Is it REALLY Inspiration Porn or are you just a Hater?

I don't understand y'all ??

I joined Twitter in August 2018 in order to comment, bitch and moan about my favorite TV shows - which all happened to be on the ID Channel (shout out to all #IDAddicts!) I wanted an escape from the life that I was dealing with. It was therapeutic and a form of escapism to fuss about these shows.

Fast forward to November 2018 and I'm an inpatient, dealing with some really hard things. I didn't tweet much because, well there was no ID channel in the hospital and I thought, who in the world wanted to hear about the trauma, pain, doctors appointments, therapy, sleepless night, chronic pain, chronic illness and all around hard time that I was having.

When I was released almost six months later, I found out about #DisabilityTwitter and I was glad to find a tribe of people who were dealing with similar, if not the same challenges that I was. Accessibility issues, inconsiderate doctors, doctors who weren't even listening, doctors who wrote disrespectful notes in your chart because they didn't believe what you were saying, and family members who just didn't get it.

As an aside, a few years ago, I joined a Facebook group that was using slang that I didn't understand. So in the middle of this 30+ comment thread, I ask the question "Oh what does this mean?" Nobody answered. No one replied, they jumped over my comment as if I wasn't there.

Fast forward to couple weeks ago, I ask, again, this time on a disabled person's tweet what their definition of "Inspiration Porn" was. I didn't know it was a "thing" that the internet community knew about. And again I was ignored and THEN subtweeted, as if he didn't have the balls to just answer my question or at least say "Google it"

The first experience was from Abled/NTs who ignored, the second from a Disabled person who also ignored. I see you both the same. At least with Abled/NT folks, I'm not surprised when they don't understand my lack of social understanding. But I am disappointed by disabled people who want to carry themselves as so called activists and advocates who don't take the time out to answer an innocent question by someone who truly didn't understand. Y'all are no better than the Ableds/NTs who treat us as less than or who dismiss us because we don't have the same level of functioning that you do. SHAME ON YOU! I don't like you and I have unfollowed all of you.

The biggest problem I have with this whole "inspiration porn" idea is that y'all have taken the whole thing COMPLETELY out of context. WATCH THE VIDEO! Listen to what she says. She's saying that she's not here for y'all making a big deal out of disabled people doing regular things, but yes we should celebrate the accomplishments. She says, "I want to live in a world where we value genuine achievement for disabled people." I'll save you some time it's at the 8:52 mark.

I've seen the most hateful comments by disabled people about disabled people in the past month. The young man on America's Got Talent, Kodi Lee - OMG! When he opened his mouth to sing, I cried. Genuine talent, skill and ability. I wasn't paying attention to anything but his talent, and his beautiful voice. He received the Golden Buzzer. And instead of the Disabled Community congratulating him they held him up as a an example of INSPIRATION PORN. Comments were varied but mostly consisted of "Yeah, he's talented but y'all want to use him as inspiration porn and we're not here for it!" A bit of a compliment with a large side of shade and hateration.

In regards to Ali Stroker  making history as the first Tony award winning actress in a wheelchair, I woke up to disabled people, once again saying "Omg stop it! Stop using disabled people as inspiration!"  What are you even talking about, Ali said, HERSELF, "This award is for every kid watching tonight who has a disability, who has a limitation or a challenge, who has been waiting to see themselves represented in this arena," she said. "You are."

WTF!! I don't understand y'all. When Stella Young talked about inspiration porn, she was talking about Ableds/NTs recognizing us for just doing normal things, like living.  But she did want us to celebrate the genuine, outstanding achievements of those of us who are doing extraordinary things even given the challenges we must to overcome. So y'all can miss me with all this negativity. I'm here for ALL the people doing ALL the things they have the ability to do!  And PLEASE, shine bright like a light as you do it! 💜💜💜

BTW:  I AM DISABLED!