There’s also a twisted form of jealousy, I think. “Oh you have a chronic illness? How dare you use that to opt out of this relentless, often humiliating grind”. It’s similar to those straight people who are angry at the freedoms that they perceive queer people to enjoy. - ThreadSky

okwonga.bsky.social • 60 days ago

There’s also a twisted form of jealousy, I think. “Oh you have a chronic illness? How dare you use that to opt out of this relentless, often humiliating grind”. It’s similar to those straight people who are angry at the freedoms that they perceive queer people to enjoy.

Reposted from Musa Okwonga

Thinking about this war on disabled people that has been waged by successive UK governments: and how it’s always waged by people who are ashamed or afraid of one day not being wealthy, of not being “useful” to a capitalist system, who are desperate, and who project that onto the people they punish.

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chaoscate.bsky.social•60 days ago

I wonder if there is a mentality, esp.since covid, that WFH is generally accepted in an avg office working environm., "Surely you must be able to *at least* work from home? There must be *something* that you can do?! " & less inclination to be understanding that this isn't poss.for a lot of people.

konallis.bsky.social•60 days ago

One of the less-than-sensitive things people with chronic illnesses report their friends saying is, 'I wish I could stay at home all day.' Difficulty in appreciating the reality of ongoing ill health and confusing it with leisure.

dcclouser.bsky.social•60 days ago

It’s especially difficult when you have no outwards signs of disability but your body just doesn’t have the energy to do much more than the bare minimum.

moritherapy.bsky.social•59 days ago

This is why periodically I describe my situation. How on bad days I can't sit on a chair for more than 5 minutes, how can't just go and have coffee with friends, etc. It's like with mental health issues, you gotta draw a picture.

timclare.bsky.social•60 days ago

There was a study where participants watched someone get repeated, unfair electric shocks. Afterwards, they rated them as less likeable, relatable etc than someone they hadn't watched suffer. It can serve to reduce the pain of empathy & the fear of lack of control, by blaming them.

martinnumbernine.bsky.social•60 days ago

The only people conformists hate more than those who won’t conform are those who can’t conform.

dinokdot.bsky.social•60 days ago

It’s crushing, it comes from people that you’d hope would be more understanding but it’s so deeply rooted that free loading scum get free everything that they let the mask slip.

jethra.bsky.social•60 days ago

I don't think it's just that. I've had a lot of people tell me that people with mental ilness should just push through; or have told me, with crohn's that I just need to get out more. We do have an empathy problem, but it isn't the overabundance of it.

okwonga.bsky.social•60 days ago

When I hear advice like that, I think “but so what if they can’t push through? What if they can’t just get out more? What’s so bad about that? How about we create a society that allows for that?”

drheadgear.bsky.social•60 days ago

With Crohn's and Colitis there's the added issue that absolutely nobody wants to hear the details.

jethra.bsky.social•60 days ago

True, they are both numerous and rarely visible. It's very easy to dismiss people.

jethra.bsky.social•60 days ago

Then if you are from where I'm from you run into the toxic masculinity part of the equation that believes you either work or you die if you have no-one to take care of you. The idea of integrating chronically ill or mentally colourful people into society to them is foreign.

okwonga.bsky.social•60 days ago

Yes!! Exactly this. Exactly!

jethra.bsky.social•60 days ago

Yeah, if only someone could convince the western liberal elites as well so they can stop running in circles like headless chickens and come out with a coherent ideological framework to staunch the bleeding of voters to fascism.

okwonga.bsky.social•60 days ago

Amen to that.

samwhyte.bsky.social•59 days ago

It's precisely that. When George Osbourne said "Where is the fairness for the shift-worker, leaving home in the dark hours of the early morning, who looks up at the closed blinds of their next-door neighbour sleeping off a life on benefits" he knew who he was talking to.

jimllmixit.bsky.social•59 days ago

When you're rich, you can afford the best treatments & maybe you get better, or at least, you can manage your symptoms. The rich however, perceive illness or poverty as a failure of character, of effort, & more importantly, a lack of breeding.

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