Humor is part of being human. Most of us use self-deprecating jokes from time to time as a way to break the ice, ease tension, or connect with new people. I’ll admit that I often tell the old “Why don’t blind people like skydiving? Because it scares the poor guide dogs” joke when I meet someone new. My wife usually rolls her eyes, but it gets a laugh and sets a comfortable tone.

That said, there’s a big difference between gentle self-humor and jokes that punch down. In past generations, disabled people were often considered off-limits for crude comedy. In today’s culture, however, it feels like no one is safe from being a target. The rise of meme culture has made it socially acceptable to mock the way people walk, talk, or navigate the world. I don’t appreciate this shift, but I do see it as an opportunity for education.

I often see people share memes about blindness that are crude on the surface but reveal a genuine curiosity underneath. For example, the “Who picks up guide dog poo?” meme pops up all the time. While the intent may be humor, I notice many comments from people who honestly want to know how it works. So, let’s use this space to answer a few of these questions directly.

Question 1: Who picks up guide dog poo?

This one comes up constantly. The simple answer is: the handler always does. Guide dog users are responsible for their animals, just like any sighted dog owner.

Guide dogs like my own dog, Fauna, are kept on a rigid eating and drinking schedule to minimize the chance of accidents. Of course, dogs are animals and sometimes get sick just like people, but routine care makes things very predictable.

When a guide dog relieves, the handler knows exactly what is happening. We have noses just like you do, and beyond that, the posture of the dog gives clear cues: arched back for defecating, straight back for urinating. We always carry bags with us and clean up afterward.

Legally, this isn’t optional. Every state in the U.S. has laws requiring pet owners to pick up after their animals, and guide dog users are no exception. So while the meme makes it sound like a mystery, the reality is straightforward: we clean up after our dogs.

This question may seem silly, but whenever I see that meme posted, there are always genuine comments from people wondering how it actually works. Curiosity is fine, it just shouldn’t come wrapped in ridicule.

Question 2: How do blind people know when to stop wiping in the bathroom?

The meme usually gets phrased as: “How do blind people know when to stop wiping?”

Let’s be honest: everyone goes to the bathroom, and it isn’t any different if you’re blind. The truth is, you don’t need sight to manage this. Blind people develop routines and use the same common-sense strategies as anyone else. That might include repeating the process until confident, using wipes for reassurance, or simply relying on habit.

This question often says more about the person asking than about blindness itself. It highlights how disability can make people curious about things they would never dare ask a sighted person. Imagine walking up to someone at work and asking them how they know when they’re clean—it wouldn’t happen.

I’ll add a bit of humor here: if you’re truly worried about this, maybe you should reconsider what you had for dinner last night.

All joking aside, it’s worth remembering that blind people live with the same hygiene standards as everyone else. Questions like this can feel invasive, but they also present a chance to remind people: we’re just people.

Question 3: How do you find a blind man on a nude beach? — Not hard.

This one crosses into sexuality and objectification. It reduces a person’s entire identity to a crude visual punchline.

Sexuality is experienced differently by everyone—some people are highly visual in their arousal, while others respond more to sound, touch, or emotional connection. This is as true for blind and visually impaired people as it is for anyone else.

When I first considered whether to include this meme in the article, I hesitated. It’s personal, and it feels more invasive than funny. But it’s worth addressing because it demonstrates how quickly humor can shift from playful to demeaning.

Instead of shaming anyone who has shared it, I’d encourage people to recognize that humor like this takes something deeply human—our sexuality, and turns it into a way to make someone “less than.” The truth is, blind people fall in love, form relationships, and enjoy intimacy in ways that are as diverse and valid as anyone else’s.

Closing Thoughts

Memes like these often walk a fine line between crude curiosity and cruelty. I don’t see humor itself as the problem, self-deprecating jokes can be a wonderful way to break down barriers. But when humor targets disability, it risks turning genuine questions into ridicule.

If you’ve ever shared one of these memes and found yourself wondering, “Wait, how does that actually work?”, then maybe you learned something today.

See you at the gate.