My elephant in the room -The wheelchair conundrum

I've mentioned several times before in past posts how embarrassing it can be, stuck in between the two worlds of the enabled people and the disabled people. Sure, not everyone ya meet out there is dumb-as-fuck/ is aware that disabilities differ -Some extremely visible, some hidden. But I can't stress enough, this world view is not as common knowledge as you may think.

For some it's either able bodied/ 100% fit and healthy Vs. little Sally has no limbs and is blind and deaf, lets stick her on a Facebook post with some inspirational words and say Oprah said it (Oprah didn't say it? That's ok, it's the internet, no one will check) so we can all feel better about the situation. Maybe even type AMEN, then we're all defo going to heaven. For some, it is indeed that black and white.

Example -the recent news stories of people getting shit for either stepping out of their wheelchair for a minute, ('cause ya know, never ever in the history of people has anyone eeeeever had to only use the chair on a part-time basis) or not owning a chair to begin with, and notes left on their cars calling them fakers -even though they have disability badges (because things like Crohn's disease or other internal diseases do not exist either). See some examples here:


EastEnders star Lisa Hammond abused in the street

Coronation street star Cherylee Houstan falsely accused of being a benefits cheat

Mum of disabled toddler returns to car to find threatening note

Woman suffering from fibro finds cruel note branding her "fat and ugly" after she parks in the disabled bay (although this one should really get a badge if she guna be at that!)


For people like this, it's a simple case of if you weren't in a wheelchair at birth, why would you be now? They don't view conditions as progressive. If yo momma didn't pump out the wheelchair from her vajayjay straight after you plopped out, then you're a faker. Because wheelchairs are super fucking kewl and everyone wants them. For others, it's the very common, over-stated "you're too young to be sick" mantra.

These prejudices and extreme/ bizarre/ old fashioned misconceptions exist even without the visible elephant in the room that is the wheelchair. A cane doesn't really

On the rag: A note on feminism

It's been a while since I'v had one of my famous rants (famous? ...Yeah, I only have about 10 followers, but I'm still saying famous. Deal with it), and what better subjects than politics and feminism, eh? And yes, yes, I'm totally late to board the train, and I'm sure by now yous all totally get that feminism is not hating on men? And that anti-feminists (or at least the childer who post shite on the internets) simply wish things were 'just like the 1950's' for the oh so pretty lady clothes? Yes, yes?? Good.

Well with that in mind I'll skip over all the obvious stuff and just have a wee chat about this article:
"9 Times When Irish Politics has Been Really Sexist"

At first read I laughed, of course, and I'm sure you will too. They are funny comments. Funny because they are: A.) Outrageous, B.) Oh so very dam Irish and C.) It is human nature to think "well, they were just having a laugh though" ...The latter passed my mind only briefly before I stopped myself. Is it wrong to comment on a women's looks, if you are saying something nice? "Flaming red hair" sounds more of a compliment to me. The argument could be made, that if it was the other way around, would men in politics care so much if they were being commented on? Perhaps not. And perhaps it wouldn't be such a big deal in the media. But the bigger picture is simply that there are less women in politics -and as we all know, women do not have the same rights, respect or pay in many professions. This is where the issue lies, in case anyone reads the article and thinks: "What's the big deal?". It's the same old bullshit of "Oh sometimes black people are racist to white people, ya know!" ...Eh, yeah, of course, and where as this is clearly not right and neither is excusable, there is a difference. The difference being years of oppression.

Examples of being judged on our looks as females is everywhere. There are certain pubs and nightclubs that I just rather not bother going into, that my male friends would have no issue in entering. I don't mind a bit of fun, a bit of joke (after all, social situations