Wednesday, March 12, 2008

What Makes Someone Be So Cruel?


photo credit-exfordy
creative commons license



Like a lot of other people, I've been following the Poling case closely. But another case in the news caught my attention this week.

This week, in the sleepy Mississippi river town of Alton, IL, 6 people have been charged in the death of a developmentally disabled woman who was 6 months pregnant. The 6 people charged range in age from 43 down to 12 years old. According to the story

Police said the autopsy revealed Dixon died on January 31 after being repeatedly shot with a BB gun, being scalded with a hot liquid and being beaten on her head and body. They said Dixon's fetus also died.


And lest we think that this horrid incident was a crime of passion,

Police said the attacks lasted for four to eight weeks.


I agree with others that it's not these things we need to worry about so much, as everyone realizes how unacceptable this behavior is, and that most people, when it is explained what the Judge Rotenberg Center does, also feel that it is unacceptable. I also feel that what we really have to worry about are the things that fly under our radar, like all the things that happen in institutions daily that we never hear about, and how most of us never think twice about the "helping" paradigm in disability.

But still, when I read a story like this one, I still don't understand how people can do such things to each other.

All involved in this have been charged with first degree murder, as well as a variety of other charges.

14 comments:

Brett said...

This story, and your question, raise another question in my mind:

Who is searching for a cure for these people?

Ange said...

sigh. too sad to say much. I will be addressing the abuse and misuse of seclusion and restraint (http://nomoseclusion.blogspot.com/) with my legislators on March 26 (MO's disability rights day : http://www.paraquad.org/docs/DRLDFlyer.pdf ). As I know from reading your posts/comments, awful things fly under the radar at the public schools too.

David N. Andrews M. Ed., C. P. S. E. said...
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David N. Andrews M. Ed., C. P. S. E. said...
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David N. Andrews M. Ed., C. P. S. E. said...
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David N. Andrews M. Ed., C. P. S. E. said...

I can't make a comment that says how despicable that behaviour is.

David N. Andrews M. Ed., C. P. S. E. said...

"Who is searching for a cure for these people?"

Not a single psychiatrist on this bloody planet.

kristina said...

Along with the NJ story I just posted on about the sexual assault of a special ed teenager by, apparently, more than one teenager----no words.

Anonymous said...

As Kristina said-no words. Heart breaking. M's birthmother is developmentally disabled and reading this crushes me.

John Best said...

Yup, that's a horrid crime.

It's not nearly as bad though, as Amanda Baggs lying to the public about autism.

Club 166 said...

Even if Ms. Baggs was lying about anything, it speaks volumes that you (John Best/Foresam) would even countenance equating words with torture and killing people.

I'm leaving your comment up, just so everyone else can see it for what it is.

Joe

Alyric said...

Also necessary to assure the reading public that it is most unlikely that Amanda has lied about anything.

Amazing how Amanda gets in the road of so many self serving stereotypes isn't it?

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Jessica Wood said...

I ask this a lot.