Disability hate on MN

There is no empathy for PIP claimants on here - people are not putting themselves in their shoes at all.

I'm a massive supporter of free speech but can't see any reason for all the threads over the last few days that have been bashing anybody with a disability or anybody muslim and actually wish Mumsnet would shut them down. It's not on and not helpful. I feel like our society is getting ever more fractured and distrustful and that these things are not accidental - it's all a way of getting us to fight each other rather than questioning those at the top who seem to be getting richer by the day. So many people are really struggling with the COL crisis and it's makes it very easy to lose empathy just when we need it the most.

Would be a good starting point.
very sorry for those of you having to endure the appalling attitudes/comments & sheer spitefulness on those threads, it feels at times as though this government have achieved the aim of division stirring up hatred for our fellow citizens & openly cruel, we are an easy target to beat us with a stick.

I had a post on this and some of the comments targeted towards me and other disabled posters was really nasty and quite emotionally damaging for me. I asked MNHQ to remove the post but they wouldn’t.

I feel you're referring to me. Free speech is difficult to tolerate when people don't agree but it's important that this forum allows a range of opinions.
I find lots of posts nonsensical and even offensive but I understand that if they follow talk guidelines then they should be allowed to stand, otherwise where does this leave us. The thread was objectively moderated and has been found to be acceptable and therefore not ableist. You are of course welcome to your own opinion but stifling debate shouldn't be allowed on the grounds that you don't understand the points someone is making or you find it offensive.

I do agree and I also fine such threads/comments upsetting. However if it's an opinion albeit an ignorant insulting one I don't like free speech silenced. Hate absolutely should be stopped obviously.

It's the double standards. Look at the woman's rights board and stating an opinion that a man saying he is a woman is still a man is deleted but calling a parent to disabled child lazy and money grabbing over a pittance in benefits is fine.

This is exactly the position I find myself in. Also a lone parent to go with it. The hateful contempt towards people like me is mindblowing. I don't engage with the threads in the same way I hid the "you're to blame" cancer threads having had it myself. This site is full of arseholes unfortunately. On a positive note, I have never encountered anybody like this IRL. All those brave keyboard warriors who wouldn't dare spew their hate to your face.

Ok, take whatever you will from it, I was trying to offer a supportive suggestion 🤷

As a parent of a child with SEN who is likely to always require support into adulthood, I find this terrifying. I'm on the verge of needing to walk away from a hard-earned professional career in order to care for my child, which will necessitate accessing benefits to compensate for loss of earnings. I love my work and will really struggle with losing my work identity if it comes to it. To face suspicion and blame on top of this, as well as a change of lifestyle, feels so sad.

Yes I have noticed some quite nasty comments and attitudes towards people with disabilities.

I really hope MN look into this and if anyone is calling derogatory comments aimed at those with a disability - free speech, then disability training is necessary.

I was on the UC thread that just filled up today and I found it very disturbing. The utter contempt displayed for a family with disabled children was unreal.

I always think to myself it could be me in that position, it could be any of us. Thank god we have a safety net. And then I get on with my day.

Are you suggesting both 'sides' make good points? Because that isn't how prejudice and discrimination work...

Possibly wrong and don't want to cause offence but I very much doubt many of the mods come from any underrepresented, targeted group.

In my job I see people daily who are having to manage the benefits minefield. I have just come back from seeing someone who is genuinely suicidal as she, despite having serious disabilities which have impacted her life for years, is being forced to go through yet another humiliating and distressing 'assessment'. This is a highly intelligent, articulate woman who is simply at the end.

I know that this is going to be my work for weeks now. Its horrific, and real and as for the vile cunts on those threads - I really hope they lose everything one day and understand it

Are any of mumsnet hq disabled? It sometimes seems that people don’t have the imagination to understand how these comments feel if they have not personally experienced it. All the “disability awareness training” counts for bugger all in my experience. Have recently had to raise a complaint with an insurance company because of exactly this. Huge national company but zero managers/ staff responsible for supporting disabled customers. I was told “all staff have disability training” which doubtless means they have sat through a mornings presentation, probably not even by a disabled person, whilst thinking about what they will be having for lunch.

The threads I have seen are in aibu and there have been a few this week, but that is the same of anything in the news. I can see that people get cheesed off with the same kind of posts, but I can see people from both 'sides' being unreasonable.
There has been some decent information hidden in the threads for those that don't have information on the benefits system and perhaps an answer maybe as with what they do on the feminism board is for the very frustrated people to create a 'realities of claiming what's it all about' thread that they can then link to, with no personal stories, but with how the process of eg pip works/common misconceptions along with statistics so people can see more facts rather than opinions and constantly linking to the post when these threads arise?

Go to page 2 on any one of those threads by the time you get to page 4 you'll have seen plenty.

Totally agree, OP.

Why?

Ireported that thread and was told to report individual posts. I reported an individual post and was told to challenge them myself. Apparently it didnt break talk guidlines.

Yup, I have had this too re race and other examples of blatant hate speech.

Apparently, It's my job to debate this. I'm not Martin Luther King.

Someone said the best policy is to not engage as engagement creates revenue for MN and encourages it. Though I hate ignoring ignorant incorrect comments. But actually that did work on the cancer one.

Yes these posts are very disturbing and I wonder if there's an political campaign behind it.

There were also some lovely threads about those of us with cancer saying it was our own fault allowed to stand as free speech. Reported multiple times and numerous posters with cancer went on and said was causing them distress and a lot of them didn't care and carried on and MN just said hide it.

Same thing going on with autism and anyone vulnerable though the thread with the person claiming lots on benefits isn't helping. A lot of us get next to nothing and took 6 months to get that. One MN poster said their child is terrified by the reports and has asked for sleeping pills.

reported an individual post and was told to challenge them myself. Apparently it didnt break talk guidlines. This was someone who was calling respite care 'babysitting so you can go and drink wine'

Thats disgusting.