My election thoughts in slightly more detail

[kaberett]

(Copied from Facebook, where I expected it to have more of an ~~~impact~~~, See Also the bit where my Problematic Fave Aunt has kind of-sort of apologised to me. Ish. It's not entirely clear what she thinks she's apologising for; I can't face engaging.)

Just so we are clear on this, if you are a Conservative supporter or voter you are supporting a government that would at most feign contrition if I died, but would fundamentally be quietly satisfied that the number of people on benefits has reduced. You are no friend to me. You do not support me. You do not care about me. I don't care what your rationalisation is; there is nothing that alters the fundamental fact that you do not care about me.

And I am one of the lucky ones.

Actually, scratch "quietly". They'd crow about it in the national press. The NHS as it has been was barely enough to keep me alive. The welfare state as it has been was barely enough to keep me alive. If you voted for these people you voted for me to die, and you have no excuse. *And I am one of the lucky ones.*

They /stood on a platform of repealing the Human Rights Act/ and people voted the bastards in. I'm queer and trans and mentally ill and autistic and disabled and Jewish, and their only reaction to me dying as a direct result of their policies would be to crow to the media about reducing the number of benefits claimants, and nonetheless when I say they want me dead people scoff at me for exaggerating, for overreacting, for melodrama.

Here's the thing: if you scoff at me, you don't ever - /ever/ - get to say "I had no idea it was so bad", BECAUSE WE TRIED TO TELL YOU AND YOU REFUSED TO LISTEN.

Now stop and think about what it means that I am cringing in fear about having put that list of characteristics in writing. Stop and think about what it means that as someone with immense class and educational privilege, I had still - even before this election - started thinking about how much hotter I'm willing to let the water get before my best possible option for staying alive is _claiming Israeli citizenship_. If you think I shouldn't be afraid - if you think I shouldn't be mistrustful - if you think I shouldn't be suspicious and /terrified/ - if you think I should /be more compassionate/ - then I invite you to think, very carefully, about what it is you actually value.

I am not the one "deepening divisions of fear and hate". Me hating people I am terrified of because they want me dead is really, really not the problem here. Or, you know, let's be absolutely scrupulously fair here, it's entirely possible that they are just _indifferent_ to me dying. Yep, that's definitely much better.

Personally, I'm of the view that at the point at which you are poo-pooing the concerns of a trans disabled mentally-ill autistic queer Jew you are, er, Failing To Learn From History.

Comments

[vass]

♥ ♥ ♥

Well said. Good luck with your Facebook responses.

[davidgillon]

This, pretty much, though differing in detail.

ETA: I've seen several disabled people saying almost exactly the same thing today

[worlds_of_smoke]

Perfectly worded.

[untonuggan]

♥

yes. I am sorry. I just. No words.

[spiralsheep]

If you need links to post at people and you don't have spoons to do the research then these two cover most of the known deaths so far:

Article on the 60 official DWP enquiries into suicides caused by the DWP in three years:

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/14/dwp-inquiries-benefit-claimant-suicides

List of the dead up to October 2014 (about ?80? people last time I counted):

http://blacktrianglecampaign.org/2014/10/21/uk-welfare-reform-deaths-updated-list-october-21st-2014/

[kaberett]

Thank you; greatly appreciated.

(My Tory-sympathiser Problematic Fave Aunt said something properly vile on Wednesday, sufficient that my mum called her on it. Today I, er, ended up telling her - in as many words - that she had blood on her hands and she would never be rid of the stain. *sigh*)

[milkymoon]

Very well put. I wish people would realise precisely how much damage right-wing ideology about disability, gender, ethnicity, mental health etc has. You're right - they just don't care, do they? Everything I've read about the Tories/the way they run benefits schemes etc, is horrible. D:

[jesse_the_k]

Not surprising you put it so well, totally terrifying that it's come this far.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

[shehasathree]

This.

[silveradept]

Still the same reaction - these people are voting for other people dying. This seems to be a failure of morals, ethics, and conscience.

[birke]

This is heartbreaking.

[vi]

Argh. Well said; personal is so so political. <333

[saunteringfiend]

Exactly. One of my oldest friends posted a status in which she said she'd seen a lot of angry posts on Facebook following the results and really, couldn't we all calm down and get along? Now that we've all voted and had our say? Don't people understand how democracy works? And I wanted to say, No, because that's how democracy works, and No, because you don't get to tell me not to be angry and especially not about something that's killing people...

In the end, I didn't, because her gran died this week and I don't want to go off on her in public in front of her other friends, but I do need to figure out a way of saying it to her privately. But she is a kind person, and a smart person, and it baffles me as to how someone like her just does not get it.

[mooreeffoc]

Here via fascination, and YES to every single word of this. Still spitting mad; will always be spitting mad. Do you mind if I link?

[kaberett]

Go for it. Good luck.