Isn’t the internet wonderful? It’s a repository of limitless information, we can listen to music, watch movies, learn the right way to make a cup of tea, teach ourselves new skills, connect with others, and yet, some people would rather just use it to be assholes.

Recently my friend and travel blogger extraordinaire Helen, better known as Wheely Braw received a comment on her Instagram from a newly created account with the handle Edinburghspotted (now changed to radgierecords)

The page purports to provide Tourist Information – but it doesn’t, it’s just a route through which one small-minded person can get their jollies by being an ableist troll.

The comment was rather blunt.

“Do you work?”

Clearly, the assumption was that Helen, as a disabled person, couldn’t possibly have a job. Helen rightly called out the question and the manner in which it was asked.

He (I’ll explain how I know their gender) elaborated that he’s looking to work with disabled people who contribute to society. Helen called out the brand new page, and the lack of bio or evident credentials.

To which he replied “trying to find disabled people who contribute to society, following up that she was “clearly a burden to society”.

Before his cowardice kicked in, and he deleted the messages. So I called him out on this story post:

Aaaaand then I got a DM with a voice note (this is how I knew he was male).

“Ah yoo a f*ckin sp*stic annawl den? Ya f*ckin lil nonce.” I’ve typed that in his accent, I can’t tell you the region but it was thick (appropriate) and English.

The words were spoken with a mouthful of marbles, tar and hatred.

They were spoken in the same tone you’d hear from an old dog being sick in the early hours of the morning, like a person practising Mongolian Throat singing while playing a game of “chubby bunnies”.

In the background, I could hear what sounded like an industrial fan.

Was he on an assembly line?

Was he reenacting Total Eclipse of the Heart and blowing out his Poundland wig?

Was it ventilation to waft away his own foul stench?

We’ll never know, but he was definitely blowing hot air.

So he continues…

“Get a job”

“Sponger”

I asked if I should get a job like his.

He then explained he was “sick of paying for you lazy c*nts”.

I thanked him for the free car, mockingly.

The fact is we don’t get “free cars” – that’s a myth. In the UK some disabled people are on a benefit called PIP (Personal Independence Payment), which is an absolute nightmare to obtain.

Doctors’ evidence, medical records, extensive clinical assessment, and a horrific interview where the examiners are actively encouraged to find ways not to give you the support you need.

It’s a horrible system, put in place under the pretence of preventing benefit fraud (of which disability benefit is the least abused), but only exists to ensure disabled people suffer as much as possible, and are dissuaded from asking for help.

The fact that 70% of all rejected claims are approved after appeal should tell you all you need to know.

I went through this humiliating process a few years ago. And I was fortunate enough to be approved the first time around.

The benefit exists because being disabled is incredibly expensive, with it costing on average £630 a month just to exist!

I redeem a substantial amount of my PIP each month to pay towards my car, which allows me to go to work, although I also need to pay a sizable deposit from my own pocket each time we get a new car.

My last car was £3000 upfront. Hardly free.

I said this as I know the small-minded people out there think we get given everything for free.

And because I knew it’d piss him off.

He then goes on to make assumptions that there’s nothing stopping me from working an office job. Which I actually do – full-time. Then he provides an unfounded accusation that I “live online, stalking kids” I’m sensing soooo much projection.

He then calls me a legless virgin, I have legs, and I have a kid, not to mention actually having DAD in my social handles and this very website.

Not that being called legless, or a virgin actually bothers me, but maybe do a wee bit of research if you’re going to insult someone.

He then comments on a story post of me at an open mic night – because I can’t have hobbies.

Then, he asked if I was paying tax on my “mushy pea legs”.

Yeah, I don’t know either.

He claims I’m working cash in hand while getting PIP. Although he earlier claimed I wasn’t working? Yeah, that math ain’t mathing mate.

He calls Helen a “slag” because original thoughts are alien to him, and tells me I asked for “it”

It apparently being a puncture.

I told him to keep making assumptions, then blocked the idiot.

He also left comments on my poetry page asking why I don’t work.

Just to get this right, he feels we don’t contribute to society (which is very different to having a job). While he’s on Instagram wasting his pathetic life trolling people.

Thank you for your vital service mate. Would you like to be paid in chewing gum or Fireman Sam stickers?

The Problem

People like this exist until they become affected by disability themselves

This mentality is founded by media scapegoating, by a desperate need to blame someone else for the state of your living environment, by a need to feel superior to someone, to anyone.

If it’s not disabled people, it’s immigrants, or trans people – marginalised groups work best, the less able to fight back, the better.

That’s what fuels people like… oh, we didn’t get a name did we?

Just the handle Edinburghspotted… Let’s just call him Spotted Dick.

This abuse is just punching down, his wee echo chamber says he should hate us, so he does. He doesn’t stop to question why, he just repeats the rhetoric, seeks to harm people and laughs at his own (lack of) wit.

Being disabled puts us in a weird box, where we’re either inspiring, or benefit cheats – sometimes both. The fact is some of us can work, some of us can’t and that’s through no fault of our own.

We want to be out there, taking part. Our disabilities aren’t a choice, ignorance is. And contributing to society, and contributing to capitalism are two vastly different things.

Please remember Dick, literally ANYONE can become disabled at ANY TIME.

We’re all an accident, illness or change of fortune away from a disability. ALL OF US.

I wouldn’t be as malicious as to wish disability upon you, but that’s mostly because our community would vastly prefer not to share your company.

Yet, if you were to acquire a disability, maybe you’d have the perspective you need to be a decent human being.

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Please do me a favour folks, and ignore Spotted Dick. If you visit his page, make sure it’s to block him. He’s faceless, useless, and worthless, don’t waste the energy. Rather than challenging him, do something better.

Follow disabled bloggers, vloggers and content creators. Maybe one for every useless line of text he sent to Helen and I.

Feel free to share this blog too.

Thanks.

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