Hello disabled comrades! I can’t believe we’re entering a new year… which is year six of the pandemic, hooray. I’m a firm believer that we must always have revolutionary optimism, but I can’t say it hasn’t been hard for the past few years as more and more leftists have abandoned COVID precautions. But as disabled people, we keep agitating, we keep organizing, and we keep going. Solidarity in the face of pandemic eugenics, always.

As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

“Disability” is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

  • ashinadash [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
    9·
    2 days ago

    Update: lifting is pretty exhausting but I do think it helps. I’m doing the fucking ✨ Laundry ✨ today, even! It would be rad if you could just gymrat yourself out of chronic pain, we’ll see. I can still walk around and do stuff for now, though.

  • TheSpectreOfGay [he/him, she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
    8·
    3 days ago

    i was doing such a good job combating my demand avoidance and now something broke that needs to be addressed immediately and im so stressed and feel myself regressing to ignoring everything else boohoo

  • Beetle [hy/hym]@hexbear.net
    9·
    5 days ago

    Was gonna do some cleaning but I’m stuck on the couch now with only like 10% done. At least the mold on my window is gone

  • Blockocheese [any]@hexbear.netEnglish
    14·
    5 days ago

    Here’s a life hack for anyone currently suffering from a chronic pain flareup: your body can actually make you experience menstrual cramps a week before you even get your period, and then for the entirety of your period, making you want to die

    big-cool

    • Beetle [hy/hym]@hexbear.net
      10·
      5 days ago

      Thanks for the life hack! Also hope you’re okay 🫂. Menstrual cramps are no joke.

      I usually have to lay in bed with curtains closed and lights off waiting for hours while crying until the pain meds kick in because any kind of overstimulation makes me throw up. I can’t believe we have to live through that.

    • gingerbrat [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
      8·
      6 days ago

      Depends. If in a serious conversation, definitely weird. But if I’m talking to someone who loves to disregard the danger, I like to say it actually bc they get so worked up over being reminded that it isn’t over. So yeah, for trolling I use it myself.

  • DragonBallZinn [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    24·
    8 days ago

    I’m pretty sure ableism has done more to reduce my quality of life than my autism ever will.

    “You lack social skills” - maybe some actual peers could have some patience and not turn their nose up at me when I want to be their friend? Then I can learn how to socialize? Just a thought.

    “You’re unemployable” - Then maybe college should be affordable so if something bad happens in one semester my life doesn’t get permanently ruined and I just try next semester? No, stop telling me to start my own business. I will function best under the stability of a 9-5.

    I know I’m preaching to the choir; but disability issues are class issues too.

    • gingerbrat [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
      9·
      7 days ago

      I couldn’t agree more, friend, and if nothing else, I hope you at least find peers irl that will treat you with the respect and love you deserve

  • DisabledAceSocialist [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    21·
    7 days ago

    Does anyone else feel that their illness/disability has left them mentally and emotionally stunted? After years of being unable to work or have a social life, I’m noticing more and more how people the same ag as me seem so much older. I feel like I’m mentally and emotionally stuck at a younger age after missing out on so many milestones and experiences in life.

    • Belly_Beanis [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      9·
      6 days ago

      I feel like I’m just waiting for my life to reach the ending. A lot of my friends have moved on with life and I don’t leave the house much anymore. I haven’t been able to work in over a decade.

      • DisabledAceSocialist [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        3·
        6 days ago

        Same here. I’m just waiting for a chance for assisted suicide, because I’ve tried once myself before and it ended very badly. Unsuccessful and very painful with lasting effects. I’m hoping to go to dignitas. Of course I can’t afford it, but they apparently do discounts or pro bono for people on low incomes. However, you have to be a member of dignitas for this, and it costs a small amount to join. I can’t afford the joining fee right now, but maybe if I get my benefits sorted I can. Or perhaps it will become legal in the UK.

    • whatnots [he/him, it/its]@hexbear.netEnglish
      14·
      7 days ago

      i feel this a lot. i genuinely don’t really know how to interact with people irl anymore because of it and it seems like it gets worse the more the years go by.

      • DisabledAceSocialist [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        10·
        6 days ago

        Same here. Not that I even get to talk to many people in real life any more, but when I do, and they’re the same age as me, I feel like a kid talking to someone decades older. They’ve all had normal lives while I’ve been at home ill for years and missed out on everything. Some of them even talk to me in a tone of voice like they think I have special needs or something, really patronising.

  • Ivysaur [she/her]@hexbear.netMEnglish
    20·
    9 days ago

    I appreciate you khizuo & everyone else here but holy shit this sites been gettin on me something fierce lately god damn. between the very clear racism, chauvinism, ableism, not sure how much more of this shit I can take aaarrgghh

      • Ivysaur [she/her]@hexbear.netMEnglish
        16·
        9 days ago

        I really just need to do better about logging off. I keep feeling like I’ll miss some news or this or that and so even when I don’t post I’m still lurking. But a lot of people here just suck. It’s draining me to even be around. I need to fill the time I spend scrolling and getting mad at all these people being shitty with something else, but my world is already so, so small. I’ll figure something out.

        • khizuo [ze/zir]@hexbear.netOPMEnglish
          15·
          9 days ago

          I’ve significantly reduced my activity on the site in the past ~2 months or so as the white chauvinism on the site has become more apparent (and also because I’m just fatigued to do a lot of posting.) I don’t plan on leaving entirely as I still want to at least make an effort to improve things as one of the evil tankie mods, but it’s such an uphill battle.

          also relate on the “world being small” thing, i’m in bed 95% of the time thanks to me/cfs and trying to keep myself entertained is challenging. I have projects that I work on but it’s rough not being able to get out and about more.

          also i’d be happy to hang out outside a hexbear context if you ever feel like it, we can talk on matrix.

          • Belly_Beanis [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
            9·
            8 days ago

            i’m in bed 95% of the time thanks to me/cfs and trying to keep myself entertained is challenging. I have projects that I work on but it’s rough not being able to get out and about more.

            This is me, too. I have a ginormous backlog/pile of shame I need to draw/paint/sculpt but it’s like by the time I get my work station set up, I need to lay down and rest again. The enshittifications caused by capitalism aren’t helping, either.

            Then I have boomer family I rely on for help (which I appreciate), but who are incapable of being alone with their own thoughts for more than five seconds and require constant attention that breaks my concentration whenever I try to do something. I’ve babysat toddlers and dogs who required less monitoring. Like no wonder my grandparents hated their kids lmao

  • khizuo [ze/zir]@hexbear.netOPMEnglish
    20·
    8 days ago

    I’m sorry, I’ve locked the post, I really need to rest and eat. But I’m not done addressing fatphobia on the site I promise, I’m still going to work on this.

    • StillNoLeftLeft [none/use name, she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
      14·
      8 days ago

      Care-Comrade

      I am still in awe that the comment that asked the people who are harmed to bring receipts so that they can believe that dieting does not work got over 50 upbears.

      I always knew that if this discussion ever happened on this site, it would go exactly the way it went.

      I mean you learn to expect disappointment existing in a large body, but the slap in the face never stops stinging.

      Ffs, I need to go touch-grass

      • khizuo [ze/zir]@hexbear.netOPMEnglish
        7·
        7 days ago

        Someone made a post to bring attention to fatphobia and a bunch of hexbears came out to start concern trolling on it. It got way out of hand and eventually I locked the thread. I’m still feeling quite upset and disappointed with a lot of people on that thread (not the op and not the people who were pushing back on the fatphobia) and I think this is an aspect of site culture that really needs to change.