#addressing ableism writeblr challenge

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Writeblr Tag Challenge: Addressing Ableism Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 

Rules: Find the words in your WIP and switch them out for something that isn’t an ableist slur.

Slurs Against the Mentally Ill: Crazy, Insane, Mad, Maniac, Psychotic,

Note: These are often used in comparison to villains and violence, so for further reading why those uses are bad, check out this post: Ableist Language & Villains

These are all words that are used for people who display symptoms of being mentally ill such as psychosis, or for comparing people to the mentally ill in a way that links violence, being a bad person, and mental illness. There’s already so much stigma around mental illness that you shouldn’t add to it.

So, let’s remove these words from our vocabulary and writing!

Instead, use words or phrases that mean exactly what the person is - without using mental illness as a comparison. (If you are describing a mentally ill character, then describe that in a non-ableist way.)

Delusional is also a word that is thrown around a lot as an insult or adjective for a villain. This word isn’t so much a slur, but it is something that is often thrown at people with mental illness  as well as any disability and their experiences. Delusions are also a part of some mental illnesses, but they’re also not the cause for villains being evil, so while there are places this word can be used accurately, it’s one that should be used with care and respect.

Note: None of these alternatives are synonyms for these words. They are alternatives so you don’t use words describing the disabled to mean what the alternative words mean. Again, these are not synonyms.

Alternatives for Villains: evil, immoral, malicious, corrupt, murderous, unethical

Alternatives for Other Characters or Situations: eccentric, odd, wild, energetic, unbelievable, exhilarating, mind blowing, scattered, disjointed, illogical.

Tagging:

The Usual Gang: @langwrites @kcomplexes @ezzelbean @abalisk @panegyricwilliwaw @writer-and-artist27 @autism-significantly-spicy

People Who Responded to my original post about this: @dantedevereaux  @a-modern-major-general @teascatsandsciences  @catsdonthavenames

The Writeblr’s Who Tag Me in Things Crew: @ratracechronicler @incandescent-creativity @sirilikestowrite @temporarysentences @cog-writes

And everyone else who sees this post. This isn’t an exclusive club. The whole point of this challenge is to make our writing and daily language more inclusive.

#writeblr #writeblr challenge #writeblr tag games #writing #ableism #addressing ableism writeblr challenge #ableist slurs tw

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Stupid, lame, and dumb can have ableist connotations in some circumstances, I agree with you. But they are still adjectives and can have different uses in modern day talk. Sometimes characters are just going to use these words. Are you going to campaign for all writers everywhere to limit their character’s vocabulary just to prove that the writer isn’t ableist? What if they have great representation, but still use the word “idiot”? What if it’s ooc for a character to use “mindless”? What then?

No, those words are ableist in any context. They have ableist origins and the fact that most people think they’re not ableist is proof of how ingrained ableism is in society. You think nothing of calling something dumb or stupid or lame. But they’ve never been fully divorced from their origins. They are still ableist in any context because the very thing they’re used as a basis of comparison to is ableist.

Not using the words to prove the writer isn’t ableist? What kind of question is this? Like, I’m not asking anyone to prove they’re not ableist- and honestly, not using ableist slurs is the easiest thing to do. I’m asking writers to be conscious of the words they use and to remove SLURS from their vocabulary in an effort to confront their own ableism. Like doing this isn’t going to magically make the person not-ableist. It’s just going to help them correct an ableist thing they’re doing.

And if characters have otherwise great representation but still use ableist slurs as insults? Then the writer doesn’t have great representation. Because they’re leaving an entire group of people out of it.

As for characters using these words? Yeah, some characters are going to be hateful ableist pieces of shit- and when characters use those words, it should be framed as a bad thing. But it’s pretty simple to just remove the words from your writing. Most people won’t even notice their absence. It’s almost like you don’t need them to tell a good story.

As for a character who for using “mindless’ would be out of character? Well then don’t use mindless, pick a different word.

Like, honestly, if you’re a writer, you should be able to figure it out.

If you can’t figure out how to eliminate like what, a dozen words? from your vocabulary and your characters and can’t find suitable alternatives (even when provided some alternatives, and also have access to a thesaurus) then you honestly suck as a writer.

Or you’re just making excuses to avoid having to confront your own ableism. Your pick.

#ableism #ableist slurs tw #addressing ableism writeblr challenge #writing advice #writing #anonymous #ask

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Writeblr Tag Challenge: Addressing Ableism Part 1

Part 2 | Part 3

The Challenge: Find the words in your WIP and switch them out for something that isn’t an ableist slur.

These are Ableist Slurs directed against the Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled: Stupid, Dumb, Idiot(ic), Retarded, Moron(ic), “Special”, Imbecile, Feeble-Minded

These words all have their origins in talking about the intellectually and developmentally disabled, (often in a medical context), but due to common usage became prominent insults. (As a result, the ones that were previously used in a medical or professional context were no longer used because they recognized the words had become common insults and slurs.)

These words all rely on insulting someone based on their perceived lack of intelligence (Which intelligence is an ableist, racist, and classist concept on its own). By using these, you are saying that by comparing someone or something to those who are intellectually or developmentally disabled, by saying they share traits, is a bad thing. You are saying that to compare someone to the intellectually and developmentally disabled is an insult. It is equating someone’s existence to an insult.

(Special Needs is also a phrase that we don’t like. Our needs aren’t special. They’re ours. And it’s also been the source of the “special” insult. Just use disabled. Disabled isn’t a bad word.)

So, let’s remove these words from our vocabulary and our writing!

And instead use insults that aren’t about comparing the person or thing to the disabled!

Note: None of these alternatives are synonyms for these words. They are alternatives so you don’t use words describing the disabled to mean what the alternative words mean. Again, these are not synonyms.

Alternative insults (that don’t rely on someone’s intelligence) are: ill-thought out, foolish, ridiculous, thoughtless, careless, unappealing, useless, uncool

Tagging:

The Usual Gang: @langwrites @kcomplexes @ezzelbean @abalisk @panegyricwilliwaw @writer-and-artist27 @autism-significantly-spicy

People Who Responded to my Original Post About This: @dantedevereaux  @a-modern-major-general @teascatsandsciences  @catsdonthavenames

The Writeblr’s “Who Tag Me in Things” Crew: @ratracechronicler @incandescent-creativity @sirilikestowrite @temporarysentences @cog-writes

And everyone else who sees this post. This isn’t an exclusive club. The whole point of this challenge is to make our writing and daily language more inclusive.

#writeblr #writeblr tag games #ableism #writing #writing challenge #addressing ableism writeblr challenge #ableist slurs tw

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Writeblr Tag Challenge: Addressing Ableism Part 2

Part 1 | Part 3

Rules: Find the words in your WIP and switch them out for something that isn’t an ableist slur.

Slurs used against the Physically Disabled: Cripple(d)(ing), Lame, Dumb

These words all originally started as a way to describe someone’s physical disability. Cripple and Lame to describe mobility impairments and dump to the inability to speak- often ascribed to the D/deaf and Hard of Hearing. Of course, I’m sure you’re familiar with them also being used as insults. Using words that describe the physically disabled as insults is insulting to the physically disabled.

(Cripple is a reclaimed slur for many in the disabled community, but it’s also one that abled people are not allowed to use because you all took it and started using it as an insult.)

Handicapped isn’t a slur, but it is a euphemism that we don’t like. That’s really easy to switch out though. Just use disabled instead. And if disabled doesn’t work, disadvantage might.

So, let’s remove these words from our vocabulary and writing!

And instead use words that actually mean what you’re trying to say without comparing something bad to the physically disabled

Note: None of these alternatives are synonyms for these words. They are alternatives so you don’t use words describing the disabled to mean what the alternative words mean. Again, these are not synonyms.

Alternative Words for Crippled or Crippling: Broken, damaged, debilitating

Alternative Words for Lame or Dumb: uncool, out of style, painfully bad, bad, so 2005/2015/last year/last season

Tagging:

The Usual Gang: @langwrites @kcomplexes @ezzelbean @abalisk @panegyricwilliwaw @writer-and-artist27 @autism-significantly-spicy

People Who Responded to my original post about this: @dantedevereaux  @a-modern-major-general @teascatsandsciences  @catsdonthavenames

The Writeblr’s Who Tag Me in Things Crew: @ratracechronicler @incandescent-creativity @sirilikestowrite @temporarysentences @cog-writes

And everyone else who sees this post. This isn’t an exclusive club. The whole point of this challenge is to make our writing and daily language more inclusive.

#writeblr #writeblr challenge #writeblr tag game #ableism #addressing ableism writeblr challenge #ableist slurs tw

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omg at all y’all shitty anons in my inbox and everyone who made a shitty comment on my posts

Ableism is ableism and it shouldn’t be some optional thing you addressing your writing or how you speak. Like, a disabled person is telling you that those words you’re using, the ones you think have no big deal or ableist connotations: Those get people like me KILLED. They reinforce the ableism in society. You shouldn’t use them.

Ableism is not some imaginary force that has no real world consequences. It does.

And blowing off someone saying something is ableist, that you shouldn’t use certain words, or fucking sending in anon hate, telling me I should kill myself, makes you just as complicit in the murder of disabled people as those who advocate for eugenics, who think we’re defective for being disabled, that we don’t deserve life.

I’m sorry, but if you think my life and the lives of people like me is worth less than your ability to use some shitty slur, FUCK YOU.

#ableism #addressing ableism writeblr challenge #tag for me #swearing tw #ableism tw

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is the insult "mindless" acceptable?

This is a word that it would depend on how you use it.

If you’re using it to mean “unintelligent” then no. Everyone has a mind, and insulting someone based on intelligence is ableist.

If you’re using it in the sense of “the person is not being mindful” then it would work. Since it is based on the person’s actions not their inherent abilities.

When I googled the word, this is what came up:

Origin: https://www.etymonline.com/word/mindless

mindless (adj.)

c. 1400, "unmindful, heedless, negligent," from mind (n.) + -less. Related: Mindlessly; mindlessness. Old English had myndleas "foolish, senseless."

Definition: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mindless

1. Acting or done without justification and with no concern for the consequences.

‘a generation of mindless vandals’ ‘mindless violence’

1.1 (of an activity) so simple or repetitive as to be performed automatically.

‘the monotony of housework turns it into a mindless task’

2.  (mindless of) Not thinking of or concerned about.

‘mindless of the fact she was in her nightie, she rushed to the door’

#wordy words #mindless #addressing ableism writeblr challenge #anonymous #ask

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Hey y’all, I’ve decided to create a new writeblr tag game/challenge. It’s going to be similiar to the “find a word” game, except the words will be a set addressing common ableist slurs and language that people use- and the challenge will be to go through your current WIP and look at how you use them and hopefully change them out if a different non-ableist word or phrase would do. (I’ll create different posts for each set of words as well as an explanation on why they’re ableist and shoudn’t be used as well as some possible replacements)

Would anyone be interested in this or being tagged in them?

(I want to try and make addressing the ableism and the language we use as writers an easier thing to tackle, and I think a tag game/challenge could help with that.)

#writeblr