When Othering Reduces us to Monsters to be Slain

[davidgillon]

Horrific story in the Guardian with three deaf women in Haiti murdered for allegedly being 'lougarous'. Trigger warning for a horrific disability hate crime.

Link to story

Comments

[lilysea]

*sigh*

Yesterday a well-dressed man in his 40s on the train shouted at me "People like you are everything that is wrong with this world," and then threw a punch at my face.

The only reason it didn't connect is that another passenger grabbed his hand.

I wonder how that man would feel to know that he's on a spectrum of world-wide disability hate, and murders like this are what is at the far end of the spectrum.

Would he feel chastened and mend his ways? Or would he feel vindicated?

[davidgillon]

Oh, hell. Hope you're okay. I've had physical assault once, someone tried to throw me to the ground while I was still using crutches. He I can guarantee will think twice before doing it again - don't attack the guy holding a four foot club. But ultimately the psychological aspects of that attack were far more damaging.

But I don't think they do appreciate it's a hate crime, because they'd have to consider us human first.

ETA: Love the Oracle icon.

[lilysea]

ETA: Love the Oracle icon.

Thank you. ^_^ I have four of them, all made by http://misbegotten.dreamwidth.org/

(She posted them to an icon community, free to use with attribution.)

[davidgillon]

Ooh, thanks for that link.

[jesse_the_k]

My mental health bids me to say, "thanks for keeping a watch on this issue for us all."

I just watched "Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2111478/
which explores the depth, breadth, and long history of teachers sexually abusing students in residential schools. The first people to kick up a fuss in the US were students from a Catholic deaf school in my state. They were truly bold: While the priest was holding a fundraiser, the young men slipped "wanted" posters with the attacker's face under windshield wipers in the parking lot.

As per always, disabled people are the easiest to exploit: while Deaf kids in Milwaukee were being assaulted, there were Deaf kids in Italy going through the same experience.

[davidgillon]

Oh, love the wanted poster thing, though not that it was needed.