I don't think making judgments about people before you know them is fair, so I'm going to tell you a story about a girl who walked to the dining hall on, presumably the wrong day.
It was a bright Tuesday afternoon and she was walking into the dining hall with her roommate going to get lunch together. Until this day she thought the card swiping workers were nice, kind people just doing their job the best they could, but little did she know that that was about to change.
On this day one of the ladies decided to stop her and essentially change her view of people in a substantial way.
"Why don't you have a power wheelchair?" she said.
Taken aback by the question, the girl responded the way she would to any other person.
"Because I would feel lazy."
The "lunch lady" then responded in a very rude manner saying, "But you have all these girls pushing you around."
The girl then explained that that was only in the dining hall because she could not get her own food (because the dining hall is inaccessible) and the lady seemed to be amazed in a way that didn't seem genuine. Rude amazement? Condescending amazement? You decide.
If you haven't figured it out already that girl is me and this was one of my first experiences as a student in the SMC dining hall. I try my best not to be judgmental and I expect the same from other people because rude comments do not make me feel good about myself.
Unfortunately, I have another not so great example of the way I have been treated in the dining hall.
Thursday in the dining hall I had no one to go to dinner with, so therefore I had no one to help me get my food. Thankfully, one of the girls walking toward the dining hall at the same time offered to help me.
Usually, when things like this happen, the lunch people allow that person to help me get my food without them having to swipe. Unfortunately, on that day this was not the case.
During the first week of school my dad went and talked to the head chef to make sure I could get help getting food and he said that if the dining hall is busy when I come in no one will be able to help me.
So, if no one is able to help me or no one wants to help me and someone offers to help me just to get my food they should not have to swipe. I don't really think it's fair.
I understand not wanting to give a special treatment to a single person, but not being sensitive to my circumstances whether I can do things or not is not fair or kind. I urge you all to put yourself in my shoes for a day just to possibly learn something about how I live my life.
