AIBU to think that all the recent threads about benefits are heading too far towards online bullying?

[LeopardsRockingham]

The way disabled people are being treated and spoken about on here in recent days is disgusting. It is verging on online hate crimes and if ithey were about other marginalised groups would not have been allowed to stand by MNHQ.

The disinformation, the sneering, the complete lack of compassion from so many Mumsnetters is vile.

Disability for the very most part isn't something that people bring onto themselves. Parents don't do anything but have different luck to you and have a disabled child.

My genetics are different to yours so I have a fucked up immune system and the host of problems that has given me.

My DH had a horrific upbringing which has led him to have MH problems- he works by the way. I did too for a long time until my body couldn't cope.

My DC was injured at birth due to a hospital fault.

My neighbour fell off his bike and has a traumatic brain injury.

My friend has breast cancer.

My cousin is dead at 38 due to epilepsy.

My nephew is so unhappy due to his ADHD bot letting him fit in at school and my sister is having trouble helping him through it due to hers.

Why are we so unworthy to you?

Are we not due the same courtesy of online treatment as those of different races and religion...or does that go out the window as you pay for us?

@MNHQ why is it acceptable for you to allow your users to bully the marginalised on this site?

I never once said these people were addicted.

You aren't qualified to know whether they are or not.

Absolutely but I never gave an opinion that they were.

If they are drinking and taking drugs daily and not able to work like you claim then they are fucking addicted! And if they were 100% mentally well adjusted they wouldn’t have that lifestyle.

I said they did not want to work which is clearly different to not being able to work.

To an extent yes

But there have clearly been instances where lines have been crossed into bullying and unacceptable things said - otherwise the same posters wouldn't keep getting posts deleted.

I wasn't passing an opinion on living with a disability.

The title of the thread is whether the number of recent threads are akin to on-line bullying.

My comment was no, not in my opinion.

I have not commented upon anybody's lifestyle or their right to benefit.

I am the mother of an autistic young adult who works part time and gets PIP. I have had to dramatically reduce my working hours over the years to support him. He was adopted and we got fuck all from SS towards the costs of his on going counselling, nor any support when he was self harming and self medicating. I had to fight to get him onto Sertraline. I got no support when I had to home school.

My pension has been dramatically reduced because I have had to cut my hours so much and basically do part time.

I wouldn't dream of commenting on whether or not someone else should or shouldn't get benefit as I don't know their situation. But I know mine.

And you are not qualified to make that judgement.

Nor are you. At least I know the people I am talking about which is more than you do.

How do you know they don’t want to work, have you asked them? And if they told you that they don’t want to work did you ask why? A lot of people will say things like ‘’ah I can’t be arsed’ when really they have underlying problems they don’t realise or don’t want other people knowing and the reason they ‘can’t be arsed’ is because they would struggle in a work environment.

I don't know those particular people, no. However the fact that you know them doesn't qualify you to define them as not wanting to work rather than being unable to.

I've had many conversations about it or I wouldn't be so adamant in my opinions, my neighbour for example is quite clear that he wants to stay at home.

Ah. 'Tis the script again! Always the neighbour who is open and vocal about cheating the system/not wanting to work.

He might have heath problems that he’s embarrassed about or doesn’t think a nosey fucker like you should know? 🤣

Script? Am I missing something? I can only speak by my own experiences.

I am not taking shots. I was responding to what you said originally.

I don't think it's akin to on-line bullying as you have a choice whether to open and participate in a thread on MN. You don't have so much control over what messages are put on your Facebook feed etc.

That was my point.

A lot of the benefit bashing posts follow the same formula, as I said earlier.

It's dreadful that they limit a DC to a measly 5 nappies a day when they know his need is greater.

As I said before my original post was deleted, I have every sympathy for people that cannot work, I am surrounded by people who happily admit they can and this ruins things for the genuine people.

You are not wrong there!

But that wasn't what the thread was originally about. It's gone off piste!

What I don't really understand is that so many people have spent so much time trying to explain to posters why disabled people need the pip, and yet the 'just shake it off' brigade don't listen or understand or even attempt to at all. And they continue to post threads about how someone working in a supermarket looked at them nastily? Like who the fuck do they think will be doing these jobs? They already seem to hate working class minimum wage earners, how on earth will they cope when there's also disabled people serving them?

There's just no joined up thinking. I am at a loss as to how these posters justify their salary as the have no critical thinking skills or forward planning skills at all.

I'm also not sure how this stopping pip thing will work. If you're mentally disabled you need to provide evidence of social worker/therapist/medication before you get it. So saying you can get it once you've proved you already get it seems a bit catch 22. You can only get it if you have the money to pay in the first place?

And I'm very sorry to say that this has been in the works since last January. It will go ahead whoever is in power. All job centres are already sorting their wrag groups into different groups, to either protect them or throw them onto job seekers. So it will go ahead.

It's just so horrendous really, and I can't get my head round it. I'm just trying to support people as much as I can 🤷 what else can you do?!

I think people are just fed up! There are genuinely disabled people out there... and there are not!

And it's the ones who claim to be but are not who spoil it for the masses.

It's not right and it's not fair and we shouldn't have to stand up for ourselves.. but sadly this is how it is

PIP has nothing to do with the Job Centre, though? Or are you talking about the proposed ESA reforms? The Tories haven't brought those in yet, they will be introduced in 2025 if the Tories win the GE (which they won't).

I also don't see why anyone should have to justify to a random that they deserve disability benefits. That's between them and their Dr. Noone else needs to know.

Everyone says they're fine when they're not. Does noone think this when someone tells them they're doing ok?!

Why the bloody hell should luke from 36 tell you he tried to slit his wrists last week after he couldn't get through to the Samaritans?! Why the bloody hell does any one need to know?! And what on earth would you do or think if he did tell you?!

Some people believe that government is obliged to provide a safety net to finance bad luck - unemployment, disability, overwhelm etc. these people have socialist beliefs.

Some people with more libertarian leanings think people should be responsible for sucking up their own bad luck. Others further to the right believe that we are all responsible for ourselves and taxes should not be taken from the better off to cover the bad luck of the less fortunate.

None of these views are a hate crime. We are now in a society where people who consider themselves progressive are offended to the point of calling for legal sanction against those who have different political beliefs. It’s absurd. And I happen to be a socialist minded person. But people are entitled to believe as strongly as they like that we should not be obliged to cover the costs of others’ disabilities out of the public purse. That is a legitimate view.