Girls Using Walking Sticks

And none of that prevents us adding nuance to the discussion by highlighting that the picture is actually much more complex than that . And that in any such discussion it is important to acknowledge that you cannot tell by looking at someone, or spending brief patches of time with someone,.whether they are disabled or not.

It also doesn't mean we can't also talk about people who have become disabled and then adopted the colourful /dungaree type style

I don't choose that style, it isn't for me. But I do know very well two disabled people who deal with chronic pain who have gravitated to towards that style of dressing and hair. It's interesting to think why genuinely disabled people might choose to dress like that. Some posters on this thread have already tried to explain

It is not a hypothesis that lost of young people are now suffering from mental health conditions. it is an established fact and a phenomena that is currently widely commented upon in society; in parliament; in the media. Many of us know people who may fall into this demographic ourselves; or who are expressing in this way.

There also seems to be a link with with LGBTQ+ identities...... a link was provided earlier on from someone within this 'community' in which cross-overs between disability identiies and trans identities are quite common, and even nurtured. I'll post it again in case you missed it.

People in differnt parts of the country have noted an uptick in young women with walking aids. This is definitely a new phenomena which we exploring here. In an age of identity politics, identity labels and social media communities it is a most interesting phenomena...the roots of which are inevitably both subtle and complex...but are very much trends.

https://heatherhayes.com/the-power-of-canes-a-vital-tool-for-accessibility-and-visibility-in-the-transgender-community/

Irony. You commented on a post of mine earlier thus: “Sorry....you post makes no coherent sense whatsoever. You do seem to have an issue, though, with people talking about the trend for walking sticks; its over-lap with 'queer' identities and with self diagnosed mental health conditions”, indicating you thought I was shutting you down by giving my experience as a disabled person.

However, you’re now trying to actively stop people from talking on the thread?

But that's literally what the discussion is about. It's a bit much to police the thread to the point you only get voices that agree with your hypotheses

How is it derailing for others to put their side across, @CassandraWebb put it well a couple of posts before this one.

It's not derailing the discussion, it's contributing to it. If you can't tolerate other perspectives it's not much of a discussion

No, this is a discussion forum, and if you can't deal with discussion of the thread topic, don't like to be asked questions about it, or give explanations for your thinking, and don't want to see variant perspectives on the issue then it is probably not for you.

This forum has been one of the most cohesive on MN for many years, and often involves the most considered, reflective and thoughtful discussions on the topics for which is was created. It acts as a place of support, information and organisation.

If you want a support thread for chronic illnesses I'm sure there are better places. There are people who post here who do have chronic conditions but they don't tend to make them front and centre of discussions. Many of us are likley to have a chronic health condition or ailment ( i won't bore you with mine) which impacts our function to some extent...but that is not what the board is about.

No, you're being asked not to derail the discussion.

Once again for the hard of thinking at the back: It's not about those who have a genuine disability, invisible or otherwise.

Exactly - only one opinion accepted. Anything else that doesn't confirm theirs, nope, can't be having that. Needs to be an echo chamber.

I tell you what I think does hurt women - not trans people, but the so called "gender critical" movement.
Not content with hurting women by policing their looks/ behaviour (eg "no woman would ever do/say that"and questioning those they don't believe look feminine enough) it's now disabled people getting the same treatment.
They've got purple hair, they're wearing dungarees. They're overweight.
It's not a trans idealogy it's real life PEOPLE, women who are getting hurt by this crap.

It's the lastest accessory of the local PIP crew who identify as work shy.

So you only want comments that confirm your beliefs?

Surely we are allowed to point out that the trend might apply in the opposite direction , with disabled people finding comfort in bright colours and alternative hairstyles. Like @SilverSnaffles daughter. And my cousin.

And surely we are allowed to highlight that the very nature of invisible disabilities means that anyone claiming to "know" by looking at someone that they aren't disabled is making a problematic statement?

I agree, it is exactly like some men pretending they are women....and is a disservice to real women...

This is not the appropriate forum. This is FWR with a focus of trans ideology;the concept of gender identity, and the negative ways in which these movements impact woman and children. We already suffer with trans activists hijacking threads - even though they proclaim they dislike the forum and consider the people who post here to be hateful.

Anything which goes down the identity politics route is liable to be critiqued here, you'll find. Unless you are comfortable with that then it might be better to go somewhere more obviously supportive (in the manner you seek).

Here is one such thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/generalhealth/5195572-coping-with-a-chronic-illness

Wow, you really learn something new every day. I assume that by "the government giving them money for it" you mean PIP. I had previously thought that, in order to be awarded PIP one had to fill in forms, submit medical evidence and undergo an assessment. However, thanks to you, I now learn that all you need to do to qualify for PIP is to send the DWP a letter stating you have a walking stick and they will send you bags of cash by return of post, no further questions asked. Thanks for enlightening me.
In other news, I'm one of the lucky people who have had an immediately apparent disability, which nobody quibbles about, since birth having been born without eyeballs. This means I don't get challenged as to why I need accommodations since my need for them is pretty obvious. However, it may surprise other posters to learn that I have had my hair dyed many unusual colours over the years and worn some wacky clothes in my time. So I'm not sure that these signifiers are the smoking gun for malingerers that many posters seem to imagine they are. I'm not sure if my white cane is likely to become a fashion accessory but I look forward to finally being on trend if it does.

There is one bit on the official website about one of the goals being to " love your chronic illness and not wish it away".

It's not the point of the thread so yes, I agree with @Shortshriftandlethal that those who want to talk about their issues can go and find the more appropriate parts of the board to do that. Otherwise they're just derailing a discussion because they don't like it.

You aren't the thread police, and should have no place telling others that they can't share their experiences and opinions.

Well, of course it is if people are judging and side eyeing others just on the basis that they have purple hair and are wearing dungarees and have the audacity to be using a stick at the same time.
People are going to be sharing their experiences and thoughts, and how do you think it makes people feel who are disabled and have brightly coloured hair? They shouldn't be automatically disbelieved or ridiculed.Of course it's personal, as it's being made so.

The two articles posted above are very interesting, particularly the woman who'd become immersed in the "Spoonie" community and, following a forced removal from it, realised that it was just a downwards spiral of victimhood where the idea of getting better seemed to mean a) you weren't properly ill in the first place and b) you'd lose your access to the community.

Let's not turn the thread into a support page for the chronic illness community, please. I'm sure there are threads on other boards for that purpose.
This board is for people that want to discuss trans ideology and its negative impact upon women and children; and anything which may be seen or interpreted as being adjacent to that......such as the trend for young women to use walking sticks as symbols of personal identity.

@SilverSnaffles I'm sorry for your daughter's troubles but - as has been stated again and again and again on this thread - the discussion isn't about those who are genuinely disabled so it shouldn't be taken as an attack on them.

@CassandraWebb thank you. She is amazing. I am so proud of her - and her siblings, one of which has their own disabilities to deal with and the other who is the biggest supporter and advocate of both of them.

There is no chance of her seeing this thread btw, being LGBT, she’s not a MN fan!