MNHQ .. Can we talk about disability bashing?

[Brownsugarshortbread]

Over the years i have posted on and enjoyed MN.
Sadly there seems to be a growing culture of it being okay to have a go at disabilities, those who claim DLA and those who's children have 'invisable' disabilities such as ADHD and ADD.
The terms 'freak' and 'scrounger' have been batted around and comments from some posters IMO certainly boarder on harrassment and discrimination.

When certain posts or posters have been reported, some have been removed, yet a lot haven't.

And while I agree with free speech, these types of comment or reaction to these comments, are not an education for those bigoted posters. Nor do those whose lives are touched by disability wish to be used to educate those posters.

Disability Harassment

is unwanted behaviour based on disability,
impairment or additional need. Such behaviour may include comments that are patronising or objectionable to the recipient or which creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment for people with disabilities. Disability harassment includes inappropriate reference to disability, unwelcome discussion of the impact of disability, refusal to work with and exclusion of people with disabilities from social events or meetings.

Aitch maybe it's regional? I really have only heard it recently around my way.

Sure I first saw it on here a few years back but couldn;t swear on the thread.

There was potential for the catch like a... thread; if poster had used a threqad title with 'WARNING: offensive language. Upset as DH says I catch like a ....'

and then retard in the body of the mesage then there would have been a place for it.

It's how people do these things that matters and MN could easily have modified that.

But then the JK thread has seen the arrival of the eugenicists again so nowt surprises me here any more.

agree with Peachy. the spastic thread could easily have been handled another way. it has happened before ("OMG I cannot BELIEVE what my FIL just said" "help me explain to my mum that some words are really not acceptable anymore" etc). the OP of the spastic thread knew that it was a "light the blue touchpaper" situation - she had been horrified herself, so why on earth she thought it reasonable to repeat, god only knows.

agree the JK one should go too - really vile stuff.

I have no idea why MNHQ like it that this lowest-common-denominator stuff is so revered on their site.

I'd be doing my utmost to distance myself if it was my site.

I've now seen the JK thread. I watched the show today. It was that or more CBeebies and quite frankly, there is only so much smiling and waving I can take in one day, so Kyle it was.

Yes, the situation was shocking, one chap sleeping with his GF, her sister and her best mate. He kept saying that he did it 'cos they turned him on' etc.

Which is their business, they chose to go on the show and air their laundry, I don't see the need for such a vile thread. But then again, maybe I'm getting old and more prudish with it?

i think we have some good suggestions for MN to beef up their moderation format and get the message across that this language isn't on, regardless of intent. although i still believe that going with mob rule and deleting the freak show post was wrong. maybe beefing things up at HQ's end will cut out some of the bandwagonning as well, though, as GS suggests? hope so. am shocked by it, and by the posters concerned.

haven't seen JK. that's kind of a bubble for me, though. people who go on the show... people who watch the show... none better than the other imo.

ha! no offence to mouseface. get Iplayer on, fgs, mousie.

oh don't get me started on that whole can of worms.

I have thankfully never seen the programme (or any other where the general public is encouraged to sneer, point-and-laugh, or just feel superior at some poor unsuspecting (and indeed often misled) member of the public, such as BGT, X factor etc).

but the very prevalence in society is worrying, if you ask me - the whole tone of sniggering at people with obvious difficulties (be they mental health difficulties, educational issues, special needs). I honestly don't understand what people see in it.

i have said this before on here, but i knew someone who worked on vanessa YEARS ago, back when tbh it was all fairly benign. they got their guests by going to a shitsville bar in lesser shitsville and bribing the barman to tell them which families were the most fucked up, basically. he would then target those families, persuade them to come on the show 'to sort it out once and for all' and they would pretty much have them in a motel near the studio the next day.

and like i say, this was back years ago...

Rarely disagree with you Mousie but I also read the 'catches like a ...' thread as the op being horrified at what the dh had said. Some of the posts on there saying 'its only a word' and 'get over it' etc, were disgusting but I didnt get the feeling the op did it on purpose. Only read about first 30 posts though so she may have shown her hand afterwards.

Aitch, I do think we have some really valid ideas of ways to deal with this.

I think just about ALL on this thread agree it's not on. More people to show a hands up would be good :)

but I do think that we have enough for HQ to come back on the thread and see if they are willing to support and act upon some changes.
Let's see if we can get this cleared up once and for all.

Brian I think you are likely right about the intention of that thread.

But that's where more intervention and post rewarding would work a treat.

It's not ahrd to badly word a post. I have done it; I once led someone (now a great FB friend of us both mousie) to think I was racist. lSomething I categorically despise in people.

But if wording offend people or cause an open door for more vicious people to give their views (eg the poor kids thread and JK ones running now) then some rewording in the way I mentioned above could solve a lot.

does this mean a 'like' button would work on here? or would that lead to bullying?

I think a like button could work :)

what I'd personally like now is to everyone who is looking at this thread but not posting just to type 'agree' if you do. Just stand up and be counted if you think being disablist ( and every other ist) is actually wrong and you would encourage this in your children.

Because I can see fence sitting and apathy.. But I will wage that NO-ONE will put their hand up and say it's okay.

This would stop if people just said 'it's wrong'.

and you wouldn't encourage this in your children

Its really prevalent in RL although Im sure you lot know. I work at a major firm, think Magic Circle type stuff, so lots of HR policies and totally against any form of discrimination but... was chatting on email to someone earlier today and discussing the use of disabled abuse and racism (sparked by this thread actually) and he said to me, before I'd finished, 'Ret**d'.

And thats an intelligent (supposedly) 40 year old.

Think MNHQ should come down very hard on it. If its not even stopped here, then what hope is there?

Total hijack but I've never thought of dd2 as having any special needs but as she's got 3 thumbs (well she's just had her hand reconstructed so has 1 and a half now) then has she? She'll certainly never have much movement in that joint.

Here here Bri

It's bang out of order. Any kind of prejudice is. End of.

Brian.. MN would be just a small drop in the water.. But we are parents/carers/workers with children, we are partners and friends of nonMNers and positive peer pressure does work.

Brownsugar - you raise a very valid point there...... it wouldn't take much to plant the seed so to speak.

I'm currently working on DP, where he works there is a lot of casual racism/sexism/disablism (is that the right word?). He's got to the point where he walks off if he hears it but doesn't challenge. Thing is everyone there in the main is like it. A guy with grandchildren of mixed descent calls his dd's partner a n***

mn hq do delete mong and retard, I know this as I have reported posts and they have gone, but.... the just delete, so then someone says ooooh(stir, stir) why was that deleted and on it goes.
I had never heard the m word until I saw it on mn, honest.
trouble is aitch if you pussy foot around the posts, all you will get is the freedom of speech posts and lots of snide comments like sn mafia.
mn hq need to make a stand and say no this is not allowed, stickied non hideable thread telling people that if they do it the post/thread will be deleted and 3 strikes and your out.
if they can ban people over the MM thread then they do have the powere

what I'd personally like now is to everyone who is looking at this thread but not posting just to type 'agree' if you do. Just stand up and be counted if you think being disablist ( and every other ist) is actually wrong and you would encourage this in your children.

Because I can see fence sitting and apathy.. But I will wage that NO-ONE will put their hand up and say it's okay.

This would stop if people just said 'it's wrong'.

well said

IT'S WRONG!

disability bashing is wrong