to think Scott Morrison didn’t say anything wrong?

[Organictangerine]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-61171449.amp

I heard this being discussed on Shelagh Fogarty this afternoon. I don’t think he’s said anything wrong. What do you think?

I agree he didn’t say anything wrong.
Those offended might have inferred pity from him and be too proud to want anyones pity.

It's the inference that if you are 'blessed' to have NT/able bodied children, then those who are parents to ND/disabled children must be cursed. Totally old fashioned and has undertones of religious dogma.

Or you could just draw the other obvious inference, which is that it's preferable to have NT/able bodied children, and ND/disabled children are undesirable, which is just pain ordinary offensive.

*plain ordinary

Great, so myself, and all the other ND people around are both undesirable, and abnormal.

Beggars belief that it's 2022 and there are apparently sentient humans who still use this sort of language. Have a word with yourself.

The lbc phone in about this was interesting today as a few of the callers who had children with special needs were not that appalled by what this man said. I was expecting more of a backlash , but the callers she had on were very pragmatic about it ( and had first hand experience of what it was like to bring up a child with different needs for many years too )

@ITSupport wow

Sometimes it’s so difficult to say anything without offending people. From reading his comments it seems clear to me that he’s grateful that his children don’t have the extra struggles in life which ND/ disabled children inevitably face. I don’t believe for a second that he meant to imply that a child with any kind of disability is undesirable.

I read his words as saying his family were blessed in not having to deal with the stresses and issues that families with ND/disabled children have to face which is totally different

@ITSupport What an insensitive and cruel comment.

This is what he said
”: "Jenny and I have been blessed, we've got two children that don't - that haven't had to go through that."
"And so, for parents with children who are disabled, I can only try and understand your aspirations for those children."

he was only acknowledging his privilege as a parent of able children. He’s not inferring that disabled children are undesirable. “Blessed” literally means privileged (by God) to the religious.

That's another obvious interpretation, and as stated by others further up the thread, even as an ND person myself his language isn't all that appalling because it's the sort of thing we hear all the time. That doesn't mean that his choice of term was poor and ill considered though.

He could have simply said "my wife and I have not had to go through that with our children", which would have made his point succinctly, and would not have exposed him as a dinosaur who still inherently believes that disabled or ND people are 'lesser'.

wasn't poor*

In my experience parents whose children do have significant special needs are like this - very pragmatic and quite aware that it can be a serious burden, and that feeling that way is in no way incompatible with loving your kids.

My cousin is going to have to take care of her severely autistic daughter and who will care for her once my cousin and her family can't is a real concern. And it makes their lives hard on a daily basis. She would be the first to agree that it would be a blessing not to have to deal with that.

Yes, I think that’s how he meant it. Trouble is the way he said it wasn’t the most sensitive and I can see why people are offended by it.
As a disabled person with disabled kids, I’m as blessed as he is to have my kids. I don’t think he meant anything bad, just had choice of words which as PM he should really do better with.

If you give him that very generous benefit of doubt, that 'blessed' means privileged, then he is literally inferring that parents of disabled children are not 'blessed'.

So why hasn't 'God' blessed them then? Presumably it's something that they have done that his displeased this 'God' that he has forsaken them and lumbered them with a disabled child, rather than blessing them?

A friend of mine went through the adoption process. They had to fill in a form scoring multiple questions from 1-10 how willing they were to accept a ‘less than perfect’ child. For example, from 1-10 how willing are you to have a child with fetal alcohol syndrome/autism/physical disabilities/blind/deaf/sexually abused. She said it felt awful, because obviously everyone wants a perfect child.
No-one (or very few people…I did hear a woman in the radio once who had adopted 2 children with significant additional needs) would choose to have a child with additional needs. I don’t think he meant other people were cursed or that the children with additional needs weren’t a blessing……but the point is, no mother prays that the child growing inside them is going to be born with complex additional needs. Everyone wants a healthy child. That’s normal.

would not have exposed him as a dinosaur who still inherently believes that disabled or ND people are 'lesser'

He was just acknowledging that ableism is something he hasn’t had to face as a parent of abled children imho. Not that he believes himself they are lesser. You’re stretching to reach that conclusion by simply one word of “blessed” in place of “that” which would have made it all ok to you.

'doable'?

Even you're going to post trash at least try and make it intelligible.

His choice of words was very poor and open to negative connotations.

I am blessed to have a wonderful disabled child.

@XDownwiththissortofthingX

you are coming across as intolerant of religion, specifically Christianity. Suggest you examine this prejudice.

I wouldn't change a thing about my boys. For a start both of them are very caring and not trying to get a rise from people.

I think what he said is not acceptable, it implies a hierachy of desirability of children.