I think a lot about all the Republicans whose sole contribution to the world of Down syndrome supports and rights was to "spread the word to end the r-word" campaign (and ABLE accounts) while doubling down on anti-abortion rhetoric because of (complicated) concerns about eugenic abortion. - ThreadSky

lollardfish.bsky.social • 53 days ago

I think a lot about all the Republicans whose sole contribution to the world of Down syndrome supports and rights was to "spread the word to end the r-word" campaign (and ABLE accounts) while doubling down on anti-abortion rhetoric because of (complicated) concerns about eugenic abortion.

Reposted from Charlie Warzel

like, i'm barely being glib saying that there's a non-trivial amt of people out there whose politics are loosely just 'i want to be able to say the r-word loudly in public like i used to'

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lollardfish.bsky.social•53 days ago

I mean, I thought it wasn't a critical issue, but I do hate that word (and "moron," which y'all use all the time to describe Republicans. I fucking hate that too), and I thought we had at least succeeded in excising it from public space, we had succeeded in attaching social stigma to the r-word.

sarahvb.bsky.social•53 days ago

You see they're coming for the IDEA, right?

sarahvb.bsky.social•53 days ago

https://bsky.app/profile/badmedicaltakes.bsky.social/post/3lgqcwgldxs22

lollardfish.bsky.social•53 days ago

I didn’t see that post in particular, but yeah educational accommodations are under threat. I actually think disability needs to shift fast to “legal compliance” instead of inclusion. It might buy us a year.

sunderedmarches.com•53 days ago

Gamers again.

Gen X/Millennial gamers in large part never let go of the word, they just went out of the majority and polite society but still ran a bunch of spaces where it was acceptable.

Stayed alive that way to go down to the younger generations.

sunderedmarches.com•53 days ago

I know dirtbag left gamers who are all in on Marx and think I'm a prude and a scold, and ofc this is a carry over bipartisan position for that subculture

lollardfish.bsky.social•53 days ago

In 2012, Coulter called Obama by the r-word and there was an instant and bipartisan backlash. I, being overthinky, wrote about the way that "angel" as a retort was also dehumanizing, because I like to write about the flattening nature of positive stereotypes.

https://www.cnn.com/2012/11/16/opinion/perry-down-syndrome/index.html

lollardfish.bsky.social•53 days ago

(that was my first CNN piece, my 4th op-ed ever)

lollardfish.bsky.social•53 days ago

Anyway, I hope I get to ask some of them whether it was worth it. They probably will say yes.

saeroun-sayongja.bsky.social•53 days ago

Notwithstanding the particular terms that are tainted by their use to abuse disabled people, we are… like… REALLY bad at distinguishing between “not very smart”, “ignorant and incurious”, “confidently wrong about stuff”, “inconsiderate”, and “cruel”.

Those are different things!

saeroun-sayongja.bsky.social•53 days ago

I’m sure I need to work on this myself, but a good practice might be every time you’re about to call somebody some kind of idiot, see if they’re actually an asshole and call them that instead.

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