I just received a new IFAQ from Dusty. He asked:

Why is it that it’s illegal to park in the handicapped space, but not illegal to use the public handicapped toliet?

As complex as this question is, the answer seems to be a relatively simple one. But first you must understand a bit of history.

The word “Handicap” actually originated from a somewhat deroggatory way to refer to physically challenged individuals. It came from the phrase “Hand and Cap” which would refer to a person who sat down on a street corner, holding out their hat or hand, begging for money. Now more recently, political correctness and an overal goodwill toward those who have disabilities has swept through America. Because of this sweep, handicap parking, handicap access ramps, and handicap restrooms have been instituted.

Now I said all that because it’s important to the question at hand. Don’t ask me why… it just is. Really, I think the reason is that if all the parking spots are full except the handicap spot, you’re just gonna go somewhere else. But if you run frantically into a restroom and find all but the handicap stall full (assuming you were not legally allowed to use it)… I really don’t even wanna think about what would happen.

In short, nobody wants to stand between a desperate person and a toilet, and frankly… neither do I.

(See the full IFAQ)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 15th, 2005 at 11:56 pm and is filed under Babblings, IFAQ. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.