Q18: Adventures in the Mainstream

“Sometimes I have a problem with the family rule about not inflicting my kids on strangers. Too many of those strangers want to dismiss my son and those like him as useless, pitiable, and ignorable. It’s not my job to change their minds even if I could. But if Ned and I can rattle their cages just a little through some judicious inflicting, we’ll do it. A few minutes ago, a very nice guy from South Carolina named John Proctor told me that Ned’s concert tonight was one of the best things about the whole trip as far as he was concerned. It was a very gracious thing to say, especially since I think he really meant it.” p 49

This passage goes to the issues of ‘awareness’ and ‘advocacy.’ Do you agree with Palmer that it’s not his job to change people’s minds, or do you feel obligated to advocate all the time? Do events like this do enough to create a change in attitudes?

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