Disability hate crime and scapegoating fears

[Lencoboy]

With all the talk of the COL crisis, and also from experience of past economic crises (e.g, the GFC in the late 2000s-very early 2010s, and the early 90s recession), where reports of disability hate crimes and general mistreatment/ 'scapegoating' of persons with LDs increased significantly, I fear the same things happening once again, as it seems that we're often easy pickings for such scapegoating and for people to vent their anger and frustrations on. It also increased significantly soon after the Brexit vote won in 2016.

I do understand there are some very worried (and even desperate) people right now, and many things within the current climate can drive even the most otherwise down-to-earth individuals to distraction and become seemingly irrational (including turning to hard-Right and other 'extremist' political views and prejudices), but it's still no excuse for perpetual nastiness towards vulnerable individuals, who often don't have a voice, and also feel the pinch.

I was never a 'hate crime' victim per se during the last GFC, but back in the early 90s I was sometimes bullied (by other kids) and on the receiving end of adults (e.g, teachers, respite staff, and even my own parents) getting unduly arsy towards me, but that may have also been due to general prevailing attitudes towards people with ASD and chronic lack of understanding back then rather than specifically owing to the discontent over the financial climate of the time, though both were probably in the mix.

Please don't judge me as selfish and insensitive, plus I know my fears are only hypothetical scenarios ATM, but like I already said earlier in this post, persons with disabilities and vulnerable individuals in general often tend to be easy pickings when the going gets tough.

Twas ever thus it seems.

[pulisa]

"Perpetual nastiness", Lenco?

[Lencoboy]

"Perpetual nastiness", Lenco?

I feel as though I'm being misunderstood once again, though perhaps 'perpetual nastiness' might have been the wrong wording.

[NoraB]

My autistic son was the victim of hate crime (by adults) at the mainstream school he was attending. There were four people directly involved but they were trying to get more parents involved. The word that the headteacher used was 'witchhunt'. My son was targeted by one particular woman for several years (and from the day I told her that he'd been diagnosed autistic). This culminated in a police caution for her (my son was 7 years old). The other three were this woman's husband, her friend and her husband. (this couple have since aplogised to us and explained that they were 'lied' to by this woman, and to my knowledge they no longer speak to one another)

I can usually squeeze some kind of compassion out for people but this person is the exception. She hurt my boy. She screamed at us (in the street) that he was 'unfit' to be around other children. One day my son said the words that no parent wants to hear, and he was seven years old - a little boy! There is no swear word strong enough to describe what this woman is. Even the most horrible swear word in the English language isn't strong enough! She's shown no remorse whatsoever, even when the police told her how distressed my son was. And people say we're (as in autistic) the ones who are incapable of empathy?

Thing is Lenco, there's always going to be the @rseholes in the world. People who take out their own inadequacies and issues out on vulnerable people. This is because they are cowardly b@stards.

[Lencoboy]

My autistic son was the victim of hate crime (by adults) at the mainstream school he was attending. There were four people directly involved but they were trying to get more parents involved. The word that the headteacher used was 'witchhunt'. My son was targeted by one particular woman for several years (and from the day I told her that he'd been diagnosed autistic). This culminated in a police caution for her (my son was 7 years old). The other three were this woman's husband, her friend and her husband. (this couple have since aplogised to us and explained that they were 'lied' to by this woman, and to my knowledge they no longer speak to one another)

I can usually squeeze some kind of compassion out for people but this person is the exception. She hurt my boy. She screamed at us (in the street) that he was 'unfit' to be around other children. One day my son said the words that no parent wants to hear, and he was seven years old - a little boy! There is no swear word strong enough to describe what this woman is. Even the most horrible swear word in the English language isn't strong enough! She's shown no remorse whatsoever, even when the police told her how distressed my son was. And people say we're (as in autistic) the ones who are incapable of empathy?

Thing is Lenco, there's always going to be the @rseholes in the world. People who take out their own inadequacies and issues out on vulnerable people. This is because they are cowardly b@stards.

Well said Nora, and I'm sure I recall you mentioning your son's said ordeal once before in another thread.

While I appreciate that there should be a bit of 'give and take' between all sides in the current climate where we should all within reason be more tolerant of and forgiving towards each other, especially as people are people after all, I still can't accept tougher times simply giving certain individuals (especially those who are already a bit power-mad period) carte blanche to abuse and mistreat the less able and more powerless elements of our society.

Of course, we're all still reeling from the effects of the Covid pandemic that's already caused mass chaos the world over during the best part of the past 2 1/2 years, and is still obviously one of the many factors behind the current COL crisis worldwide, plus many of us are obviously still suffering from 'post-pandemic blues' ATM.

Also, unlike during much of the first year of the pandemic, during recessions we're still fully allowed out and not ordered to stay at home by the authorities.

[Catkins]

Personally I think that there are some very unpleasant people around all the time, not just when there is a COL crisis. Some people don't need an excuse to be horrible to one another. I try and focus on the good people I have around me and try and ignore the rest.

But then perhaps because I have an NHS badge on is classed as asking for trouble.

[Lencoboy]

Personally I think that there are some very unpleasant people around all the time, not just when there is a COL crisis. Some people don't need an excuse to be horrible to one another. I try and focus on the good people I have around me and try and ignore the rest.

But then perhaps because I have an NHS badge on is classed as asking for trouble.

Agreed wholeheartedly Catkins, as fundamentally there are certain factions of our society that are horrible (and/or irrational) period, even during more favourable times, but there are always far more good people of course, most of whom all too often don't get the credit they truly deserve IMO.

And as for NHS employees and the like, they have been undervalued and getting it in the neck for donkeys years now, plus of course there will always be the odd bad apple in pretty much every profession one can poke a stick at (with people like yourself inevitably being at risk of being tarred with the same brush), but thankfully they're by far in the minority, and I'm sure you do an impeccable job despite all the crap you probably have to put up with a lot of the time, which you would definitely never get from me.

Also it seems the Clap for Carers at 7 pm on certain days during the first Covid lockdown is sadly now pretty much forgotten about.

[Catkins]

From experience, it was forgotten about pretty much by Friday morning by some people.

[BlueIris]

Hopefully this won't offend, Catkins, but I'd rather people were respectful towards NHS staff at all times rather than being self-congratulatory and performative about it.

It's the same with wearing poppies - I choose not to, because I'm a pacifist and I'm not a fan of the British Legion hassling the elderly - and I feel as though it's more about virtue signalling than remembrance.

[Lencoboy]

Hopefully this won't offend, Catkins, but I'd rather people were respectful towards NHS staff at all times rather than being self-congratulatory and performative about it.

It's the same with wearing poppies - I choose not to, because I'm a pacifist and I'm not a fan of the British Legion hassling the elderly - and I feel as though it's more about virtue signalling than remembrance.

Yes, I remember certain people getting indignant about the CFC thing and lambasting it as the latest pointless 'fad'/'bandwagon'/'craze' sweeping the nation at the time.

But I definitely agree with you that people who work in the NHS and the like should be respected all the time, major crisis or not, especially as they often perform very thankless tasks day in day out, overworked and chronically underpaid and I also agree that the CFC (and the wearing of plastic poppies) did/does smack of virtue signalling on occasions.

There was also a similar thing during the recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham (and other parts of the West Midlands) where many communities suddenly came together, which they should ultimately be doing all the time, not just for a temporary period of about 2-3 weeks.

I bet you a tenner that a lot of people have already forgotten about the (temporary) togetherness expressed during that fantastic couple of weeks and back to their usual same old same old habits once again.