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Showing posts with the label Disability

The Left, Ableism and a conversation we need to have

 Content Warning: Discussions of Ableism, some criticism of left wing groups Intersectionality is the theory and framework by which we explain how a person's social and political identities combine, to measure the different modes of discrimination and privilege. This means that many forms of discrimination(and privilege) will often cross each other on an axis. We can use this analytical framework to measure the ways in which many people are disenfranchised and it has spread from it's origin in academia, to left wing praxis on the streets. Without intersectionality, civil rights issues and labor issues would still be separated from each other. Without intersectionality, queer rights would at best still be limited to decriminalization of homosexuality. Without intersectionality left wing groups in the US would have never grown after the 2016 elections and would have been completely crushed under the boot of Fascism, Capitalism and the American State.  Intersectionality is one of...

The participation society and the attack on disabled and neurodivergent people

CW: Ableism, Bureaucratic fuckery  A little while ago while browsing the news I stumbled upon a strange occurrence. I found a news article which told the story of a woman living in the Dutch municipality of Wijdemeren and how she was apparently eligible for a fine of about 7000 euros(now reduced to 2835 euros after a political uproar) because she was given groceries on a regular basis by her mother while also receiving social assistance and welfare benefits(1).  This is an outrageous story about how a woman got punished by the Dutch state and social services for receiving help from her well meaning mother and although she deserves justice, her story is not exactly new to me. I myself have also been punished by Dutch social services for receiving help or due to circumstances beyond my control on numerous occasions. This is not exactly new but I am using this story as an example because it shows very well the results of the participation society and how neoliberal policies punis...