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CW/TW-Exercise,shaming,ableism
I don't know how long it will take me to get through this thread but i got home, i looked at my YouTube subscriptions and a video reminded me of an issue regarding disabled people that I think needs to be discussed.
I don't know how long it will take me to get through this thread but i got home, i looked at my YouTube subscriptions and a video reminded me of an issue regarding disabled people that I think needs to be discussed.
So I am a sporty person, which has always been strange to me because physically I am not made for any kind of sport and over the past couple of years I got into running and exercising at home.I also like wrestling so when I saw a wrestler had made a workout based YT channel...
I thought it was cool,today however I see a title of a video "[Name of exercise] No excuses!" featuring an amputee exercising..And this doesn't sit well with me,the fact that the content creator uses a disabled person to shame others for not being capable ...
...which is really similar to inspiration porn where people video disabled people and shame other people for not being able to do certain things, usually it's used to shame other disabled people, because we're seen as useless and incapable...
Take myself for example, I cannot ride a bike and I cannot swim but that doesn't make me or anyone else who can't do those things,any less of a person,for example, I write in my spare time, I read to become more knowledgeable, not for anyone else's benefit but my own..
People (non-disabled people too) shouldn't and don't owe anyone anything, with regards to being unable to do something...you will find your strengths, it takes time and if you don't have any? There's absolutely nothing wrong with that...
What is wrong is people using disabled people to make what they think is a point (Why can't you do this,this disabled person can!) ,when let's be honest,most people wouldn't care if disabled people died,they use us for an argument because they don't care...
I myself was used as "Inspiration porn" in high school,being named "Most dedicated player" in a cup final despite only being on the pitch one minute...there's simply no reason for this,in college I would regularly hear "Why can't you put the effort in...
...if Adam can,then surely you're able to" But nobody asked me if I cared about being the lowest benchmark ,because to others if you couldn't match my input, you were worthless, because I was considered worthless and people would tell me this in multiple ways...
...not expecting me to be taking in their words and remembering them...or what about the time where in the gym in high school, I was put against my brother in a challenge,he was an army cadet and I happened to beat him in a pull up challenge, which was not anything important...
But I was referred to as "The Cr*pple* in high school and god forbid, a disabled person is actually ok at a task m,which was pointless anyways.Nothing was expected of me sports wise because I had that idea that I was worthless thrown onto me...
...so when,I scored a goal in football, like in college,which was filmed for coursework purposes,one of the opposition can audibly be heard saying "Oh my god,what the fuck,how could you let him score" and I was used to hearing things like this....
But I was and still am sick of people being surprised that I can do certain things and they are surprised because society has cultivated this idea that a disabled person is useless,yet they will happily film us while not caring about our wellbeing...
Why is that? Well my interpretation is that,they want to seem helpful and have others view them as a good person (I still don't understand why people protect their image) but by saying "A disabled person can do this, why can't you?" You promote a harmful idea...
The idea that a disabled person is the benchmark, because society doesn't expect much from them,so if anyone can't achieve the same results ,they must be worthless, when in fact ,I might not play basketball or do a single leg press,and I definitely don't want to do it...
If I am being compared to someone else...I have spent years comparing myself to others and it needs to stop.I am me,I am content with not being perfect, I have strengths,yes but I also have weaknesses and that's ok to admit.
I will never be a swimmer like @esioul and that's ok ,it's not for me but I, and everyone else in the world has value.Value that isn't and shouldn't be decided on by other people but by ourselves,only we know our capabilities, our limitations.Only we know ourselves.
