Genocide Through a Disability Lens

Yo, it's me, your favorite bummer songwriter who can't stop thinking about how people are just going about their business while the U.S. is helping to fund a genocide with our tax money. I'm posting this transcript here for accessibility.

As a freelance writer and content developer who works in the disability/education/dei fields, this is the kind of content I wish more folks in these fields would be creating. I know institutional silence, hesitance, neutrality (or whatever you want to call it) to speak out on global atrocities is more often than not calculated with the best of intentions to not take sides, get mired in litigation, or unintentionally harm/exclude any group. I know on the individual level, hearts are broken and stomachs are sick, so I'm not posting this content with a middle finger up to anyone in particular. Rather, I'm just racking my brain for ways to stop this senseless killing and hoping to break down the justifications for genocide that are at their root ableist and disabling. 

In many ways, this feels like a silly and futile exercise. Obviously any government who would terrorize defenseless folks in the name of self-defense and anti-terrorism wouldn't care about folks with disabilities because they don't care about humanity in general. Kind of a given there. 

And of course I anticipate the "what about terrorists" argument that comes barreling down the line every time I criticize Israel's response to the events of Oct 7. There is a spectrum of opinions and ideologies surrounding the actions of Hamas, ranging from: "this is an institution that threatens Israeli existence/civilized life and must be eradicated no matter the cost" to "these are acts of justified resistance that will inevitably continue until Palestinian people are liberated." I have my own opinion and am not here to tell grieving and/or oppressed people in any community how to feel or act. If you have something contrary to say, I encourage you to create your own content for your own platform rather than trying to "fight" me on my own platform.

What I am here to do is plea with world leaders and everyday people to set the anti-terrorism/self-defense bar higher than massacring thousands and dehumanizing, displacing and disabling millions to the tune of billions of dollars that could be invested toward the nurturing of communities rather than the annihilation of them. The bottom line is if you have the ability to stop crimes against humanity, you have the responsibility to stop crimes against humanity. I encourage everyone, especially those with power, privilege, and a platform of any kind to lead with love even in response to horrific tragedy, and to create a world that is fit for my daughter and all children and people everywhere, including folks with disabilities. Away we go:

Slide 1 Text:
World leaders don't G.A.F. (give a fuck) about disabled people / disabling people. Genocide through a disability lens.

Slide 2 Text:
“But they distributed evacuation notices!”
Did they consider folks with disabilities, including birthing people/babies, elderly people? Did they ensure safe transport or provide accommodations or necessary medical care? 

They did not. Because they don't give a fuck who dies/suffers.
Rather, they bomb the ever-loving shit out of hospitals, refugee camps, food/power sources, and “safe” areas - displacing people, cutting off access to food, shelter, water, fuel, electricity, medicine, healthcare, etc. This is ableist and disabling. 

Slide 3 Text
​“Innocent civilians are being used as human shields/Bad guys are withholding supplies!”
So, this should grant a democratic government a carte blanche greenlight to murder and/or mentally/physically terrorize defenseless people in the name of self-defense and anti-terrorism?

They think it does. Because they don't give a fuck who dies/suffers.
So in addition to murdering thousands, they trigger an avalanche of physical and mental health disabilities on the ground and across the globe, for generations to come, all while taking zero responsibility. This is all ableist and disabling.

Slide 4 Text:
“But the U.S. is expressing concern, sending relief and suggesting a pause.”
Are they nonetheless committed to sending billions of tax dollars/weapons of war while refusing to hold anyone accountable for committing war crimes?

Sure are. Because they don't give a fuck who dies/suffers.
They reeeally wish you didn’t G.A.F. either, so they can go on pretending there’s no $ for education, housing, healthcare, childcare, environmental protections, gun control, reparations, etc. which is of course - you guessed it: ableist and disabling.

Side 5 Text:

• Remind reps how their inaction and unwillingness to speak out against genocide is ableist and disabling across communities, across the world, and across generations. Encourage them to act now.  (5calls app, contactmypolitician.com, etc.) 
• Follow journalists on the ground and engage with their posts (like/share/comment/tag your reps) to increase awareness, prioritize lived experiences of folks with disabilities, & keep pressure on “leaders”. (@eye.on.palestine is one hub sharing this content)
  
• Be aware of the way systems/communities you exist within are ableist & disabling. Even social justice work tends to neglect and exclude the disability community. Disrupt and G.A.F.