Aw, Quit Yer Complainin', Victim!

We definitely live in weird times. It is suddenly the habit of people who are somehow frightened of the "other", be it because of color, culture, religion, class, or, need I even say it, disability, to attack the particular group they are frightened of, and make that group the "problem," rather than being capable of seeing how their own biases are in fact the problem. Case in point: I came across this little gem on another disability web site, and thought it was a perfect example, so wanted to share it with you all:

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1. Louis Michael Mount Says:
   August 7th, 2010 at 9:50 am Maybe if you all started dealing with your disabilities instead of whining about them all the time there would be some progress. No one wants to put up with some self-entitled complainer who thinks everything should be done for them just because of they are different than everyone else."
    

So. "whining", "self-entitled complainer", "think everything should be done for them (us)". Oh, and "started dealing with your disabilities." Where, oh, where to start? Mr. Mount here thinks trying to change laws, public attitudes, medical community attitudes, etc., is "whining." Apparently this fella thinks that exercising our Constitutional rights is "whining." And that "thinking everything should be done for them" isn't just another way to spin our demanding having access to the same options as non-disabled people already take for granted. Self-entitled? Apparently Mr. Mount feels that he would be "self-entitled" if he demanded adequate care from the medical community? Or is it that using phrases like self-entitled is a way to show his own superiority, or to deflect by casting aspersions the fear he has of what - possible contagion? Or, just sayin' here, is Mr. Mount merely being a self-entitled complainer, himself?

And don't get me started on "dealing with our own disabilities." Just exactly does he think the disabled community should do - wait for folks like him to "grant" us equality? That we aren't dealing when we are working to change the system to make it more responsive to us, after eons of being swept aside, marginalized by the so-called abled community?

We are hearing ad hominem arguments and attacks like this in many corners of our world these days, whether its in response to charges of racism,   or in calling people who are struggling for their share of the democracy we supposedly ALL should benefit from victims. Hey, I don't see myself as a victim - if I did, I wouldn't be taking steps to make sure that isn't what I am in the eyes of the society at large. And I strongly suspect this is true of nearly every "disabled" person out there. These kinds of attacks and ignorant rants don't tell us anything about ourselves. Rather, they tell us volumes about the writer/speaker. Mainly they tell us that, but for the fact they have not as yet encountered similar obstacles, they have no ability to empathize with anyone who isn't exactly like themselves.  Of course, it is always possible Mr. Mount is a self-hating disabled fella, has been known to happen.

That's his problem, his "victim-hood" if you will. It is NOT ours.

Oh, by the way: "different than anyone else?" Is Mr. Mount simply saying anyone who isn't "like him" is "different?" And the last time I looked, EVERYONE is different than EVERYONE else. So Mr. Mount, unless you know something about clones, and especially can prove that's what we are, or, you are, well, different works for me. Just as its worked for the entire world since the very beginning of life on this planet. And, if everyone were "the same," then either you, Mr. Mount, would also have a disability, or no one else would. Either way, what difference would that really make?