Yes exactly. It's funny how people who chastise others for not understanding a better worldview don't seem to get that some people don't have access to the information they do. I know that I, for one, had no clue about the issues facing the Latino community in the US until I met my partner. I lived in a very white area and the only source of information I accessed that mentioned them at all was the network "world" news. And it was almost always when discussing border patrols and the like. I had to actively go out and look for info when I wanted to learn.
If you take a minute to really sit down and inform a person about what they're doing wrong instead of jumping their ass, they're definitely more likely to listen. I got my ass jumped about not voting back in '04 and am still resentful about it-- mostly because it didn't transform me into a voter until someone took the time to really explain things to me, on top of the information I went and found myself, in '08. And now that I know I will continue to be one, even in midterm elections
The part that sucks ass about trying to educate people calmly is that if you're in a marginalized group people tend to immediately assume you're pissed off when you're not. The further you are from the 'default' able-bodied heterosexual white dood, the more likely you are to get infantilized
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I would never say, "Oh, just be nice" to the assbats that make snide comments about your ability to reproduce, your supposed "siphoning" of OHIP, or even people who react negatively to any attempts you make to educate them. I'm referring more to folks like the OP who posted that picture and clearly had no idea what he was doing. Would he have reacted badly? Maybe. If so, fuck him. Would he have learned something if someone had said, "Hey, you know what?" Maybe. We'll never know, either way!
I totes understand where you're coming from, and I don't mean to sound contradictory, but I wasn't suggesting that people with disabilities are obligated to serve and educate the able-bodied. My issues are not nearly as serious as yours, but I'm on meds myself; it's not something I talk about often, for reasons you can probably guess at. But I have changed people's perceptions of mental illness by saying "Actually--" instead of "FUCK YOU, YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT," so I figure it's always worth at least one try. That's just me, though; I guess I can't
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If you take a minute to really sit down and inform a person about what they're doing wrong instead of jumping their ass, they're definitely more likely to listen. I got my ass jumped about not voting back in '04 and am still resentful about it-- mostly because it didn't transform me into a voter until someone took the time to really explain things to me, on top of the information I went and found myself, in '08. And now that I know I will continue to be one, even in midterm elections
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I totes understand where you're coming from, and I don't mean to sound contradictory, but I wasn't suggesting that people with disabilities are obligated to serve and educate the able-bodied. My issues are not nearly as serious as yours, but I'm on meds myself; it's not something I talk about often, for reasons you can probably guess at. But I have changed people's perceptions of mental illness by saying "Actually--" instead of "FUCK YOU, YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT," so I figure it's always worth at least one try. That's just me, though; I guess I can't ( ... )
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