Posted: 11/20/2007 at 09:16 PM
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People who live in tourist destinations inevitably have a different way of looking at their famous home than someone who goes there to visit -- even if they visit often.Take a coastal lighthouse. Tourists see the lighthouse as a site to see. Something to enjoy and experience, for a while. They may feel very attached to it as a symbol of their favorite vacation spot. It reminds them of fun.But that same lighthouse might have a very different meaning to the native. To the native, it may be the landmark they steer their boat home by, maybe even that time in that serious storm. It may have saved their life. It may be much more than a fun diversion.This dynamic came to my mind -- but in a context more appropriate to the Disaboom community -- when I came across this article about The Clinic restaurant in Singapore.Apparently one room of the quirky restaurant uses wheelchairs as dining seating (note the photo in the upper left of the article linked to above).What to make of that?Is it pharma-kitsch, as The Clinic's website insists, or is it an insult? Is this fun or is it evidence of someone who just doesn't understand?The journalist in me, trained to see not black and white but shades of gray, can see some merit in both of these arguments.But in the end I think it's probably more harmless than bad. Using a wheelchair to sit at a table while you're dining out is certainly not as permanent of a situation as most wheelchair users face. But even that short time spent rolling on another person's wheels might have the side effect of creating some understanding or help those who just seem to have an aversion to a wheelchair.What do you think? Convince me.
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I think it's bizarre...
and no, I'm not going to try to convince you. LOL
Personally, regardless of the access i don't think I'd want to go to a restaurant called "The Clinic". Makes you think of your last doctor visit. I mean, how appealing is that? Yeah, it's pretty harmelss, but not the best marketing. Some more thought could have gone into it all. Really.
Candy
I agree with you Candy. Eating at a clinic? Ugh. But then again, I knew someone who liked to eat at hospital cafeterias because he felt they were more committed to cleanliness. Go figure?!
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