I just have to draw your attention to this, given that it appeals to my sense of humour on so many levels. Lawrence Clarke, one of my favourite crip-comedians (perhaps that should be cripedians?), sits in the street with a collection bucket shouting ‘kill the puppies’. As he’s sat in a wheelchair and has CP, people put money in his bucket regardless of the violent cause he is collecting for, and even when Clarke objects, saying ‘you want to kill puppies, you bastard!” after someone puts a coin in his bucket. The point he is making, of course, is that pity for disability trumps anything else; people will feel sorry for ‘us’ no matter what. It’s odd to think how deep that pity goes: people see our chairs before they see anything else. Thus Clarke makes a very good point. I also love when one old dude comes up to him and asks ”are you a cripple of some sort?”

Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m off to collect money for my next pub trip; where’s my bucket?