Why does everyone suddenly seem to think it’s ok to say the R word again? I feel like I hadn’t heard it in years and suddenly everyone around me is using it, and I see it on Reddit all the time. Am I imagining it? Is anyone seeing this? I don’t even know what to say when it’s suddenly just everyone in a group and everyone acts like it’s normal.
You’re not imagining it.
I’ve seen it (and many other ableist slurs) used far too often, especially for a site that is generally supposed to be more left leaning (which tbf isn’t saying much when it comes to combatting ableism because we seem to have very few true allies) but is also full of tech-bros, who love punching down at others based on perceived intelligence, and who also have quite a lot of crossover with 4chan type cesspits, so sadly it isn’t unexpected.
I call it out it when I see it, and generally block and report, but what I find most frustrating is that mods throughout lemmy/fediverse (again, even on the most supposedly left leaning instances like lemmy.ml) just ignore the reports and don’t remove the comments (I know people are busy, I don’t expect instant action, I give it a week or two in general before I check the modlog).
I’ve had to block several large communities, most that I’m actually interested in (mostly tech and science related, again, places where people love feeling superior based on perceived intelligence), because I get the message - making people like me feel safe and included isn’t a priority in those spaces, so I refuse to occupy them.
Whether the privileged group accept it or not, that is the result of using slurs - making already marginalised people feel unwelcome and excluded.
And when they tell me not to be so easily offended, I link this (or maybe this or this) with the full knowledge that they will probably never read it, but with the hope that someone else might, and that it might make them reconsider their use of certain words (though I don’t hold my breath in anticipation of society at large giving a shit).
Those are some awesome resources, yoinking those for sure.
Ableism and fatmisia are some the last bastions of acceptable and casual bigotry, so they are for sure the hardest to get rid of. Usually when you bring up the eugenics origin, at least for people around me, folks tend to take a step back. Often I lead with that.
Those are some awesome resources, yoinking those for sure.
The more the merrier!
Ableism and fatmisia are some the last bastions of acceptable and casual bigotry
Yup, the other day I had to really quickly back out of some comments sections on articles related to fast food because the comments were so full of fat shaming it made me rage. People don’t think twice about either.
Usually when you bring up the eugenics origin, at least for people around me, folks tend to take a step back.
In my experience they get even more defensive, because eugenics is something they recognise as bad, but not their casual ableism, or the existence of a relationship between the two… But then these are randoms on the internet I’m talking about, not people actually close to me, they’d probably be much more reasonable if it ever came to it lol
You have inspired an infodump, some links specifically go in to the eugenics connection, others are a bit more broad (I also have a bunch about the relationship between capitalism, “productivity”, and ableism, and some on the myth of independence, which I wasn’t sure were closely related enough, but am more than happy to share as well!) if you want more articles to yoink:
https://www.drakemusic.org/blog/nim-ralph/understanding-disability/
https://www.yorku.ca/edu/unleading/ableism/ (the entire project is worth a look)
https://www.northwestern.edu/onebook/the-reluctant-mr-darwin/essays/darwin-morality.html
https://www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2013/may/09/evolutionary-theory-gone-wrong-darwin
https://web.archive.org/web/20230605065733/https://ollibean.com/intelligence-is-an-ableist-concept/
https://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/23/ableist-word-profile-intelligence/ (the entire blog is worth a look)
https://gracelapointe.medium.com/some-thoughts-on-online-ableism-424e26f1bb2a
https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/09/symptoms-executive-dysfunction/
Fat shaming is likely to be the most difficult to combat, because it’s based on an unhealthy condition anyone can slip into, so it has a warning component similar to drunk-driving shaming, the Darwin awards, various “fails”, etc. where people suffer the consequences of their own choices.
it’s based on an unhealthy condition anyone can slip into
I am not saying this is what you believe, but you’re right that people for sure over simplify it into that, and say things like “just eat less and exercise more.” The truth is much more complicated. There are a ton of factors involved and often people have unrelated conditions they can’t get help with because doctors will just say “you just need to lose weight.”
That and a lot of “overweight” people are not unhealthy.
As usual, the truth is far less cut and dry as people think, and should just stop shaming people for it.
I’m seriously not debating this with someone trying so hard to justify continuing to use intelligence based insults that they literally compare disabled people to Nazis (who are not, and never have been a marginalised and oppressed group like the disabled people they literally mass murdered. Fuck you) to try and make their logic work.
If you are actually willing and able to set your defensiveness and biases aside, feel free to read through the links I left in reply Vodulas, or continue to do your own research in to what disabled people have to say about the matter, not those who aren’t directly impacted.
Either way, I am here to reassure a comrade, not philosophise with ableds about ableism, you either listen to disabled people and do your best to be an ally, or you don’t, that’s your choice.
Whoa, I was not “comparing disabled people to Nazis”, I said that Nazis should be an oppressed and marginalized group.
what disabled people have to say about the matter
I literally was quoting the links you recommended to read!
trying so hard to justify continuing to use intelligence based insults
There is a disparity in YOUR SOURCES between how they are discussing slurs, and I am asking you what YOU believe, between those sources, is the answer:
- Affinity is taking an absolute stance against intelligence-based slurs in any form
- Cultrface is directly offering intelligence-based slurs like “ignorant” and “inept” as acceptable alternatives to ‘stupid’
- Genderbitch is differentiating between “oppressive” slurs and non-oppressive ones, and saying only the power dynamics matter
I’ve removed my first comment, since it was too unproductive.
