dyslexia jokes offensive?

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: GUEST,Trying to understand and help
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 10:18 AM

A friends son is dyslexic. Apart from many of the problems described above I am told that he particularly has difficulty with what I describe as "short cut thinking". Its the kind of situation where he is trying to explain something to you, you quickly grasp where he is heading, but for him to follow his own train of thought he has to work through the "chain of thought" in its correct sequence, he cant short cut.

I think at times it is a problem we can all have, but from what I am told, it seems exagerated in him. Do other dyslexics have this problem? He is an intelligent young man in Higher Education at the moment and still finds this part of his dyslexia very frustrating when communicating with others because it can seem to make him slow witted which is not the case.

He has worked so hard to overcome the other elements of his dyslexia it seems a pity that this still remains such an issue for him. Any advice for him from those with more experience of coping with this kind of thing? I am posting this anonymously as I do not have permission to raise the issue so I appologise in but I do not want to do anything that could identfy him or his family without that permission.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 11:50 AM

Dyslexia is a term applied to those who don't naviagate the printed page and the symbols thereon in the same way as the majority of readers. It's only considered a problem because those who process information differently are in the minority of total readers.

I remember what I hear and I remember what I read, but I read slowly so it seems I hear more efficiently because it covers more material. I have adapted my other senses, as it were, to take in the information. I am good at public speaking and worked for years giving talks and tours as a National Park Service ranger in both natural and historic settings. Extemporaneous speaking is something I can do easily; I rarely speak from prepared notes (using them only for the topic sentences to keep me on track).

It's like learning the words to a song and singing it from the knowlege of the song and subject instead of reading the words from the Blue Book or other printed matter. Once you've internalized the information you can draw from it in any number of ways.

When you think about it, reading literacy is a relatively new thing in human populations world-wide. Prior to this, it was the spoken word that was important, and the memory for stories and the ability to pass them along. Storytellers and singers were privileged as having important teaching and entertaining roles in society.

Perhaps with this diagnosis we're simply seeing a reversal of the skills society considers desirable. And there is quite a long list of famous and talented individuals who are dyslexic. Many performers, humorists, and writers deal with varying degrees of the condition. It isn't an affliction unless you are led to believe that you're a victim, and behave accordingly. I'd hazard a guess that it is these skills that bring a lot of members to Mudcat, and I wouldn't be surprised if there is a high percentage of dyslexic members of the group.

SRS

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: JenEllen
Date: 14 Oct 03 - 01:39 PM

How many dyslexics does it take to tell you that a joke is NOT about dyslexia? ....jaysus......

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Mr Happy
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 11:24 AM

DNA?

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: ced2
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 11:29 AM

On a serious note, or adopting a more positive tone(!) There was a dictionary published in the mid 1970's that included a fair number of wrong spellings. The way it worked was that the incorrect spellings were in red and the correct were in black.   So "Count would also appear as the correct spelling for "cownt, kount, kownt, cont etc. Each of these was listed in alphabetical order. It was very useful for many students who had difficulty in spelling. However it had its
obvious limitiations. I am pretty sure it was published by Pergammon and was entitled something like "The Pergammon Dictionay of Perfect Spelling". Of course it was of little use to people who had red/green colour blindness as the red appeared as dark grey.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 03:07 PM

I have one of those, I think mine was put out by the New York Times. Bright yellow book, called The Misspeller's Dictionary. Trouble was, seeing a word spelled wrong tended to imprint the misspellings for me. I'm better off groping around phonetically than seeing it wrong in print.

SRS

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: running.hare
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 07:01 PM

I didn't take to my "awful spellers Dictionary" either. I found I never mis-spelled a word the way they thought I should!

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Edmund
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 08:59 PM

To change the line of thought a bit ... I have been wondering for days if a dyslexic Chinese person would have trouble reading and writing characters. Then I ran across this thread and couldn't resist asking.

I know this sounds like a put on, but I am coaching my granddaughter in her Chinese studies and really did have this thought occur to me.

Edmund

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Oct 03 - 09:15 PM

Good question. I suspect if you do a google search on it you won't be able to read the answers. :)

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: GUEST,arn't all jokes?
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 04:55 AM

Two dyslexics skiing down a hill, one said to the other "I love them zag zigs" the other replied, "It's zig zags you mean", the argument went on for some time till the saw a man on a sledge coming down the hill so they asked him to decide whether it was "zag zigs or zig zags", the man replied "how should I know I'm a tobogganist" to which one of the dyslexics reply "that's OK can I have a pack of Marlboro then"

N.B. The "joke" is not relevant to Dyslexia, It could have been a woman sledging, neither is it trying to encourage people to smoke or meant as an advert for the particular brand of cigarette.

Those who try to analyze jokes fail to see the point of a "Joke" how many jokes do you know that do not rely on having fun at "someone else's expense"?

start adding them to this list - I'll start it off with mmmmmmmmmmmm errrrrrrrr    ok someone else think of something

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: GUEST,by CJ Crennell
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 05:03 AM

CJ has just finished University which is fantastic news for us mums and dads to know



D is for . . .


D is for dummy & dope
D is for those who can't cope
D is for disruptive, stupid & lazy
D is for students who drive parents crazy

D is for butterfingers, who can't catch a ball
D is for idiots who don't get it all
D is for "everyone else understands"
D is for people in bottom bands
D is for despairing, trouble-makers,attention-takers
D is for difficult & "Do it again"
D is for "God, you're a lame-brain"

But D is also for dyslexic, dyspraxic & disabled
D is for people who shouldn't be labelled

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: GUEST,pert
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 01:17 PM

sign on door of obsessive compulsive center.
will the last one to leave please turn the lights off, and on,
and off, and on ...

I thought this was funny but when I told it to a friend whos sister
was obs/comp she didnt laugh. (I didnt know about her sister)

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Folkiedave
Date: 16 Oct 03 - 07:25 PM

Just retiring as a lecturer in Further Education (Community College or similar for USA readers). Many of our students have "failed" at school because schools do not like diagnosing students as dyslexics because they do not get enough money to provide support.

Many so called "thick" students are simply undiagnosed dyslexics who go on to University where they get first class degrees. And since people started suing - loads of support. Computers are a great help to achievement.

I forget the exact figure but something like 40% of all prisoners (UK) are dyslexic. You would think that might tell people something!!

Famous dyslexics include Richard Branson, Einstein, Churchill, Michael Heseltine, Jackie Stewart, Susannah York, and too many succesful sportspeople to name.

Regards,

Dave
www.collectorsfolk.co.uk

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Ritchie
Date: 22 Oct 03 - 08:09 AM

My new 'hobby' is to accept every suggestion that the 'spell checker' throws up when I compose an email and then send it ...hee hee hee.

ritchie (acting his shoe size not his age)

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: TIA
Date: 22 Oct 03 - 09:18 AM

Back to music-

Old Macdonald had a farm, O I E I E......

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: LadyJean
Date: 22 Oct 03 - 10:57 PM

I do tell a Newfie joke. Did you hear the one about the Newfoundlander who opened a Chinese restaurant? The food's just great, but half an hour later, you're half an hour later. The humor depends on the fact that Newfoundland is half an hour ahead of the rest of the east coast, not on the notion that "Newfs" are lesser beings, or not "real Canadians".
When my mother had her mastectomy, several of her nosy friends asked me which breast had been removed. I can't tell right from left, unless I think about it, so I honestly couldn't tell them. I find this funny, mostly because I had an opportunity to disappoint a bunch of snoopy old biddies.
I don't think I'd be amused if somebody else had decided to be funny about it.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: s&r
Date: 23 Oct 03 - 04:16 AM

I'm not sure where the "40% of uk prisoners are dyslexic" comes from. Prisons routinely screen for literacy and numeracy levels, and each prisoner is interviewed by a trained member of the Education Staff. I currently interview new prisoners and might believe 4% but not 40%.

Many prisoners are poorly educated and a lot of effort is expended to improve levels during their sentence(s) with a good success rate.

There is dyslexia, but not always as claimed; quite often very loose definitions of dyslexia prove to be undiagnosed.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: s&r
Date: 23 Oct 03 - 04:37 AM

Found this on Google http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/1288334.stm there were also some wild reports that Folkiedave must have seen based on flawed assumptions that poor reading is usually caused by dyslexia

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 24 Oct 03 - 03:12 AM

pdq - that is really interesting. At first I read Amazing, only when rereading it I noticed the wrong order of the letters.
May it console the dyslexics that they have the advantage of not being analphabets. This disadvantage can be a bad handicap at working life.
And your (really funny) jokes about dyslexia prove what I always thought: The best jokes about problems are told by the people concerned.
I have learned a lot about a problem I didn't know anything before, and by some learned contributions, about the brain working while reading.

Wilfried

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: GUEST,Ker
Date: 24 Sep 09 - 06:40 PM

I'm Dyslexic I don't find the offensive at all. If u say it in a certain way then it can b or if u don't no wat it is when u make the jk. Some are stupid some are good the "Dyslexics worship Dog" is good even though as far as I no none of us have ever mixed that up. Some are good some are bad, the bad 1s are then they have nothing to do with the symptoms of Dyslexia like when they are "talking" that would just b mishearing. The ones that I actually have 2 study are the realy good1s. Like the "All Dyslexics Untie!" that took me a bit 2 c where the joke was, it was realy good (=^,..,^=)
Its I ironic realy cuz when u or atleast I was found out that I was dyslexic and not just stupid. They gave me a bunch of books that they wanted me 2 read about it -_-.... its like they where mocking me (I never read them) the main thing is bdpq not the whole word backwards, those r bad 1s.
I finally got who and how down as of last year b prowed of me :) yay 504 plan!!!   (spell check is our friend! but not always if ur Dyslexic)
wow wat a ramble... wow... whow....wat was wat?
bye byez hope that helped (I'm rambling cuz of boredom not cuz of any mental disability btw)

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: longboat (inactive)
Date: 24 Sep 09 - 06:48 PM

Generally those who are offended are not a part of (fill in the appropriate group)

As an example,one of the funniest jokes about Scotland I've ever heard came from my late Uncle Andy, yet I remember him telling the joke (the accent was required for full effect) and this young English woman came up to him (it was at a pub) and accused him of being racist, so my Uncle replied, using a veddy veddy posh English accent (he was very good with regional and national accents and dialects)No my dear young lady, NOW I'm being racist.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 24 Sep 09 - 08:02 PM

A story from Australia, which is sort of relevant:

Old man in a restaurant with his family and he's getting angry, and he shouts out. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU - I CAN'T STAND ABORIGINES"

People around look shocked. Family looks mortified. "Calm down Dad" says the son. "Everyone is looking at us."

"I don't care - it's the truth. I hate aborigines. I think they're poison."

"That just isn't true, Dad. And anyway, the word is 'aubergines'."

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Peace
Date: 24 Sep 09 - 08:06 PM

Never met a joke yet that didn't offend someone.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: BaldEagle2
Date: 24 Sep 09 - 09:34 PM

For what is worth, I once coined the following during a somewhat mellow session at a local bar:

Me:   "Do you know that my wife is the chairperson of the local chapter of the D.A.M.?"

Mellow drinking mate, half way through his fifth or eighth drink "Really? What's the D.A.M?"

Me:    "Mothers Against Dyslexia"

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Gurney
Date: 24 Sep 09 - 10:14 PM

jOhn, right at the top, asked "would you tell a 'blind' joke to blind people."
Well, once long ago, from the stage, I did, to a coachload of sight-impaired. And they loved it! They thought I was taking the piss out of them!
In my defence, it was mild, without ill-will, and funny, and I didn't know they WERE blind. You can't always tell, unless you slip on the dog-shit.

I suspect that a funny crack is still funny when it is aimed at someone. Even you. Mates needle each other all the while.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Sep 09 - 10:21 PM

Revisiting this old thread--funny how as I read I found myself wondering if I answered some question or other, and reading a little further along, there it was.

SRS

Subject: ADD: The Original Tale of Rindercella
From: longboat (inactive)
Date: 24 Sep 09 - 10:36 PM

The Original Tale of Rindercella


This is the story of Rindercella and her sugly isters.
Rindercella and her sugly isters lived in a marge lansion. Rindercella
worked very hard frubbing sloors, emptying poss pits, and shivelling shot.
At the end of the day, she was knucking fackered. The sugly isters were
right bugly astards. One was called Mary Hinge, and the other was called
Betty Swallocks; they were really forrible huckers; they had fetty sweet and
fatty swannies. The sugly isters had tickets to go to the ball, but the
cotton runts would not let Rindercella go.
Suddenly there was a bucking fang, and her gairy fodmother appeared. Her
name was Shairy Hithole and she was a light rucking fesbian. She turned a
pumpkin and six mite wice into a hucking cuge farriage with six dandy
ronkeys who had buge hollocks and dig bicks. The gairy fodmother told
Rindercella to be back by dimnlight otherwise, there would be a cucking
falamity. At the ball, Rindercella was dancing with the prandsome hince when
suddenly the clock struck twelve. 'Mist all chucking frighty!!!' said
Rindercella, and she ran out tripping barse over ollocks, so dropping her
slass glipper.
The very next day the prandsome hince knocked on Rindercella's door and the
sugly isters let him in.. Suddenly, Betty Swallocks lifted her leg and let
off a fig bart. 'Who's fust jarted??' asked the prandsome hince. 'Blame that
fugly ucker over there!!' said Mary Hinge. When the stinking brown cloud had
lifted, he tried the slass glipper on both the sugly isters without success
and their feet stucking funk. Betty Swallocks was ducking fisgusted and gave
the prandsome hince a knack in the kickers. This was not difficult as he had
bucking fuge halls and a hig bard on. He tried the slass glipper on
Rindercella and it fitted pucking ferfectly. Rindercella and the prandsome
hince were married. The pransome hince lived his life in lucking fuxury, and
Rindercella lived hers with a follen swanny!

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Rasener
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 03:19 AM

longboat,that was posted earlier in this thread. Surely Rindercella is spoonerism not a dyslexia issue.

I saw somebody doing that live at Gainsborough Folk Club and it was so funny, I thought I was going to have a heart attack through laughing so much.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 05:23 AM

Don't tell 'em that, Villan. Don't want anyone thinking we have fun - it's a Folk Club fer Gawd's sake! :-) :-)

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Emma B
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 05:54 AM

As a 'classic' dyslexic, like the guests with this condition who have posted earlier, I don't find the jokes offensive per se - just unfunny as they simply don't describe the experience of dyslexia although they may be amusing in poking gentle fun at spoonerism or some kind of 'medical mondegreen' condition.

I learned to read quickly at an early age as I recognized the 'shape' of words in a specific context - for example pool and pond could be totally interchangable and am still a very fast and avid reader
But, I would (and still do) struggle with anagrams or even a simple word spelt in reverse which don't make any kind of 'sense' to me.

I experienced more difficulties in my professional training at university but, in my early career, all staff were required to use audio typists anyways and subsequently I rely on a good spell check programme - with some quite hilarious/embarassing typos from time to time :)

However rwo of the jokes made me laugh

Dyslexics of the world untie! - after I'd reread it :)

and
from JenEllen

How many dyslexics does it take to tell you that a joke is NOT about dyslexia?

'Em'

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Emma B
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 06:13 AM

Did I mention I was a lousy typist too! :)

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Rasener
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 07:01 AM

>> it's a Folk Club fer Gawd's sake<<

Well it was folking funny BMW. :-)

I wish I could get John to come and do that at Faldingworth as an opener. Mind you I would need first aiders on hand, just in case.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Tug the Cox
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 11:28 AM

I knew a neurotic, dyslexic insomniac. he was awake all night worrying about whether there was a dog.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 11:46 AM

That the guy who wore Levis, in memory of Elvis?

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 12:08 PM

Considering that until pretty recently many Dyslexics were diagnosed as "Lazy and Stupid", to have jokes about Dyslexia, seems to me to represent something of an improvement in popular awareness regarding the existence of the condition. I'd imagine that a bit of ribbing regarding a relatively mild 'disability', is an improvement on being made to feel like a complete thicko and slacker.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 12:21 PM

As a dyslexic, if I don't put my posts into WORD and re-read it 6 times I get all sorts of indignant criticism over spelling.

Recently people wrote in response "garbage, why should I consider anything this person wrote as true with such glaring spelling errors?"

I don't bother to tell them that I am trying harder than they know.

Then half the time I paste the original version rather than the WORD version and have to ask an admin to change my post.

Somtimes the intended meaning remains the same despite dyslexia, such as "The queer old Dean" and "The dear old Queen", but usually dyslexia changes the meaning entirely and makes writing and reading a supreme effort.

Often dyslexic people have a heightened sense of spatial relationships, so their are some benefits in visualisation and invention be it in art, sculpture or engineering. Sometimes I think if I had a writing partnership like a Rodgers and Hammerstein duo, some good things could happen. Hope springs eternal and feels so good, if only for a fleeting dream of the prefectly written story.


As for jokes...can't get enough of em.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 12:49 PM

I STILL like the Dyslexic Pimp who opened a warehouse

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Amos
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 03:07 PM

I am fond of the dyslexic insomniac agnostic who stayed up late at night wondering if there really was a dog. Given the nature of the condition, the joke is very droll. But it is in no manner meant to be offensive to any individual, any more than blonde jokes or lawyer jokes are meant to offend blonde lawyers.



A

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 03:54 PM

Guest, ..understand

Yes the short cut gets convoluted.
Dyslexia seems to produce a lot of associative thinking.
To remember A one has to remember B and to remember C you have to access C. This seems like a very twisted trail to merely speak of A, but thats the way it is.

The plus side of this associative mind trail is that new or different connections can occur which may sometimes seem like an intuitive leap or genius. Given enough thoughts some are bound to make a new and meaningful connection or innovation. Most of the time however the associative connections merely slows communication down.

Speaking aloud will betray this slow fractal detour of thought, while writing allows time to use all the associations to their best effect and can produce creative or erudite moments you would not expect from the same person who speaks so haltingly or haphazardly.

The short cut in the spoken speech of dyslexics does suffer while in written speech the short cut can be virtually eloquent.


Reciting from memory can be accomplished with exaggerated repetition. The practice time varies with each individual.
What might take you 10 repetitions to memorize The Night Before Chrismas would take me 4 or 5 hundred times.

I wonder how many dyslexics are ever admitted to the Masonic Order, since the recitation in the initiation and gaining higher orders/rank is down right voluminous.

Perhaps another aspect of dyslexia is the propensity for them to go on and on and go from pillar to post is a never ending but annoying run on sentence that could last forever despite....etc.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: SharonA
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 05:14 PM

I thought Rindecella had sisty uglers.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 07:09 PM

If we're getting on to talking seriously about dyslexia, here an interesting angle on it Dyslexia Differs by Language:

"Dyslexia affects different parts of children's brains depending on whether they are raised reading English or Chinese. That finding, reported in Monday's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, means that therapists may need to seek different methods of assisting dyslexic children from different cultures."

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 07:36 PM

From a Prairie Home Companion email:

Did you hear about the hen who won a literary award? ... It was a pullet surprise!

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 08:00 PM

Chinese not only differs in symbols vs words it is also a language that depends on specific pitch as in music. This to me is why different parts of the brain are involved.

A Chinese speaker will use the exact same pitch for certain words when they are tested weeks months or years apart.

Also about 5 times as many Chinese children end up with perfect pitch when compared to American children. This too is probably realted to the sing song nature of the language.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 08:04 PM

Dyslexia is NOT a disability!

It is also not something to be laughed at, in the wrong way.

It is purely another way for the brain to work, which is not worse than any other way.

What is offensive, and a 'joke' is the fact there are STILL in the 21st century, thick people out there who are totally unaware of what dyslexia actually is, or how to go about understanding it!

Yeesh!!

And what is even worse, is that many of those people are TEACHERS!

Yup, those who regard themselves as somewhat superior in the intelligence department, but in reality, all to often are thick as pig's whatsit, and deem it their 'right' to belittle, humiliate, wound and scar deeply sensitive, creative children, for no other reason than the 'lights' in their brain are brightest in the 'creativity' section.

I am the mother of dyslexic children, the sister of a dyslexic brother and the daughter of a dyslexic father...and I'm well on that circle myself too.

I have been made a 'joke' of by some folk on here, for the way I write...even read that I'm easy to 'track' because of the way I write, and that was said by someone who apparently is a teacher of dyslexic adults (Holy Jumping Catfish!)

At 7, my son was already being belittled by his 'teacher' for his spelling, despite her knowing he was on 'the circle'....My brother was told, throughout his school life that he was 'lazy and stupid'....I even had him held up as an example in my French class as someone who had 'the ability' but was too darn lazy to use it..and my French teacher then told the class that I was 'just like my brother'..

Non-Holy Jumping Catfish!!!

Of course, 'they' didn't know about dyslexia back then, just thought it was their right to judge.

The hurt, the humiliation, the anger caused by those who think dyslexia is a joke often lasts a lifetime....It wounds, it scars...and it runs deep!

My brother grew up angry. He eventually found a way to make a living....from rubbish dumps...amongst other people who were deemed 'illeterate' and as 'rubbishy' as the 'dumps' they worked on!

Ted was a prime example. He couldn't write his name, signed always with a X....but that man built his own house! Not only that, but he designed it too! AND...not only THAT, but he built it on The Somerset Levels, boring deep into the ground to make it stable....

Over and again, you'll find some of the most creative people, the best songwriters, the best musicians, the most fantastic artists, the best dancers, athlete's, etc...are dyslexic. They have the ability to 'see' inside...They have the ability to know how an instrument plays, before they've even picked it up...

The artist who is able to peel back, visually, each layers of paint on the Great Masters paintings, so they can 'see' how they put the painting together, thus recreating it, as my daughter can, thinking that everyone does this when they look at a painting...The dancer who 'sees' themselves from above, the songwriter who 'is ' the song....

Churchill, the man who fought so hard to gain control of language, and through that language that he went so deep into, came the inspiration for an entire nation, held together by HIS words......words that once he was ridiculed for not understanding how to spell..how to put together, held back in Harrow, belittled, humiliated over it...but all his life through he practised his speeches over and again, shutting himself away to write them, learn them, word perfect...

So often, those who've had the most terrible, unimaginably rotten time at school, are the most intelligent of all the pupils there, but they give up, turn their face to the wall, create havoc, through their misery.....

Why?

Because those who deem themselves 'intelligent' CANNOT and WILL NOT see the child within!

Geez, it makes me so effing mad!

Even to this day, it happens..with all the wonderful information around it STILL happens...and why? Because no-one has any flaming time! And when you force a dyslexic child to learn in YOUR world, they need so MUCH time.

But tell me, do we dyslexic people for YOU to learn in our world? Do we state that you are thick, stupid, idiotic, purely because you are boring ol' farts who pick over facts that so often we cannot even recall??

Nope.

we just get on with our muddled up, imaginative, anything goes, colourful lives...where rainbows light up our minds, rather than blackboards and chalk....

Dyslexia jokes...?

Well, I recall listening to Les Barker telling a few way back and laughing until I cried....mainly because he was laughing 'with' and not 'at'......

But no, WE are not Jokes! We are simply US, the same as you, are YOU. No better, no worse....Equal in every way....just with very different skills to you, the way that Mother Nature intended....

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Emma B
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 08:30 PM

Judy Goldblum-Carlton says that "The most powerful thing we're given is our ability to laugh. It's our greatest gift, especially if we can laugh at ourselves and not take ourselves so seriously."

Well folks some of the jokes are very funny, as I said, spoonerisms and 'mondegreens' can be hilarious, I particularly like the Pullitzer prize one and intend to steal - sorry 'borrow' it :)

However as a dyslexic the only 'offence' I can take is that many of the so called jokes here have really nothing whatsoever to do with dyslexia and refect a general ignorance about what dyslexia is and ISN'T!

It seems it's not only dyslexics who apprently have trouble reading; please take a look at some of the posts from people like myself with this 'condition'

And please post jokes that actually relate to the real problems and unintentional humour of dyslexia like confusing marital and martial -as someone with this condition I can assure you there is a goldmine out there waiting to be mined and shared with people like myself

But please spare us the 'jokes' that suggest we cannot distinguish between God and dog.
I don't often find myself agreeing with Lizzie but - we are not idiots!

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: Smokey.
Date: 25 Sep 09 - 09:44 PM

Anyone remember the old hymn "Nearer my Gob to Thee"?

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: goatfell
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 10:01 AM

if you suffer from dyslexia Helen who writes your posts then?

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: goatfell
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 10:03 AM

i have a problem with maths I can add and take away but for multiplying and divening I canne did right well

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: robomatic
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 02:09 PM

The problem with the post that started this thread is that the jokes are about deaf people. The punch lines are supposed to be pronounced in the same way as Helen Keller jokes, with which they are closely linked.

The poster who for some reason thought they were about dyslexia has given away the reason why they are not perceived as a comedian.

It was the 'unreliable narrator' aspect to this thread that made me wish to bother with it at all.

Subject: RE: dyslexia jokes offensive?
From: robomatic
Date: 26 Sep 09 - 02:10 PM

C