Fuck the Disabled: What I have learned from tumblr: Disability is not important
Tumblr loves equality. Tumblr loves equality—for certain people. But in respect to disability, tumblr is just as ashamed of us as the real world.
Why can you so easily identify with brand name “social justice” issues but just as easily dismiss discussions of disability? You can fight for the equality of others whose experiences you don’t share; whose identities you don’t associate with; but
Disability is not important to you.
You don’t care.
Disability is not important to you.
Why would you care about someone who is unequal?
Disability is not important to you.
Why would you bother with something that has no impact on your life?
We are not important to you.
We shouldn’t even exist.
We are not important
at all?
We are not
even here?
Rather than deny any and all accountability (which you will), just answer me this:
Why do you not consider me a human being?
I’ve noticed this in many “social justice” movements. A friend of mine was telling me that although she’d like to participate in activists platforms such as women rights and LGBTQ-rights, it’s bloody difficult and just downright disconcerting to find no space for her in them. She’s invisible. Not many people even think about accessibility, because it more or less doesn’t directly affect them, unless they know someone who has a disability, and even then there’s still loads to learn and do for the betterment of these SJ movements.
Even people who are close to someone with disabilities are unconcerned with accessibility and equality. I’m sure we all have stories of times in our lives that family and/or friends invite us somewhere that we cannot get into or have left us outside of places to wait for them or laughingly use accessible bathrooms or parking spots.
It’s just too hard for people to support rights of others when it inconveniences their every day life. It’s easy to talk the talk and hold up a sign about gay marriage but if most of these straight cis people on Tumblr had to walk further than normal to support the cause it would be a different story.
This. This whole thing.
My favourite part of the ‘social justice’ movement is people who will discount any hardships a person with disabilities may face if they are part of some other majority group (cis, white, het). Or they’ll go around calling people ‘retarded’ and ‘stupid’ (some, not all) simply because they don’t know or understand what the SJers “know” and “understand”, even if they might be talking to a person with learning disabilities or social handicaps. They don’t care, because they’re don’t care about disability and handicap issues, they feel their role is filled when they yell “ABLEIST SLUR!” at anyone who uses ‘retarded’, ‘idiot’, ‘moron’, ‘dumb’ or ‘stupid’ (and honestly, I understand the history behind every word - except the last one. ‘Stupid’? Really? Did I miss that post on my dash?). It seems the only people actually willing to talk about and fight for the disabled and handicapped are the disabled and handicapped.
The worst is the assumptions: You’re white? life is easy. You’re straight? life is easy. They never ask, “are you able-bodied? Do you have a neurological disorder? Are you mentally ill or handicapped?” because apparently those non-privileges simply don’t exist in the Tumblr World. Skin colour, sexuality and gender & sex are the only things that matter. You start talking about physical or mental/emotional disabilities/handicaps/abnormalities/what-have-you and suddenly, no one can see your posts, or read what you respond. Having any kind of disability in the sj-blogging world is one of the best ways to become instantly invisible.
