady or somebody in one of those handicap carts. But this time my gut said it was wrong; don't do it.

Now I regret not offering to help. What should I have done?

Any of you people that happen to be little people, please feel free to correct my ignorance.

You should have helped her. Now, as a guy, I'd be insulted but she's a woman and I'd have offered to help (if I weren't a midget).

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

You should have offered to help. Tall people usually just point and laugh if I need something off the middle shelf though.

[RFH Shakes]

See how far you could toss her.