Paul Cantrell
As Mitch McConnell makes news again for what appears to be some kind of neurological crisis, just your regular reminder not to be an ageist, ableist asshole when you talk about him.
Mocking his cognitive struggles won’t hurt him, won’t even scratch him. But I promise it •will• hurt somebody else who’s listening.
This is a guy who’s spent his life championing white supremacy, war, inequality, and environmental destruction. Punch that. Make people feel bad for that.
Paul Cantrell
Sudden and/or progressive cognitive impairment — dementia, stroke, brain lesions, aging, etc. — is cruel and indiscriminate. It strikes people who are kind, brave, brilliant, beautiful to the core, singular, irreplaceable, loved.
Picture one of those people. You probably know someone. You at least know •of• someone. Got one?
Now, before you make that wisecrack about McConnell’s brain, ask: “Could my mockery resonate with their condition, too?” If so, that’s the person you’re punching.
Paul Cantrell
@Coherence7521 Yeah, I will dance on that fucker’s grave if given the chance
Skittle-chan
Wishing for his death > being ageist and ableist 😎
Paul Cantrell
No. I’m sorry, @atax1a, but no:
https://infosec.exchange/@atax1a/110980731660253361 No. Wrong.
Mock disability is •never• punching up. •That• is the power dynamic in this situation.
Don’t get me wrong. McConnell is the sort of person who makes me wish hell were real so he could go there. Yes, punch him. Be ruthless with that fucker.
But if you mock his age or disability, he’s not the person you’re punching.
Paul Cantrell
Now if we’re talking about his capacity to continue in his current role, that’s a really important conversation. And it’s a conversation we can have in a way that respects disability and the people who live with it, without having to respect this specific utterly hideous person.
Paul Cantrell
@KT Dance on the fucker’s grave. Shit on it. Invite me and I’ll be there.
Just don’t aim your punches at his disability. Because if you do, Mitch isn’t the person you’re hitting.
KT
@inthehands I can dance at my enemy’s funeral and sob at my friend’s.
ChookMother 🇦🇺🦘
@KT @inthehands Read the post again. It's not about being glad someone's gone from your life. It's about mocking illness.
Paul Cantrell
@anne_twain See the replies. I clarified the same, and they agreed.
Alexander Hamizdat for Harris
@inthehands looks like Moscow Mitch got a visit from auntie TIA!
Paul Cantrell
@alexhammy That is precisely the sort of disability-focused mockery I am begging everyone to cut the fuck out.
Alexander Hamizdat for Harris
@inthehands good luck!
Paul Cantrell
@airjunglist I mean, being rid of that fucker would be a blessing with no disguise. I just want folks to aim their punches at the many things that are awful about him, not at his apparent disability.
airjunglist
@inthehands it’s a blessing in disguise
thinkclearer
@inthehands my response is even Mitch McConnell must be tired of hearing the bullshit that comes out of Mitch McConnell's mouth
Paul Cantrell
@thinkclearer
That is true, and completely misses the point. Am I not telling anyone to be nice to that miserable sack of shit. I’m asking them to be careful how they aim their punches. Read the post again.
Paul Cantrell
@stripey Yeah, I’m 100% for wishing him gone and then dancing on his grave.
The Original Stripey Goodness
@inthehands it is for those reasons, explicitly, that I hope this is a very public sign of his impending doom.
That's not ageist or ableist. I'm hoping that mother fucker dies tonight in his sleep and saves us a bullet come the revolution.
Fayedray
No I don't care if he falters I want to see him fall.
Paul Cantrell
@Fayedray True, agreed, and •completely• missing the point.
Wish him dead. Dance on his grave. Shit on his grave. Invite me and I’ll help.
All I’m saying is when you punch, don’t aim for his disability because if you do he is not the person you’re going to hit.
Paul Cantrell
@jhwgh1968
I am •extremely• skeptical of this theory. My experiences with people with dementia (and stroke, and brain swelling, and TBI) bear no resemblance to autism. Hypoxia, sleep deprivation, but not autism. And I’m leery of attempts to view autism as a debilitating disease.
J. "Henry" Waugh
@inthehands while the science is limited, I have a personal pet theory
The progression of dementia is similar to the experiences of many Autistic ppl, in terms of what fails and how other parts of the brain compensate
Therefore, I see anyone who punches Mitch for mental abilities -- rather than his greed, clinging to power, or beliefs -- is also punching a lot of ND people
William Pietri
@inthehands Thank you for saying so. I lost both my parents to brain tumors. There are plenty of ways to joke about McConnell, and plenty of non-jokey things to say too, that don't involve making fun of people for things out of their control.
Scrambles
@williampietri @inthehands Agreed. I lost my dad to vascular dementia. It was a traumatic for him and us. 💔
Paul Cantrell
@Scrambelzini @williampietri
I’m so sorry. I’ve had several family members go though severe neurological problems, some with happy outcomes and some not, and it is hard every time.
Paul Cantrell
@cat_static To be clear: fuck Mitch McConnell. Wish him dead and dance on his grave. I’ll come to the party.
My assertion — this is a subtle distinction — my assertion is •not• that mocking his disability will hurt •everyone• also touched by similar disability, but that it will hurt •someone•.
The replies to my OP contain enough thanks and stories of personal experience with neurological trauma to suggest that this assertion is correct.
cat static
@inthehands I'll probably delete this soon due to privacy preferences but
Mitch and those sociopaths are the reason my neuro condition went untreated for years & led to me experiencing glitches many times. This untreated condition ruined my prime career building years & I will die in poverty - no retirement fund nor future inheritance.
Fuck him. I'm offended by none of the jokes though I respect thst others with neurological disease may not agree. We're not a monolith.
Paul Cantrell
@williampietri
I am so sorry, William. I’ve had several family members deal with dementia and brain dysfunction of various kinds — some with happy outcomes, some not, but not a single one of them was easy.
Paul Cantrell
Just to clarify, because a few people in the replies are confused:
Fuck Mitch McConnell. Wish him dead and dance on his grave, by all means. If you invite me to that party, I’ll be there.
Just…be careful where you aim your punches. If you aim at his disability, he’s •not• the person you’re going to hit.
cat static
@inthehands I understand your position and normally do not discuss my health. Your sample is skewed toward those who discuss their health openly and those who have experienced neurological disorders second-hand.
I'm insulted by infantilization. I'm insulted by those who treat others as so fragile they can't separate their condition from schadenfreude.
Paul Cantrell
@cat_static Being willing to hurt other people indiscriminately in pursuit of his goals was the unifying characteristic of everything I hate about McConnell.
Paul Cantrell
Now see @bobthetraveler gets it:
https://mastodon.world/@bobthetraveler/110981715231315768
Paul Cantrell
@jhwgh1968 “Seen as debilitated by society, but just diff ways of the brain operating” is a thought I like a lot, and yes, there might be a common thread. And as an autistic person, you have I think more license to opine on this than I do! It’s just a line of inquiry that seems to me likely to lead to unintended harm, and thus require special care.
J. "Henry" Waugh
@inthehands fair enough, I was not trying to persuade as I know this is an uncertain thing
And as an autistic person, I was trying to tie both together as the opposite: "seen as debilitating by society, but just diff ways of the brain operating". Whether either is compatible with certain occupations and specific social roles is a diff question
Paul Cantrell
@sstrader Yes, per here downthread: https://hachyderm.io/@inthehands/110980807648442565
Scott D. Strader 😐
@inthehands I may be misunderstanding your intent, but my focus on this story is that he's likely (and repeatedly) experiencing serious events of cognitive deficiency. I think we agree? And someone who can affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people with their political power should be held to a different standard than a relative who is going through the same and sad medical situation. Aren't these different?
Paul Cantrell
@petefm That is the point of the thread, yes.
Peter
@inthehands I think people can not mock the illness itself yet celebrate the joy that is Mitch McConnell having a debilitating illness.
i.grok
@inthehands @jhwgh1968 personally, I feel like the comparison also does a disservice to people with dementia as well as their caregivers. And I am dubious of this "evil intolerant society" narrative too.
Dementia (Alzheimer's, etc) is a brain disease. My dad had it. I didn't have to care for him every day (too far away) but even knowing and understanding what to expect, I found interacting with him very difficult even though I loved him very much.
1/
Paul Cantrell
@RememberUsAlways
Yeah, I don’t care a whit about McConnell’s image being assassinated. As you said, he signed up for this. And he’s an awful person.
And that’s beside the point.
I’m concerned about harm to •other• people who are not Mitch McConnell, and did not sign up for this.
Read the thread again.
RememberUsAlways
Taking advantage of a precieved weakness is, unfortunately, part of our animal instincts.
We have evolved enough to temper the criticism with creativity.
If you decide to be a celebrity or hold public office, you take on the risk of image assassination.
Just my opinion.
Jon Pinter
@inthehands
Term Limits for all Please.
Paul Cantrell
@pinskal
I can’t support that, sorry.
Term limits for elected officials are one of those appealing political candy ideas that •seem• like good ideas, but are actually terrible.
Term limits create bad incentives and increase the political influence of the ultra-rich. And there’s little correlation between “longest serving” and “good.” (Would you really have kicked out John Lewis, but keep Lauren Boebert?!)
Paul Cantrell
@pinskal What’s more, term limits are as often as not fueled by ageism — as they certainly are as a response specifically to McConnell. The problem with McConnell is that (1) he may be medically unable to perform his job duties and (2) he’s an awful human being.
A fixed time limit solves neither of those problems. Forget term limits. Focus on voter suppression!
Paul Cantrell
@staidwinnow
“Few in Mastodon” 🤨
I wrote this thread because of a post •on Mastodon• that directly mocked his unresponsiveness.
My replies since I wrote it have been full of thanks from people whose lives were touched by neurological trauma, one of whom said they’d had to sign off for a day because their •Mastodon• TL was so upsetting.
I’ve also had a smattering of replies here attempting to troll me by mocking his condition.
You may not be seeing it, but it’s out there.
Staid Winnow
@inthehands “Wish him dead by all means.”
Consider that some are wishing him great suffering and are quite happy to see him suffer this horrible ailment. They are not mocking the illness, but his suffering.
Mass shootings are bad. 40 million have lived within a mile of one. Virtually no one was cheering James T. Hodgkinson for starting one. Enough were just disappointed that Scalise lived.
To be sure, there are some Trumpian enough to mock his ailment to mock him. Few in Mastodon.
Paul Cantrell
@GoatRoper
I don’t. Probably because it’s good politics. And frankly, I don’t care. This is an off-topic reply, and not useful.
MemphisDaPlaya 🎲🎲
Why does Biden say Mitch is
"a friend and *a good man*?
RememberUsAlways
It's a fair concern for the elderly and disabled as a group. I simply believe that any criticism of McConnell is entirely fair and making broad assumptions on the effects on others is something to be aware of only.
Paul Cantrell
Criticism of McConnell is fair.
Mocking his disability is out of line.
The harm I’m describing is not hypothetical and not “assumptions.” I’m speaking from position of relative safety on behalf of specific people whose lives were touched by brain trauma, and whom I know to be greatly upset by mockery that is meant to be directed at McConnell, but unintentionally hits them where it hurts instead.
Paul Cantrell
This from @JuliusGoat is a shot that aims true:
https://mastodon.social/@JuliusGoat/110984068221041921
The problem with Mitch McConnell isn’t that he has a medical problem. The problem is that he is a horrible person who has done untold harm in the world — and much of that harm has been to far better human beings who’ve suffered the same sorts of horrible medical problems that now affect him.
McConnell’s failing is he knew he was hurting those people, and didn’t care. What about you? Do you care if you hurt them?
Paul Cantrell
@RememberUsAlways Not all can separate themselves — and not all loved ones can either. I know this to be the case for multiple people because •they told me so•.
If somebody says “Ouch! You’re stepping on my foot!” or “Look out! You’re stepping on that person’s foot!,” and if you actually care at all about that person, you don’t start an argument about how much weight a foot should be able to take. You get the fuck off their foot.
RememberUsAlways
As a disabled veteran, I get it.
We don't know that Mitch is disabled first of all. As far as I know, the Republicans are acting like his health is normal.
Second, brain trauma is a serious injury and should not be the target of jokes, I agree
But if your job is public speaking and you make a gaff, like President Biden does, it's always been fair game. Disabled folks like myself, can separate themselves from the criticism of McConnell.
Paul Cantrell
@RememberUsAlways I was on the ground marching, making calls, and lobbying my house rep for the ACA in 2010. Believe me, I understand.
All I ask of you is to believe that people are capable of giving McConnell the face punches he deserves without causing further harm to the same people he hurt. This is a thing that’s possible to do, and that people are capable of doing.
RememberUsAlways
It's not that simple. All I ask is that you consider the target. I'm positive most disabled and elderly appreciate the Affordable Care Act. It wasn't McConnell that delivered that.
Good day.
RememberUsAlways
Fair enough and honorable. I thank you for being this voice and I hear you.
But it's Mitch. I'm not holding back.
Paul Cantrell
@RememberUsAlways No, do not hold back. Just aim true.
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