Friday, February 15, 2008

To Park or Not To Park

It seems parking spaces are capable of generating a high level of emotion. When it comes to the subject of handicap parking, intensity increases.

Think about popular TV programs, the barometer of social rules, using parking as episode fodder.
  • An episode of Coach was about the women teams coaches' remote parking versus the men teams coaches'close parking in the cold, sloppy Minnesota winters.
  • Then, on Seinfeld, Georgeblocked New York City traffic for hours over a coveted space.
  • The deacon on Amen (Sherman Hemsley) marked his space with a sign reading, "Don't even think about parking here."
  • Curb Your Enthusiasm had Larry outraged over a handicap parker whose disability was stuttering.
  • And then there was House whose conflict was between two disabled people -- cane vs. chair.
I'm sure there are more, but these get the idea across. Parking spaces have a way of agitating our blood pressure,especially when it comes to handicap parking.

I submitted a question this subject to Yahoo! Answers: If you are not disabled, should you be able to park in a handicap space for just a few minutes?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great topic! Handicapped parking is always a touchy subject. I have a handicapped placard and it's lifetime.

While my MS has it's ups and downs, technically I can park in a "blue" spot any darn time I want to.

Yet, due to feeling there may be others who come along needing it more, when I'm having a good day I leave the spot to someone who maybe can't walk as good as I can on that particular day.

Unless I'm needing my cane, I don't need my placard. Just because I can park there is no reason to abuse the blue spot. :-)

Nice blog! I will add you to my MS blogger list. ~ Jeri

Diane J Standiford said...

My opinion is absolutely not, never, nada, no way. I have not always been disabled, I was happ to see "handicapped" spots and thankful I didn't need one. In that "minute" a person with a disability may need that spot.(And after 1-minute Joe, comes 1-mnute Sally, then 1-minute Bob and so on, adding up to hours. How can people be so selfish?

Unknown said...

I am disabled and I do not considered myself disabled regarding to "parking". Why?

There are those who needs the space more than I do. I can walk alittle bit longer and able to move around without much problems compare to those who can't.

When I see a disable person who is I think is really "able" regarding the parking situation, I lose respect for that person.