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.

" my neighbours is a slag" which you could probably hear on eastenders would create quite a stir. As would "my neighbour is a chav"

But my neighbour is a retard would pass unnoticed .
It is a bit bizarre.

I avoid the contentious threads because I see people I like saying " but retard is fine as long as you are not actually talking about a ...well....you know...retard" and I suddenly realise with a sigh that they are actually a cunt.

Or you get " some people just want to be offended" which makes me want to laugh out loud at the sheer nonsense people can spout rather than contemplate that maybe they could be a little kinder in life.

Glitterknickaz to be fair mn hq do delete posts that have mong/spaz/retard in them or have done in the past

only if they are a direct insult to another poster.

If it is a general term thrown out to the masses then its ok.

MNHQ should ask Rosa Monckton to come and do a webchat thingy.........She has done programmes on this.........................

well 1 hour gone and nothing from mn hq

1 hour, Shoesy?
I started it in the wee hours whilst I was up with DD and her nebuliser for the umpteenth time.

Sorry I first posted, BSSB started it.

Bloody tired now... it's been over a week ffs

well i think the shit is going to hit the fan, I hope it does anyway, they need a wake up call.
great they have won and padded bra's for little girls campaign worked, whoop de dooh, cos that was so important, yet they cannot sort this

I think it says so much that when someone starts a thread like the 'Sp**' one the posts say things like 'its only a word' and there is much talk of wishy washiness and 'wanting to be offended'.

Object and you are
oversensitive
looking for a fight
looking for offensive
unhinged
trying to be some sort of disabilty groupie.

You cannot possibly be sincere or objecting for sound reasons.

BUT post that your NT child has been called a fat cow by a kid on a bus and there are calls for birchings and parents to be called to account.

What is that about?

YY tfMDV

thefirstMrsDeVere I was quite angry about the post where someone said they weren't offended and they have a disabled sibling...
well I have a daughter with cp and I was fucking offended.

We are sorry for not responding to this earlier - it's been a very busy day but we are looking at this thread and those you refer to in this thread and will be back to you soon.

I have never seen this on here thank god but then I am probably not looking at teh right threads etc. What are you trying to do? Get MN to delete posts/threads etc using these terms just as they do racist posts etc? I can't see that that would be difficult. Mn is as good a place as any to start as this sort of terminology is rife and I think it has got worse. I was having yet another row with my ds as he had sent off some forms without letting me check them and he said I am not a retard you know! I sat him straight down and gave him a serious talking to and he was sorry but also surprised as he says everyone says it. I explained him as I see it why it is unacceptable and told him I hope he will challenge the next person he hears. It does seem to be strangely acceptable and that is not on

Finally!

I find it really odd that MN will delete racist and homophobic comments that are generally insulting ie not aimed at a specific individual and not delete comments that are disablist. Especially when the law is (finally) starting to recognise that harassment on the basis of disability is unnacceptable.

There have been too many threads on here when a poster drops a word like (sorry) retard into a thread on some general topic, and is surprised when peoplke are offended. Though they sometimes apologise, they more often defend it's useage as it was ok when they were growing up .

I think that there is a lot of ignorance about invisible disabilities, and MN is actually a great opportunity for people to learn more about what words like autism mean in practice in the day to day life of mothers and their dc. Unfortunately there are people who don't want to learn, and comments about those with invisible disabilities or those who have very apparent conditions like CP are considered acceptable in a way that comments about sexuality of skin colour are not. I get bloody angry at some of the ignorant bollocks spouted on here about mental health, my personal favourite being a poster who thought that the OP should declare that they'd had PND years before when appling for a nursery job 'to protect the children'.

It will be a massive fob off.
MNHQ need to realise that disablism is as 'educational' as racism.
We do not want our kids' lives (or other family members) to be used as gawp and snipe fodder.

I am really interested to know what they would have done if someone had posted "Wayne Rogers had the right idea, that bunch of r**ards needed a kicking"

applying

been thinking, so the op started this thread last nigh and now hours and hours later mn hq are looking into it, so don't they check site stuff? if not what is the point of the topic?
and I reported the other thread nearly 2 hours ago, and doubt I was the first, so don't quite get the long delay

Glitterknickaz you are so right, as always, I don't want to educate the bigots, I want to enjoy mn like other people do,

I am still caught up on that stupid bloody 'freaks' thread.

Well I was but not anymore

I hope MNHQ sorts this. I too lurve MN.