this metaphor is ableist because nobody is pushing wheelchair use on abled people, unlike ChatGPT. and no, abled people won’t become “dependent” on wheelchairs because they’ll realize how miserable life is when you’re barred from most public establishments.
most of the people perceived as “faking it” are just disabled people who can’t afford a diagnosis or won’t be diagnosed by medics due to racism, fatphobia, etc.
But if you start consistently using a wheelchair when there is no physical reason for you to use one, will your muscles not atrophy, thereby making you need it?
I don’t think this metaphor is inherently ableist. That wheelchairs aren’t being pushed onto anyone isn’t really relevant, nor is the fact that very few people fake needing a wheelchair. I don’t think the person you replied to was shaming anyone for “faking it.” Just saying that if you don’t need a wheelchair, it’s probably a bad idea to use one.
Just saying that if you don’t need a wheelchair, it’s probably a bad idea to use one.
it is ableist though, because we get told we don’t need to use one every single day. this stems from ableds vilifying wheelchair use as a “downgrade on the human experience” as opposed to a liberation tool, which is what it actually is.
their metaphor wouldn’t even exist if this mentality wasn’t normalized.
But… the person you’re replying to didn’t say you don’t need to use a wheelchair. They said that if someone genuinely doesn’t need to use a wheelchair, using one will likely have negative effects. Which is just, like, true? In my head, it’s roughly akin to saying, “If you consistently take a medication you don’t need, you’re probably going to wind up needing a different medication to counteract the negative effects of the medication you unwisely took.”
You’re completely right that wheelchairs are liberation tools and shouldn’t be vilified. And as someone who needs medical intervention to survive, I understand your frustration with ableist rhetoric. I just think your reading of this one is a bit off the mark.
what negative effects are there for ableds using a wheelchair? gonna need a few sources besides conjecture.
the only way they’d get hurt is from other ableds assaulting them or getting a badly fitted chair, which also happens with bikes. the double standard is that bikes would never get called a downgrade outside of carbrain spaces.
this metaphor is ableist because nobody is pushing wheelchair use on abled people, unlike ChatGPT. and no, abled people won’t become “dependent” on wheelchairs because they’ll realize how miserable life is when you’re barred from most public establishments.
most of the people perceived as “faking it” are just disabled people who can’t afford a diagnosis or won’t be diagnosed by medics due to racism, fatphobia, etc.
But if you start consistently using a wheelchair when there is no physical reason for you to use one, will your muscles not atrophy, thereby making you need it?
I don’t think this metaphor is inherently ableist. That wheelchairs aren’t being pushed onto anyone isn’t really relevant, nor is the fact that very few people fake needing a wheelchair. I don’t think the person you replied to was shaming anyone for “faking it.” Just saying that if you don’t need a wheelchair, it’s probably a bad idea to use one.
it is ableist though, because we get told we don’t need to use one every single day. this stems from ableds vilifying wheelchair use as a “downgrade on the human experience” as opposed to a liberation tool, which is what it actually is.
their metaphor wouldn’t even exist if this mentality wasn’t normalized.
But… the person you’re replying to didn’t say you don’t need to use a wheelchair. They said that if someone genuinely doesn’t need to use a wheelchair, using one will likely have negative effects. Which is just, like, true? In my head, it’s roughly akin to saying, “If you consistently take a medication you don’t need, you’re probably going to wind up needing a different medication to counteract the negative effects of the medication you unwisely took.”
You’re completely right that wheelchairs are liberation tools and shouldn’t be vilified. And as someone who needs medical intervention to survive, I understand your frustration with ableist rhetoric. I just think your reading of this one is a bit off the mark.
what negative effects are there for ableds using a wheelchair? gonna need a few sources besides conjecture.
the only way they’d get hurt is from other ableds assaulting them or getting a badly fitted chair, which also happens with bikes. the double standard is that bikes would never get called a downgrade outside of carbrain spaces.