Read on Twitter
"In the TikTok fashion, the videos both satirically and seriously question the 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 of #HelenKeller's life"
Italics are mine to emphasize the real issue here: 1/ https://link.medium.com/dX91yx5pOcb
Italics are mine to emphasize the real issue here: 1/ https://link.medium.com/dX91yx5pOcb
2/ It's not that this younger generation cares more about truth than older generations. It's that they are just as prone to #ableism as any other generation.
Why does the author just assume that the unbelievability of the story is a given?
Why does the author just assume that the unbelievability of the story is a given?
3/ Why can she conclude that "We don’t have to believe in #HelenKeller, and it shouldn’t be surprising if we don’t"?
It's simple: Because it's obviously outrageous to think that someone with disabilities like blindness and deafness could be intelligent and driven enough to...
It's simple: Because it's obviously outrageous to think that someone with disabilities like blindness and deafness could be intelligent and driven enough to...
4/...accomplish all that #HelenKeller did in her incredible life.
Think about what is being communicated here. And consider the irony in the fact that she discusses the egregious injustices that plague our world (leading to the younger generation's trust issues) while...
Think about what is being communicated here. And consider the irony in the fact that she discusses the egregious injustices that plague our world (leading to the younger generation's trust issues) while...
5/...simultaneously expressing the same type of attitude toward the disabled that lead to things like "the injustices committed at the border, against the black community, and against women."
Injustices committed against marginalized groups come from a collective assumption...
Injustices committed against marginalized groups come from a collective assumption...
6/...that my ethnic background, or my social group, or my economic class, or my intelligence, or my gender, or whatever category we are talking about is better or more important than others.
#Ableism is the assumption that people with disabilities are inferior...
#Ableism is the assumption that people with disabilities are inferior...
7/...in value or importance or capability to the able-bodied. That's how memes and TikToks about how #HelenKeller is a myth can go viral and win over so many believers.
She was blind. She was deaf. There's no way she accomplished amazing things!
She was blind. She was deaf. There's no way she accomplished amazing things!
8/ Back in November, @ChrisNikic became the first person with #DownSyndrome to complete a full @IRONMANtri. He swam 2.4 miles, rode his bike for 112 miles, and then ran 26.2 miles. An amazing feat. Do you know what was really shocking though? The impulse...
9/...so many had afterwards to say that he was such an inspiration to them. If he could accomplish his dreams, so can the rest of us! If he can do an @IRONMANtri, so can I!
On the one hand, yes, @ChrisNikic is an inspiration. By all means, look up to him and be inspired!
On the one hand, yes, @ChrisNikic is an inspiration. By all means, look up to him and be inspired!
10/ On the other hand, be careful not to diminish his accomplishment by thinking, "Hey, if a guy with #DownSyndrome can do it, so can I!" He's more than just our inspiration. He's an athlete. There's a good chance you cannot actually do what he did.
11/ #HelenKeller was a disabled woman who accomplished incredible things. She's an inspiration. But she's more than that. She was intelligent and driven. She tapped into her talents and worked hard to exceed the limits the world placed (and continues to place) on her.
12/ So as younger generations use the technology available to seek out truth, I encourage them to type #Ableism into that Google search bar. Learn about the insidious nature of what is lurking in your own heart, and let it change you.
13/13
And let's make sure #HelenKeller is taught in schools.
And let's make sure #HelenKeller is taught in schools.
