reading a paper on quality of life among 45-to-70-year-olds with Down syndrome:
“Individuals expressed a desire to be allowed to go to bed when they wanted to.”
😦
Imagine.
I lived in a room and board that failed the burrito test. (”If you’re not allowed to get up in the middle of the night to microwave a burrito, you live in an institution.”) No one stopped me from going to bed, but they did tell me I had to have my lights out by 10, and that I had to be out of the house by 10 the next morning. When I complained to my outpatient program that I needed more help than I was getting, they threatened me with board and care, where my cell phone would be taken away and I would lose contact with the outside world. My case manager sounded so damn smug, like he had caught me out, when he said, “if you’re really as helpless as you say, then you need to be in a board and care.” Like my only options were struggling to do things I couldn’t do, or surrendering my life to an institution.
When I tried to talk about these things with other people, they always rationalized it away. (I told my dad once that my caseworker was reading my e-mails as I wrote them, demonstrating extreme disrespect for my privacy, and he said, “Well, she’s probably making sure you don’t use the internet to goof off.” I was 22 years old.)
People tend to mock the idea that telling an adult when to go to bed, when to eat, etc., is a human rights violation, even though they would find it outrageous and absurd if anyone came into their lives to do the same thing to them.
And this is what people seem to think when they tell disabled activists we’re just not disabled enough to understand that some people really do need to be locked up and deprived of all autonomy.
Friendly reminder that the intro to Lion King….the non english bits leading up to the “circle of life” is not random yelling in *Africa voice* it is an actual language, Zulu, spoken by 10 million people, it is the most widely spoken language (out of 11) in the country of South Africa (1 out of the 54 countries in the continent of Africa, the continent home to somewhere between 1500-2000 languages and around 3000 distinct ethnic groups)
this isn’t to say that you have to friggin learn the language to sing along with a disney film, it just means that you should be mindful, respectful, appreciative and respectful. don’t be yelling out whatever noise comes in to your head when you hear it
Ok but someone knows what does this say?
The lyrics before the english comes in…in “circle of life”
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba [Here comes a lion, Father] Sithi uhm ingonyama [Oh yes, it’s a lion]
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba [Here comes a lion, Father] Sithi uhm ingonyama [Oh yes, it’s a lion] Ingonyama [It’s a lion]
Siyo Nqoba [We’re going to conquer]
Ingonyama Ingonyama nengw’ enamabala [A lion and a leopard come to this open place] (repeats)
[queue English lyrics]
I would like to further add that language has there own cultural nuances so something that can sound extremely meaningful in one languages may not sound as majestic when translated to another (I know this as someone who has an understanding of 5 languages and speaks 3 of them fluently) so if you are thinking “oh it ain’t that deep they are just yelling: the lion is coming!” dial it back
Worth noting that “lion” and especially the word Ingonyama is a very respectful word to talk about a Zulu king, especially in praise. It’s so heavily associated with royalty in isiZulu that a different word is used for an animal lion – Ibhubesi. This isn’t just announcing the arrival of an animal, it’s celebrating the arrival (or coronation?) of the king
It’s that time of year to say no to the Salvation Army.
Never forget they let a Trans woman die instead of helping her.
Never forget they have tossed entire families on the street for having an LGBT child.
Never forget they tell non Christian families that unless they convert they will not help them.
Never forget that the Salvation Army is bigoted and hateful, many of the bell ringers routinely heckle and harass LGBT couples.
Annual reblog.
In case you’re worried about being rude by ignoring the bell ringers.
THIS SEEMS TOTALLY FAKE BUT IT’S ABSOLUTELY NOT. That link is to a CBS station in Chicago, and they have more pictures, including one with a couple of uniformed Salvation Army members standing next to them. (Story dated 2018/11/24)
Discourse with defenders of fascists is always the peak of absurdity. You’ll claim tolerance of fascism is inevitably going to result in terrible things, and then when terrible things happen, the burden for when action against fascism is necessary shifts farther.
“You shouldn’t punch fascists, it’s just words, it’s not like any violence has happened yet!” Queue Charlottesville. “You shouldn’t punch fascists, it’s just words, it’s not like this has led to any significant-scale damage against minorities!” Synagogue is attacked (and that’s not even mentioning, mosques have faced attacks for years). “You shouldn’t punch fascists, it’s just words, it’s not backed up by any significant action to undermine our institutions!” Bombs are mailed to multiple representatives and journalists.
What’s next? Are we on “You shouldn’t punch fascists, it’s just words, they haven’t started the genocide, yet!” now? is that still a couple of steps away?
The time for action was years ago, and civil opposition has, as it always does in the face of fascism, failed repeatedly since that time revealed itself. There is no longer any breathing space. Those who consider themselves opposed to antifascism no longer have the room, the reasonable doubt, to simultaneously consider themselves distinguishable from fascists. The line cannot be allowed to move farther. There is no longer room for civil discourse as the creep to the right continues. Fascism must be crushed, it has already gone too far; it had already gone too far yesterday, it had already gone too far last year, and now is a decisive moment where, again, people must decide if they will let it go farther. Those who do not decide must be crushed with the fascists.
OP is just itching to punch a fascist, as if that’ll truly solve anything.
Bitch the fuck you doing reblogging this off me, a Jew who lost family in the holocaust, with this tone deaf flex?
You think you’re a better fucking person because you “take the high road”? That’s only an option for you because you have the privilege to ignore Nazis/fascists/conservatives and any actual consequences from their hate.
If you aren’t willing to use any means necessary to stop fascists – including your fists – you’re just a god damn collaborator and you better block me before I decide to doxx your brain dead ass.
It seems to solve a lot, since lots of Nazis have withdrawn from the public sphere because of threats. Though, while punching Nazis is cool, I’d strongly suggest we get rid of them permanently instead. Bullets are more efficient than fists.
I was tired so I just blocked that person. Thanks for calling him a dumbass for me.
ForLoveFromFear 