Online disability discrimination
Durban Review, April 19, 2009
Hate crimes against people with disabilities are driven by a belief that disabled people are life not worthy of life, that they are less than human with nothing to offer society. They are mocked in every day life and the internet gives people the license to abuse with no consequences for their actions. People with Intellectual Disabilities are easy target on the internet.
Facebook, a popular social networking site allows over one thousand hate groups to exist that mock and demean people with special needs and disabilities. These groups include names like RETARD HATERZ, RETARDED CLUB, SLAP THE RETARD, ASIAN RETARDS, SEXY SRI LANKAN RETARDS, McDONALDS EMPLOYS RETARDS, I'M RETARDED, TEAM RETARD, RETARD NATION, DOWN SYNDROME FOOTY ANYONE?, I HATE WHEELCHAIRS, HATE RETARDS???, DOWN SYNDROME KIDS NATURE'S CLOWNS, WE HATE CRIPPLES, TEAM RETARD, RETARDS 'R US, etc . It would be hard to list all the groups here but many post pictures of children with Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disabilities for a laugh. Some groups post pictures of adults with disabilities sitting in diapers, solely to humiliate them. Facebook's Terms of Use clearly go against what they are allowing on their site. The Terms of Use state that "groups that attack a specific person or group of people (e.g. racist, sexist, or other hate groups) will not be tolerated. Creating such a group will result in the immediate termination of your Facebook account." Yet, when these hateful groups are reported, Facebook ignores the reports.
If you go to popular sites such as Amazon or Cafepress and type in the "N" word you won't find any items for sale because that word goes against their terms of service. Yet, type in the word retard on Amazon and you can buy any offensive item you'd want including "Retards are Hot" tee-shirts. But that's mild compared to Cafepress, the worst offender out there with a choice of over 1600 products. Both sites refuse to remove the offensive material.
If you search for the word retard on YouTube you come up with over 146,000 videos. If only one percent of these videos are offensive that's almost 1500 videos set up for the purpose of demeaning someone based on their disability.
Other articles on discrimination against people with disabilities
For related articles, visit the discrimination against people with disabilities section of Durban Review or select from the articles below. Other anti-racism themes, conference details, and news are available from the Durban Review home page.
- Questions and Answers
An introduction to the topic of discrimination against people with disabilities through short questions and answers - Defining disability
A look at different definitions of disabilty and where some fall short. - Categories of Disability
The five catagories of disabilities explained. - Online disability discrimination
A look at discrimination against people with disabilities on the internet. - Disability discrimination today
Where we as a society stand today, a look at some recent incidents and information. - Bruce Maguire, Telecommunications access and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Australian Human Rights Commission, 16 February 2009.
- Hannah Jacobs, Public blindness to discrimination against those with disabilities
Recent statements by public figures, including President Obama, highlight the casual discrimination against people with disabilities in todays society. - Nazi persecution of the disabled: Murder of the Unfit
Nazi persecution of persons with disabilities began with forced sterilization and escalated toward mass murder. The Euthanasia Program was in itself a rehearsal for Nazi Germany's broader genocidal policies. [External link]
