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Originally Posted by pitbulllady
Yeah, I doubt Wilt will "regain" his arm or eye; there's no evidence that he, or any other IF, can regenerate lost body parts, and it's a safe bet that if it hasn't happened in 30+ years, it's not gonna happen. Besides, part of Wilt's real strength is that he has learned to cope so well after losing an arm and an eye, and he can do pretty much anything that someone who still has two arms and two eyes is able to do, without complaining or whining. Wilt serves as an inspiration for anyone who is struggling with a disability, and shows that such people are just as capable as anyone else.
It HAS occurred to me that Wilt is more and more of a father figure, or at least a big brother figure, to Mac, and after seeing "Race For Your Life, Mac and Bloo", it really hit me just how much ALIKE Wilt and Mac are in terms of personality. Wilt just needs to "think outside the box" a bit, and perhaps discard the notion that the only way he can really help a child is to be adopted by that child and that child's family. He also needs to really take a long hard look at his impact on Foster's, since he's really one of the stabilizing elements in that home, and if he left, I have a feeling that things would become "off-balance", in terms of the residents' behavior and emotional status, to some extent. You often do not realize just how much one individual like Wilt can affect everyone else around them, until they're gone. It really takes the combined efforts of Wilt, Mac and Frankie to sorta hold things together around that place, to off-set the craziness of individuals like Bloo, or the obsession with rules of Mr. Herriman, and if one of those three were to leave, I don't think it would be benefit that household at all.
pitbulllady
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Are you sure magic won’t fix it? (Sorry-- I felt compelled to go there…)
On the much more serious note, unless an IF is a biologically accurate starfish, they’re probably not going to regrow severed limbs, so that‘s outta the picture. Wilt being, well… Wilt, he has adapted amazingly from the loss of his arm and eye-- even to the point of holding a bowl in his left arm while filling the bowl with potato chips in “Where There’s a Wilt…”-- and he did so with his usual infectious optimism. I wholeheartedly agree that Wilt serves as an inspiration to someone with a disability, and that someone with a disability is just as capable as the next person. I would also like to reinforce that: this school year (2007-08), I had the distinct pleasure of being a teacher’s aide for a special education teacher, who had (I believe it was) cerebral palsy. She was very small, shook and walked with something of a limp; however, she was unflaggingly optimistic and friendly-- just like Wilt.
Now that I’ve finally seen “Race for Your Life…” I definitely see the resemblance between Mac and Wilt-- especially in the context of morals vs. the need to win. I can see why Wilt would have the idea that he needs to be adopted to help a child: you never hear Mr. Herriman or Madame Foster or anyone suggest that not being adopted is not a bad thing.
Wilt would no doubt be pretty surprised if he were to closely examine his impact on Foster’s: he is certainly a driving force behind life at the house-- if it’s not mowing the lawn, it’s helping someone, and if not that, then merely keeping the peace. Take that away, and it would throw the entire group dynamic out of whack: You have Bloo and Coco, who provide more than enough insanity, and Eduardo, who’s rather easily impressed upon because of his naivete. Mac and Frankie, to some extent, balance out the aforementioned insanity; however, both would be easily overwhelmed on their own, which is definitely where Wilt enters into the picture, and his well-secured niche in the group dynamic.