The Boys Next Door

I found The Boys Next Door to be very entertaining. It is interesting to read a play that is centered around mentally handicapped people. I really enjoy getting inside their minds...and hearing how they go about their days. It is sad to see how they are taken advantage of. I cannot imagine doing such things to a mentally handicapped person. I did find it to be a little difficult to read on my own though. It was definitely easier to get through reading it aloud or should I say acting it out. It was hard for me to read because it jumps around a lot.

Professor Corrigan gave us some notes on The Boys Next Door. I really liked how he stated that he did not have answers but he could engage in questions with himself. I am a little uncomfortable with the whole statement that it is okay to laugh at the crazy things that mentally handicapped people do...I mean, I am definitely guilty of doing that but I almost feel bad doing it. I constantly laugh at myself and the stupid, silly things I do so I guess if it was something that I would laugh at myself doing it is okay. I completely agree with Corrigan when he stated that people with mental disabilities are like children. It is so true. If you just sit back and watch a child then watch someone with a mental disability they are very similar. It is kind of sweet.

Although this story is not only about the awareness of handicapped people, I feel as though that is one of the most profound things I have grasped from this play. They are real people with real feelings and they have a purpose and a plan for their lives just as much as "normal" people do. Corrigan stated, "People with mental disabilities need our help. But we need their help just as much." They truly do have something to offer. If we would take the time to get to know the mentally handicapped, I feel as though our lives would be greatly enriched.