A Serious Question

[alliancesjr]

I've seen this term come up in a lot of Internet arguments (Oh, Internet Drama. How I don't miss you.) and I don't know what it means.

What the hell is "ableist" and why is it derogatory? I mean, I guess I understand - from context, mostly - that it means someone who's discriminatory to disabled people, but...what is the reason for the word?

Comments

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Basically, it's saying that you as an "abled" person are discriminating against a "disabled" person, on the basis of ability (as opposed to race or sex). So you have racism, sexism, ableism. And as we all know, I am clearly ableist against crazy people.

[alliancesjr.livejournal.com]

I get that, I think. It's mostly that I see that people who use the term either use it as a way to sway opinions of people reading it or to dismiss someone by applying a nuclear label on the situation. (Well, I may have agreed with what she said but she's obviously a RACIST so I'll turn against her.)

Frankly, most people I see bandying the term about are even more offensive than the original opinion.

Why not just stick to "Total douchebag" or "Jerkasaurus"? It'll make it simpler.

[queenanthai.livejournal.com]

AS A CRAZY PERSON I FEEL DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BY THIS COMMENT.

PLEASE KISS MY ASS UNTIL MY BUTTHURT GOES AWAY.

[soan.livejournal.com]

Where do you hang out? I've never heard that term until now.

[alliancesjr.livejournal.com]

It's only recently I've seen it used, but it's shown up on Cleolinda's blog comments, on Scans Daily, and I saw it somewhere on an LGBT site.

[alliancesjr.livejournal.com]

BUT YOU ARE AN ABELIST.

[skybreak-seeker.livejournal.com]

Ableist: Another word made up to facilitate victim-hood and lawsuits.

For example: I'm ableist against crazy people, much like Cleo.

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

A Doctor Who community I look at occasionally is now deleting any comments that use the word "lame", on the grounds that it is an ableist term. That seems rather extreme to me, but perhaps I'm just being ableist.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

I feel like it's another word the PC Police came up with in their off-hours. And I see it as a rational debate-killer.

[alliancesjr.livejournal.com]

So basically, it out-Godwins Godwin.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

Heh. Indeed.