Post #2025135

@pathfinder @Ailbhe @autistics It’s not actual independence. It’s supported living, a normal thing in healthy communities, where people have enough time to reach out & support others and links throughout community are strong. In capitalistic western societies, atomistic, individualised attitudes & lifestyles not only make this level of support hard to access, they stigmatise it. Those who need it are seen as burdens & those who struggle to support them with inadequate time & money are seen as losers because of “excessive” compassion & empathy. And it’s not just about the “weak & the strong”. Many of the people being supported have much to offer. Humour, warmth, affection, appreciation; alternative & sometimes challenging insights;wisdom, that of people who have learned over decades, or whose perception cuts through veneers of custom & constructs. Some don’t of course. They qualify for respect & compassion merely by being human & having human rights that we all value for ourselves & our loved ones. The black & white attitudes aren’t just those of some autistic people. (I’m a multiple shades of grey & nuance myself… except when I’m not.) They’re the values of a capitalist society which seeks to monetise everything. If a person’s needs & vulnerabilities can be monetised profitably, such as in corporate run aged care, that happens. If not, they are relegated to obscurity. This is what’s happening in Australia right now with services for the disabled. In a publicly funded, privately operated system, there was money to be made, some of it by genuinely caring small operators, some by opportunistic capitalists, & some by outright shonky operators, large & small. But a blowout in costs is resulting in significant cutbacks, before alternatives have been developed for those affected. Yes the shonky operators are being targeted, but so are many disabled people, whose quality of life or even life itself is being significantly downgraded. No doubt some of the gaps will be filled by already stressed family & social networks, & calls will go out from volunteer organisations, but many gaps will be unfilled. Some of the affected disabled might eventually be adequately supported by the coming alternatives. Some, many, will not. Their quality of life will deteriorate, their self worth, their physical & mental health, & the same can be said about the people who still care for them, feeling hamstrung & helpless. People will suffer worse & longer, & die earlier. Some will say that we have gone too far in the way we support the very old, the very sick & the severely disabled. It’s a difficult issue, one I struggle with myself. But the problem here is that many people whose level of disability & dependence is not yet severe will deteriorate to the point that they become severely disabled, or disturbed, as a consequence of neglect & isolation. Those who can must push back.