h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Check this out:

http://www.bbc.com/news/disability-49584591

I hope that this never happened to you. A scary form of bullying indeed.

Thanks Elektra - that is a helpful article to draw attention to the problem of unwanted touching and remind people to ask rather than just barging in to 'help'.

I do have experience of similar myself - the worst occasion was a few years ago when a man came up behind me and started pushing me without saying anything. I slammed on my brakes and asked what he was doing, but he started getting angry and also more determined to carry on pushing because he was 'only trying to help'. Fortunately I was not far from the door to my workplace so I got him to push me there where there were other people around and it was fine, but it was scary at the time...

Even today, someone asked if I wanted help getting into my car and I said 'no, thanks' but he grabbed the wheelchair anyway. I warned him that bits would fall off if he didn't lift the chair correctly, but acquiesced to the 'help', then he lifted the chair incorrectly and bits fell off I managed to get him to put the chair in the car so I could reach it to fix it, so it was fine, and hopefully he will listen properly if there is a next time he decides to help someone...

It makes me mad. Why all this misplaced volunterism? Uttering no words no less. That is scary, must seem like you are being kidnapped!

Yes, misplaced volunteerism is strange, as all people need to do is ask "Do you need any help?" - if a person needs help, they can say "yes please" and explain what help is needed, but if they don't need help, they can say "no, but thanks for asking" and the person offering can say "OK, no problem"...

Yes, it is scary to be pushed unexpectedly - not disssimilar to someone walking along and someone else just giving them a shove in the back, but "misplaced volunteers" obviously don't see it like that...

Unfortunately, empathy is in short demand.

Very true...

I'm glad to know thoughtful people such as you through h2g2