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There seems to be a public perception in the UK that being disabled makes you an awful person. And it's starting to tick me off slightly.
Hi, I'm Jon. I have massive mechanical damage to my knee including damage and scarring to the anterior cruciate ligament among other things, although for ease it's been labelled as arthritis, which apparently just means mechanical damage to the knee. That was caused by my foot hitting a nail sticking out of a stair, me falling as I tried to dislodge it and my foot not moving as I fell.
I have sciatica caused by yet more mechanical damage to the back from when, as a teen, I was lying on my front on a crash mat and someone climbing eight feet into the air and planting both feet in your lower spine. Please note the crash mat - my whole body bent like a bow. On me the sciatica shows up as now more or less permanent back pain, ranging from a dull ache to like a white hot needle has been slamed through the centre of your spine, and numbness in my legs (which, ironically, doesn't stop them hurting).
I have something wrong with my shoulder, too, which happened because I knocked on a door. Shooting pains went up my arm and neck and it's been painful and weak ever since.
We won't bother mentioning the mental health stuff I deal with because, well, the voice told me not to mention it.
And I'm not an awful person. Honest to goodness I'm not. Even when our glorious Conservative overlords try telling you that really, all disabled people are scroungers, honest, so it's OK to take money from them and give ourselves a tax break. Even though the official government figures show only 0.5% of people claiming a disability related claims are falsely there, really the other 95.5% are too - they're just sneakier.
If Ian Duncan Smith says it, it's probably a lie.
So when I get on a bus, yes, I would like a seat. The cane I use to walk more than a few feet isn't an affection, I'm not disabled because I was driving too fast (I've been medically banned from driving for over 12 years - before I was legally allowed) and, honest, you don't need it more for your shopping. You don't get to yell at me for asking to sit, either.
And it's certainly not cool to block me getting seats on a crowded train, and then try to hide your shame by diving out of it and offering to help when my knee finally gives way. Because it is humiliating to collapse in public and have dozens of people who'd been studiously ignoring you dive up to help, to have a whole bus or train
And no, ATOS are not right when they claim that thousands of people are OK to work. ATOS gets paid more to say that than a disabled person would see in a couple of years on benefit - of course they say it a lot. So keep it in mind when they say 'no' they may have an ulterior motive.
And no, just because I look OK when I sit down doesn't make me fine either. Someone tried to throw my mother out of a disabled parking space - despite her blue badge - because she felt that walking ten feet more wasn't fair to her. She even got a guard to try and make my mother move - despite my mother not having use of her legs, and therefore not being able to drive that car.
So dear society, remember that disabled people aren't taking all your money because they're 'a bit sore' or 'a bit sad' or some such crap. We're not out to scrounge your money. I'd love a job, and I'm trying to start a business so I can get off a benefit system deigned to work for the rich companies judging you.
Mostly, we're people who need help. We certainly don't deserve your scorn and hate - you wanna know where all the money went, go look at an MP's house, or a bankers. Don't yell at me. We don't need or want pity, either. Just a bit of understanding.
And the damned seat on public transport.
I'm sorry, Jon. I work in mental health and although I have no disabilities or issues myself that I know of, I see alot of the stigma you are talking about in the lives of people on my caseload.
No need to say sorry. Unless you made me stand. It's purely a venting thing - a lot of people I know have taken crap recently, and I'm tired of seeing in the media we're all secretly scroungers out to steal all your money.
And if playing Pathfinder makes me a big geek...yes, yes I am.