I went into today figuring to be bored seeing as how I had already been there and saw the whole property. I was pleasantly surprised however. The most prominent thing that I realized today was that AFI did not just take in mentally handicapped; they also take in physically handicapped people as well. The guy that drove the golf cart, John, surprised me when I found out that he is a client there. The first time we walked down to the lower facilities, we walked by him and I just figured that he was simply an employee. I did not appreciate all the political comments that were made. I do not know if you were intending to make them but I felt like they were made when they should not have. I apologize if that was not your intent, but it sure seemed like it was. Onto other topics, I do think that reading the boys next door did help me with the AFI field trip. It made me open my eyes more to those with mental disabilities. I think that in future classes if you will do the same AFI trip I think just a small story about a physically disabled person would be a nice add on. The only reason why I say that is I was already expecting everyone at AFI to be completely mentally disabled and I had not even though about physical disabilities. I do think that the group we were with was very social. It was a pleasant sight; I can honestly say that some of them are more social than me at times in life. I did like what our tour guide, Ashley?, said in the end about wishing that they didn’t have to deal with government funding so that they could run the institution as they want. I think that that would be best for both the community and the clients. My opinion on the essay that Dr. Fettke wrote has not changed at all. I still think him to be slightly bitter towards the Pentecostal church. I did enjoy the field trip in general though and I think it is a good way to make literature come more to life and be easier to understand, especially for those who do not pick up on the “life” that literature has. One last thought, I thought that the selection Edgar Allen Poe was funny. Such a twisted story, it was funny to read that story again. I do slightly like that story simply because of the twisted bit. “The Cask of Amontillado” has to be my favorite Poe story, have you read it?
I'm very glad that the visit was better than you expected. And I'm glad that it helped bring the play to life for you. The whole point of the field trip is to show the two-way connection between literature and life. The play can help you better understand AFI and visiting AFI can help you better understand the play. It's like that with literature about all sorts of things, whether love, or death, or work, or whatever--including nature which is what our next field trip will deal with.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea about bringing in an additional story about people with physical but not intellectual disabilities. Also, Poe is a very good writer. But he's a bit too dark and creepy for me--and you said I had dark tastes!--to I'll go on record saying I didn't choose the texts that we read.
I'm sorry that you were offended by the political commentary that accompanied the visit. The thing is that politics is inseparably part of these people's day to day reality (meaning the workers and the clients), so to not talk about politics would be to hide what is a huge part of the deal. It would be like visiting an aquarium and not mentioning that "Oh, by the way, all these fish need clean water to live in but the oceans and rivers and lakes that are their original habitats are being polluted." It would be to cover over an essential, pressing fact.
I wish that the situation of the developmentally disabled was not a political one. I wish that they would simply be provided with everything that they need. It doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever that that is not already the case. How did taking care of those with mental disabilities even become a partisan issue? I mean, what's "liberal" or "conservative" about it? It's just human. Sadly, it is a political question and how that political question plays out is closely related to the quality of life for these people. So, if you care about these people, there is simply no way to avoid the political realities of their lives without deceiving yourself. It's not my fault that that is true. I'm just the messenger.
Also, to tie into your earlier point, the political aspects of AFI and their clients directly parallel the ones in the play. So hearing about them is part of better understanding the play.
Finally, you've said that you agree that government cannot simply "pull out" without some other structure of support being in place. The thing is though that that is exactly what's happening. You heard the funding numbers during the visit. I think that they speak for themselves.
Also, I should add, in the end there seems like there's a big chance that we won't finally agree with each other on the politics. :-)
ReplyDeleteSo I want to make sure that it's clear that it's okay for us to disagree.
In the end, I want this to be a dialogue we're having--not a debate. Since we've both said what we have to say, now we can move on to talk about the next things in the class. That's the way dialogue works. We shouldn't get bogged in this one issue, no matter how important it is. Let's not let our disagreement define our relationship. Let's make it mostly productive and positive, which I think that it has been.
In the end, it will have been good for you to have dialogued with someone with views different from yours. :-)
much agreed with the end there
ReplyDeleteGood to hear.
ReplyDelete