2:43pm August 4, 2013

➸ Lefty Begone: On the absurd word "ableist"

allies-person:

leftybegone:

If “racist" means “anti-[specific race]“ (which it doesn’t, by the way), then “ableist” means “anti-able-[bodied, -minded, -etc.].“ But when Tumblr’s liberal twits use the word, it’s clear they mean you are against people who are unable, disabled, underprivileged. So, liberals, not only did…

Oh, for goodness’ sake, the terms “ableism” and “disabled" are not the invention of Tumblr liberals.  Google the disability rights movement, please.

I am not particularly happy with how ableism is often discussed on Tumblr, but posts like this just just reflect ignorance.

There are several different words I’ve heard.

Ablism
Ableism
Disablism
Handicapism
Disphobia

Some words I’ve heard that are not specific to certain kind of disability discrimination:

Audism
Mentalism
Sanism
Physicalism
Psychophobia

Many of the words date back to the seventies. They are not exclusive to liberals. Just as with concepts like sexism or racism, people from all over the political spectrum from way farther left than liberal, to way further right then liberal, to outside of that map altogether, use these words. You don’t have to be liberal to know you’re bring discriminated against.

Ableism comes from the eighties at the very least. Maybe earlier.

Also language is a living thing. People form words in ways that are different from each other. That’s where you get “chocoholic” even though there’s no such substance as chocohol. (Certain chocolate liqueur concoctions notwithstanding.) Griping about that just makes you seem petty, like you don’t have a real reason for saying this.

I, too, don’t always like every single way that ableism is discussed in tumblr. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. As long as people can, for instance, regularly commit and confess to premeditated murder of their disabled children, and get away with it, people will talk about ableism. If you want us to shut up about ableism, the only way that will happen is if you find a way to get rid of ableism. So get to it?

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