One weekend, RowdyRudy and Tianna invited me to spend a family day with them at their club
And me being me,
happily threw my bikini into my bag and went without thinking twice.
Who knew i’d be kidnapped for 8 hours of:
big Japanese lunch (with Kampachi fish! NYUM. Thank you uncle!)
sipping whiskey all day long
dipping in and out of the delicious pool
get to know shortcuts in the clubhouse
listening to their dad tell stories (now i know where Rudy gets his humour from!)
drinking more whiskey and eating chicken wings at the club bar
singing along to the band and doing the twist
Was such a BEAUTIFUL DAY!
(and it’s not the whiskey making me say that)
There were loads kids playing at the pool and i noticed one boy that acted very differently
Through his mannerisms and speech, one could tell he was obviously autistic
I was sitting on the bench outside the changing rooms
when he waved and yelled a sort-of hi to me
Since there was noone else around me and a wall behind
I simply smiled and waved back
Then he went back to doing his own thing and playing with the other kids
While we were drinking by the side of the kiddy pool,
we marveled at how energetic they all were,
and decided that the only time adults get like that is when they’re high
Anyway, something happened after that, that made me kinda sad for awhile.
I was walking back to our table when i overhead two young malay (race is not the issue here) wives standing at the side of the pool,
and commenting how they didn’t want their children to be near the autistic boy
They’d just arrived and wouldn”t allow their kids to go into the pool
till they got the club staff to ask the boy to leave the kiddy pool and go to the bigger one
These two women had two maids to carry all their things,
but no class when it comes to being respectful to other human beings
Hearing things like that really make me angry and upset
That boy wasn’t doing anything to anyone
He didn’t go near or disturb anyone
Most i saw him do was splash water (oh NO, you’re in the pool and someone splashed you? Must be terrible -_-)
And it’s also the mentality that they bring with them
Imagine their kids will grow up thinking it’s OKAY to react that way towards someone with a mental disability
I understand the club staff had to do that to keep the clients happy.
But still!
is this the klgcc club at bukit kiara where it happened?
no… it was at the club in subang
dun mean to b racist but sometimes they capacity of thinkin limit is within their covered head (even wen it comes to driving =p)..for all they know their kids wudve had much more fun wit dat boi..
What is worse than bigot minded people for mistaking mentally handicapped people for inferior beings who do not belong in a country club are bigoted racist that says things contrary to what they claim like the comment above.
We are Malaysians. Unfortunately there exists many kinds of people with primitive thinking despite holding high positions, having good education, and of high social background. both examples in Joyce’s article and the comment above prove the same.
me being me would have told them off….or “accidentally” pushed them into the pool….heh
It just shows that money doesn’t buy you class.
You should have given them a piece of your mind..that’ll teach them. Hoping that people will read this and just be a little more aware about autism. Ignorance isn’t bliss!
people like that will get what they give out back to them.
Agree totally with Michelle.
You should have given them an earful.
Next time you come across into those 2 bigots. please take a photo and forward to me.
aww! my mom is a therapist for special kids and they’re the sweetest, most misunderstood beings.
there is not enough help and not nearly enough awareness.
I wish the club had said something though, I mean seriously, this is just disgusting..poor boy..
to clarify, autism is a development disability, not a mental disability.