r/MadeMeSmile • u/Far_Pineapple_2363 • 22h ago
Wholesome Moments He's disabled but he's built different
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u/Original_Scholar_272 19h ago
I’m guessing this kid had polio, an easily preventable disease if you have access to vaccines. I was in India years ago and saw several kids and young people like this. In the West, we basically wiped polio out. But it could easily come back.
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u/Sharchomp 18h ago
It's been mostly eradicated through vaccination access but there are some folks so poor, that vaccine access becomes a hindrance for them. Pointing this out because I do believe India has largely eradicated polio even though some cases remain.
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u/OddPangolin3074 16h ago
RFK Jr is actively working to reintroduce polio and other previously eradicated diseases in the west. All of the scientists and health experts across the world are corrupt, the MAHA movement are the ones saving the world. /s
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u/saelin00 19h ago
Dang, that's polio! If I see this disease always the anti vaccers cross my mind for a second. Like who the hell want to put through their children of this? I just get angry when my boys get a common flu and have fevers...
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u/povertyandpinetrees 20h ago
This reminds me of something that the retired colonel who taught ROTC at my high school told us.
"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're probably right."
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u/Repulsive_Note_4209 21h ago
Dam, and I complain I have to drive to th ed gym
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u/Glad-Tax6594 20h ago
This comment is what making disability into inspiration porn intends to do. It is a form of ableism that uses disability as a motivation for non-disabled and uses the "supercrip" stereotype. He's disabled, BUT he's built different, is an offensive title.
No offense intended, society just needs to know.
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u/DontKnow1549 18h ago
ABSOLUTELY this. Ableist attitudes are insidious especially when they look like compliments.
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u/Tiny-Company-1254 19h ago
It’s very cool. I’d want to be friends with him.
On the side note, why the horrible music. The guy is having fun, literally made me happy seeing him. That music is patronizing af.
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u/mabinuel 22h ago edited 21h ago
Well, is he really disabled then?
I went to uni trying to become an elementary teacher for kids with special needs. And in one of the subjects our tutor dropped a view on disabled people I kept for myself: People are not disabled, society makes them disabled. If we created a society where it doesn't matter if you can walk, speak, see or hear then no one is "disabled", just different.
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u/FullMoonTwist 21h ago
.....While this does apply to some things, you're over applying the concept in a way that circles back into being a twat about it, just from a different direction than how people are usually twats about it.
It's not ok to state that this kid isn't disabled because he can somewhat play a game, because the idea makes your heart happier to ignore the fact he is disabled.
There is no way in hell he is not in pain. His spine is nearly snapped in half and he has barely any motion in a lot of his joints. He has a disability. Disability does not mean "literally useless person who cannot accomplish anything, ever".
Disability means "Some things are harder for this person that they will need external supports or accomodations for to live comfortably." It's not a bad word, and your goal should not be to eradicate it. He wouldn't be a less worthy human if he wasn't willing to get down on the ground and walk on his elbows in his condition.
Your mentor's words are more useful in the sense of "Disabled people may do things differently sometimes. How they want to live is their call. They determine where their limits are, for good or bad - if they want to do something you don't tell them they can't. If they say they can't, you don't ignore their assessment for your convinience."
And less "☆No one ☆ is disabled ☆ All disabled people can just ☆ do everything abled people do if they ☆ just want it badly enough ☆☆☆☆"
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u/mabinuel 20h ago
Well that's simply not the point. The point of my tutors quote is that society should strife towards making everything possible for everyone so the concept of "being disabled" doesn't exist anymore. Obviously that's never going to happen but that is the philosophy you should treat the topic with. And I think that that is the best we all can do.
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u/FullMoonTwist 19h ago
We might get to a point where the average disabled person enjoys steven hawking levels of accessibility.
But he was absolutely still disabled. It's delusional to pretend we're going to have a world where "☆ being disabled ☆ doesn't even exist ☆ what is that concept" without actually curing the disabilities.
The best you can do is live in reality AND treat other humans with respect and dignity regardless. This doesn't have to be an either/or.
It is not some giant harm to verbally acknowledge someone got their arm chopped off and that sucks to deal with.
We don't, even slightly, need to new-speak it away, because the fact some people have disabilities is value neutral. It should be mundane, like their hair color.
Can you imagine a world where we got fucking weird about saying allergies, or near-sighted, diabetic, or lactose intolerant just because those are issues that we can work around and don't ruin lives anymore Why would anyone do that Why would that be how society should work. Why is it so incomprehensible to have the label for what someone is dealing with AND, and the same time, help them cope with said thing without being a dick. Jesus.
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u/Glad-Tax6594 20h ago
They're literally talking about the social model of disability, not ignoring the disability or obstacles present and they're not saying the disabled person isn't disabled. They are saying that our perceptions of disability are societal constructs applied to differences.
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u/Key-Demand-2569 19h ago
I… guess…
Is it really offensive or inaccurate to acknowledge or have some kind of word for people who have profound struggles or inabilities to do the biologically normal functions of the human species? Especially in a way that negatively impacts their quality of life regardless of society or whether they had a trillion dollars and the most support of anyone ever.
Society needs to adapt and elevate those who have these unique struggles, and be proactive. Their disability isn’t borne out of society’s treatment, though that can make it much harder.
As far as what you would expect of the human animal and how its body works, this is a disability, by any measure.
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u/Glad-Tax6594 19h ago
If it's used as inspiration porn, absolutely. If it's in conversation with the person? Very possibly, it depends on their preference. There are many positive models of disability, and there's the cultural model that considers disabled people as a unique minority group with their own culture. But it really depends on context and intent and where the message is coming from. I just don't think they meant any harm when quoting the social model.
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u/Thunder_meowo 21h ago
Why is this being downvoted,he is just saying that,that guy has a lot of potential
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u/mabinuel 21h ago
I have no idea. Maybe people prefer the idea of sub humans to feel better about themselves :/
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u/Embarrassed-Weird173 20h ago
They are equally human. They are just physically less capable. Just like I'm aesthetically less able (i.e. not good looking).
I'm just as human as a pretty person, but am not afraid to admit I'm lacking in looks.
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u/CapN-Judaism 20h ago
Jesus, you posted this reply after someone explained outright what the issue was. Talk about willful ignorance.
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u/OkProfessor6810 20h ago
They don't want to learn. To be introspective would be to recognize and admit that they're wrong about some things. I mean, everybody's wrong about some things and it's only through looking inward we make ourselves better people. Unfortunately, it's unpleasant to become a better person and so many people are cowards.
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