Ding Ding Ding! All Aboard The Outrage Bus!

Offensive internet comments about blind people from a Gravesham Council candidate have been slammed as “shocking.”

Well, one comment, actually.

… in what has been described as “totally inappropriate”, Mr Parker tweeted in August last year: “Is it fair to say that there’d be less litter in Britain if blind people were given pointed sticks?”

Here comes the Legion of the Perpetually Aggrieved:

…Kevin Alderton, 39, who was left blind after trying to stop a gang attacking a woman in 1998, told News Shopper he was offended by the post.

The father-of-five, of Heather Drive, Dartford said: “It’s totally inappropriate. What’s going to be next? ”

Dunno, maybe whatever Mr Parker feels like Tweeting that doesn’t breach Twitter guidelines?

And I love the implied 'you can't ask questions, he was blinded whilst being a hero!' inference that the paper gives by including the details of his injury.

The Kent Association for the Blind, which has an office in Gravesend, also labelled the post inappropriate.

It must have been glad of the opportunity for some free publicity. But wouldn't it be refreshing just once to hear one of these organisations refuse to be drawn into the argument?

Mr Parker also tweets frequently about his dissatisfaction with Arriva buses.

In one post, he called a driver a “tw*t" for arriving early, causing him to miss his bus.

Arriva publicity manager Richard Lewis told News Shopper Mr Parker should contact customer services instead of posting comments on the internet.

He ‘should’, should he?

Maybe he realises it’s utterly pointless to go through a complaints team that will simply regurgitate a form letter and do nothing. Maybe he feel that he has as much right to use the new technology the way everyone else does - grumbling about missed buses and trains, passing on jokes, sharing whatever he's thinking or doing at the time.

I mean, we complain that political representatives are a world apart, don't live like 'ordinary people', and then when they do just that, we complain some more.

What gives?