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.

I for one didn't start out as a parent to a child with additional needs. That came later. The giving up work to be a carer came later too.

So why have I become lesser in mnhq's eyes? Why is my family not worthy of the same protection from harrassment that others enjoy?

Thank you all for your comments on this thread. Again, we apologies for not getting back to you sooner - we assure you we're not ignoring the thread but there's a lot of questions raised here and we do want to look at it all thoroughly and have a proper conflab about the issues raised here. In the meantime it is worth looking at the guidelines on this issue. See: Nettiquette - "We also have an extremely low tolerance for words that are offensive to those with physical or mental disabilities".

sorry puzzled, why are you telling us that, most of the thread are complaining about the disablist posts, not making them

weird I have just had an email from mn hq, tehy won't remove the offending thread.. and basically told me to hide it if it upsets me
so I won't hold y breathe about this thread being taken seriously

Perhpas reading up on disability hate crime mnhq. The polive now take it seriously

yep they do now riv, at long last, sad that people had to die first.
I do often wonder what the big charities like mencap and scope would make of mn hq stand

Can't say anything remotely negative about the McCanns, but it's okay to call disabled people freaks, scroungers, write that they shouldn't be born, they're a drain on the system, the Royal Family are murderers, certain MPs are lying criminals, etc.

Might as well just invite the vile cK back and go the whole hog

Calvin Klein?

NOT Cath Kidston - please no

(sorry - crap day disablity wise, weak attempt at humor)

Get on it MNHQ, a change has been needed for a while and people are very upset about it.

We should hide the threads that offend us??

so it is now the victims responsibility to prevent themselves from being offended? Dear lord it is the rape apolgist thread all over again.

Whilst i take their point that the Op claims to have told the husband off for it, there was no need ...for the use of that word in the title. It was deliberatly provocative.

And quite why WE should waste out time reprting posts that are fucking offensive i don't know. And come to mention it, how can we if we are to hide the thread?
They want us to hide the thread so we don't see, so who is going to report the disablist comments? no one. so they are allowed to stand.

it is just not good enough

Hello Mumsnet are you not listening
There is LEGISLATION in LAW to prevent us having to endure what we do on here.

Betcha they're rolling their eyes cos the parents of the retards and spakkas (cringe) are revolting.

Not as revolting as the policy to ignore though.

tbh I think I am still shocked by their reply, To be told to hide an disablist thread or a offensive one if it "upsets me" shows that they are missing the point.
this is not about me being upset IT IS ABOUT PEOPLE BEING BIGOTS AND DELIBERATELY POSTING SICK INFLAMMATORY WORDS AND POST KNOWING THAT MN HQ WILL DO NOTHING AT ALL ABOUT IT.

yes funny as calling and making comments on disablity seems to be allowed , yet anything relating to race , sexual prefences , relgion will be delteled ./yet we are all a fair target .Would they like to explan to my 8 yo dd why it is ok for people to refer to he rlittle brother with those sort of names .

Then at age 8 she can then explain to MNHq just why it is not ok .

If there was a post saying my dc gone so brown they look like a N ( wont type it as hate the expression) that would be delted so fast MNHq eould ahve burn marks on their fingers .Yet to say freak ,spastic is ok

Just adding my support. I'm having a wee break from most of MN for a while, partly because of my despair at the types of threads mentioned and the whole benefit scrounger thing going on in general, but someone signposted this and didn't want to not post. Wish things could be different.

I am adding my support too. I reported the thread last night and will continue to report threads using disablist comments.

I don't think there is any justification for allowing them to stand. As some posters have already said MNHQ have completely missed the point and need to take stock and make changes to their talk guidelines.

This is not new.MNHQ have been letting people get away with this crap for yonks. It's bloody ridiculous. Last summer there was a right twat Bretton something or other who spent the best part of a week posting offensive, inflammatory disablist shit before he was banned.It was the same crap argument then from MNHQ about the educative powers of posters like this . WHY????? People don't need to be covered in shit to know it smells. This sort of stuff hurts too many people. Free speech? In my book freedom comes with responsibilty.

just one more thing to add:

I would far rather all the posts stood, whether racist, disablist, homophobic - whatever.

I would far rather know who the wankers are than have a facility where posters can post whatever they like knowing it will be deleted and they can carry on pretending they don't hold these vile views.

Yeah, I ended up arguing with him too.
It's all very well to just say "leave it, ignore it" but I will not let idiots like that go unchallenged.

I will not let people believe that in my silence I am condoning that kind of talk, that it is ok.

yes even the Police recognise calling someone spastic ,freak reatrd is not acceptable and evne Fb now have a report button for section that talks about disablity bashing .Yet Mnhq do not