Loved the Paralympics shame they spoilt it by the cold play concert at the end

Enjoyed bits of it. Could have done without Jay-Z though, he was rotten.

Was watching the Paralympics the past couple days, the wheelchair rugby is awesome!

Yesterday I was round at my sister's and the TV was on with some western movie on or something. I asked to switch to the Paralympics and my step dad (who I really don't like) said something along the lines of. "No, I can't watch it. I don't see the point in watching a load of cripples trying to swim with no arms or run with no legs."

I switched over anyway. Then I mentioned the wheelchair rugby and how it was played on a basketball court etc... I also said that it's the most dangerous sport in the olympics and paralympics combined for the number of injuries that happen. His reply "Well it's not like you can hurt them any more than they already are".

Then we were watching something about one of the athletes who was in a wheelchair and my grandma said something along the lines of "It's a shame isn't it. Think about what could have been if she wasn't disabled". My reply "Never mind what could have been, think about what IS. She's on TV winning gold in the paralympics. I'm sure she's doing fine as she is".

I really don't get some people's attitudes towards things in general.

I watched a few film clips and one this I remember them saying is don't focus on what we can't do but what we can. I think the older generation is still very prejudiced and mostly don't even realised they are. Think about how much the world has changed the last 60 years. It wasn't that long ago black people were still segregated in the US & disabled people did not have the tools to be able to achieve everything they do now.

The old sayings are true. You can't teach an old dog new tricks & older people are more set in their ways. My Mum is 75 and she still calls black people 'coloured'. She doesn't meant to offend it's just what she's used to.

Keep turning the channel over and keep trying to educate people. It's all we can do.

+1. Watched about 2 minutes of that rubbish than watched a couple of episodes of Cheers instead. God bless olden-days TV shows!

I can certainly think of worse, but what would you to consider to be a better or more appropriate term?

My grandmother would quite happily remind me of the starving children in Africa when I didn't finish a meal, and then refer to them as ungodly people when they appeared in a negative news story.

Two years ago I was taking my gf's mum for a trip around London. English is a second langauge, and she certainly learnt it a long time ago. But walking down a busy high street after getting off a bus, her first comment, in a rather loud voice was, "There are a lot of negroes here."

I can think of worse too I was just giving an example.

Negroes / Nigger is what I don't get. It's OK for black people to say it but not white. I watched the help recently and so much has changed since the 60's. Easy to get confused.

Just came across this little blog post which reminded me of this comment:

http://www.sivers.org/aimee-mullins

Seen that Ted talk before. Excellent talk.