British Government-Funded BBC Tells You All the Ways You’re Hurting Others Through Your Use of “Ableist” Language
Evan James
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The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) published an article Monday to draw attention to how often you use “ableist” language and thus unwittingly offend people with disabilities.
Titled “The harmful ableist language you unknowingly use,” the article was written by a deaf author and professor named Sara Nović. Wikipedia notes that she’s a “deaf rights activist who has written about the challenges she has faced as a deaf novelist.”
Nović says that phrases like “making a dumb choice,” “turning a blind eye,” “acting crazy,” and “falling on deaf ears” can be “micro-assaults” for disabled people. Not just micro-aggressions, but micro-assaults.
“As much as we all like to think we’re careful with the words we choose, ableist language is a pervasive part of our lexicon,” she says. “Examples in pop culture are everywhere, and you’ve almost certainly used it yourself.”
Nović unsurprisingly believes that society’s “ableist structures” ought to be dismantled and that changing the way we speak is a necessary ingredient.
“Often avoiding ableist euphemisms just means choosing more straightforward and literal language—rather than ‘fall on deaf ears’, one might say ‘ignoring’ or ‘choosing not to engage’,” she writes, adding that “it may feel uncomfortable, but discomfort and vulnerability necessitate introspection.”
Back in September 2020 Big League Politics reported on the CBBC (Children’s BBC) airing a show about a 12-year-old transgender girl:
A new drama recently debuted on British state television for kids starring a transgender girl in an attempt to paint “her” in a sympathetic light and essentially encourage transgenderism among the youth.
The CBBC broadcast First Day last week as a coming-of-age story about a fictional 12-year-old transgender girl’s transition to secondary school. It had previously been broadcast on Australian TV. She is painted in a heroic light, with everyone who refuses to placate her mental illness depicted as monsters. Evie Macdonald is the 15-year-old transgender child actress being exploited for this role.
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