Gal Gadot reprimanded by the disabled over kind words for Stephen Hawking

[GearSolidMetal]

I can't wait for Halloween this year to see all the Steven Hawking costumes.

 

[Ah Man]

I guess, to me, it seems like many people these days WANT to be offended. Like, couldn't any thinking person give five seconds of thought to what Gadot said and understand what she meant?

Well, first of all, I don't think you're completely wrong. Some people are just combative, and look for anything to pick a fight about. And those people love twitter, the comments section on news articles, etc. So, at least some of the people who responded are probably that, and disability rights is, for one reason or another, one of their items of choice.

But I'll also say that I had the same first read. I am currently contributing to a paper of implementation of the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I swim in those waters. If you live with a disability, and especially if you're involved enough in disability rights to use the term "ableist," you probably swim in those waters too. You have people, some of them with the best intentions and some with the worst, treating you in a discriminatory way all the time. When people say something that sounds off to us, the first thing we all do should probably be to take those five seconds of thought and look for some doubt we can give them the benefit of. But most of us don't most of the time, especially if we're having a bad day. And it only takes a few people having a bad day retweeting it to other people having a bad day and a few of those combative folks and suddenly it's World War 3 on Twitter. That's part of why these things seem so much worse on social media than they do in the real world.

But I definitely think there are some people who will genuinely take it that way, because Gal Gadot may not have that attitude, but some people do. And there are those who live in the sort of world where it never occurs to them that for most people, they hear ableist and think:



It's kind of a reverse "Let them eat cake" kind of thing.

 

[Slick_36]

As someone who has worked a lot in disabled rights, I take serious issue with some fringe groups, like those that oppose cochlear implants for children on the idea that it is cultural genocide against deaf culture. I appreciate that people want to take pride in their identity, but people make cultural decisions for their children all the time—it's part of being a parent. So is providing your children with the best opportunity to succeed in life, and cochlear implants help them do that. It's great that many people with disabilities are able to carve out an identity and culture that they're proud of, but they don't get to dictate that others remain part of it.

That said, I don't see this as an example of that. I don't see people asking that her career be finished, or that she raked over the coals. They're expressing how hearing that somebody is better off dead because he no longer has the disability they have makes them feel. Being accosted with the attitude that you'd be better off dead, day after day, is not something you get used to, and it's not something you should have to. Educating people about how that makes you feel is perfectly fine, in my opinion.

Good post, but I think it's kind of silly to pretend that it wasn't an obstacle when it's literally what killed him. No one is saying he was less than a giant, but I think it's disingenuous to say he never suffered because of his condition.

 

[Guestx]

Well, first of all, I don't think you're completely wrong. Some people are just combative, and look for anything to pick a fight about. And those people love twitter, the comments section on news articles, etc. So, at least some of the people who responded are probably that, and disability rights is, for one reason or another, one of their items of choice.

But I'll also say that I had the same first read. I am currently contributing to a paper of implementation of the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I swim in those waters. If you live with a disability, and especially if you're involved enough in disability rights to use the term "ableist," you probably swim in those waters too. You have people, some of them with the best intentions and some with the worst, treating you in a discriminatory way all the time. When people say something that sounds off to us, the first thing we all do should probably be to take those five seconds of thought and look for some doubt we can give them the benefit of. But most of us don't most of the time, especially if we're having a bad day. And it only takes a few people having a bad day retweeting it to other people having a bad day and a few of those combative folks and suddenly it's World War 3 on Twitter. That's part of why these things seem so much worse on social media than they do in the real world.

But I definitely think there are some people who will genuinely take it that way, because Gal Gadot may not have that attitude, but some people do. And there are those who live in the sort of world where it never occurs to them that for most people, they hear ableist and think:



It's kind of a reverse "Let them eat cake" kind of thing.

Let me ask you, are there people within this community who would take offense to someone expressing the simple notion that it is better to not have a disability than to have one?

 

[Guestx]

Good post, but I think it's kind of silly to pretend that it wasn't an obstacle when it's literally what killed him. No one is saying he was less than a giant, but I think it's disingenuous to say he never suffered because of his condition.

To be fair, he made it into his mid-70s. Even a person with average physical health and ability can't expect much more than that.

 

[IDL]

I know. Did you read the whole thing?

I about died when I read "Able Normative Supremacy."

Well, do you think being physically abled is superior to being physically disabled?

If so then you are clearly an able supremacist.

As we should all know by now, being disabled is not a disability. Or.. Wait a minute.. That is what the word actually means.. Hmm..

 

[Ah Man]

Let me ask you, are there people within this community who would take offense to someone expressing the simple notion that it is better to not have a disability than to have one?

Well, yes, there absolutely are. But they're those fringe folks who object to kids getting cochlear implants. The short answer to your question is that yes, there are, but they're a pretty small minority.

The slightly longer answer is that most people would absolutely not only not be offended, but would agree. However, they'd also feel compelled to point out that the reason why is in large part because most people aren't disabled, so society is set up for people without disabilities. If 98% of people were deaf, society would be set up way more convenient for deaf people, and it wouldn't make much of a difference either way. But 98% of people aren't deaf, and society's never going to be set up for deaf people, so most people would agree. And that's why most deaf parents would probably get their kids cochlear implants just as quickly as (if not quicker than) hearing parents would.

Edit: The point to that second paragraph is that what more people in the movement might find a little irksome (although they'd generally understand why most people don't give it that much thought) is the idea that disability is a characteristic of a person, rather than a characteristic of how that person fits within their society.

 

[Scerpi]

Well, I guess I’m hoping he’s still stuck in wheelchair and unable to wipe his own ass....

Wherever he is.

There, ami doing it rite?

 

[j123]

Lol

 

[loyalyolayal]

poor claptrap.

 

[funcrusher2007]

I’m tired of disablist,
foreal fuck walking and shit..I wanna roll Around everywhere...best parking spots also! These over privileged disablist really grind my gears...

 

[Guestx]

Well, do you think being physically abled is superior to being physically disabled?

If so then you are clearly an able supremacist.

As we should all know by now, being disabled is not a disability. Or.. Wait a minute.. That is what the word actually means.. Hmm..

First, they objected to handicapped so we adopted the term disabled. Soon they will object to disabled and we'll have to come up with something new. And whatever it is will probably sound just as ridiculous as "Able Normative Supremacy."

 

[funcrusher2007]

She does wutang shows...winner in my book

 

[Guestx]

Well, yes, there absolutely are. But they're those fringe folks who object to kids getting cochlear implants. The short answer to your question is that yes, there are, but they're a pretty small minority.

The slightly longer answer is that most people would absolutely not only not be offended, but would agree. However, they'd also feel compelled to point out that the reason why is in large part because most people aren't disabled, so society is set up for people without disabilities. If 98% of people were deaf, society would be set up way more convenient for deaf people, and it wouldn't make much of a difference either way. But 98% of people aren't deaf, and society's never going to be set up for deaf people, so most people would agree. And that's why most deaf parents would probably get their kids cochlear implants just as quickly as (if not quicker than) hearing parents would.

Edit: The point to that second paragraph is that what more people in the movement might find a little irksome (although they'd generally understand why most people don't give it that much thought) is the idea that disability is a characteristic of a person, rather than a characteristic of how that person fits within their society.

Is that really all it's about though, society not being set up for them? Deaf people wouldn't prefer to be able to enjoy music or hear people actually speak during movies? The blind wouldn't prefer to see instead of feeling their way around the world? Those in wheel chairs wouldn't prefer to be able to stand, walk, run and jump?

 

[bowened]

That dumb broad essentially said,”Congratulations. You’re better off now that you’re dead.”

I don’t blame disabled people for being pissed. That’s pretty messed up. The funny thing is I bet she thought she was being profound.

 

[Guestx]

That dumb broad essentially said,”Congratulations. You’re better off now that you’re dead.”

I don’t blame disabled people for being pissed. That’s pretty messed up. The funny thing is I bet she thought she was being profound.

Well since I tend to lean toward there being some kind of soul and afterlife, I think he probably literally is better off dead.

 

[Winter-John]

I think the only way Gal can make amends for her horrible abelist views is to show us her tits.

 

[funcrusher2007]

I wonder if she signs the N word

I wonder what the sign for the n word is?

Imma google dat shit....
...

Five min later....


Holy shit there is but the association of sign language removed it from the list of sign words.
There’s a vid on YouTube but I ain’t linking it cause it’s title is bad lol

 

[IDL]

First, they objected to handicapped so we adopted the term disabled. Soon they will object to disabled and we'll have to come up with something new. And whatever it is will probably sound just as ridiculous as "Able Normative Supremacy."

It's right out of a George Carlin routine

"Differently abled"

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

Wow people are too sensitive these days, that they get triggered so easily. It's so obvious to me in what she meant about that message. She didn't mean to offend anyone. People are reading way too much into her tweet.