forthwritten

Today I protested outside the city Atos offices. It was a sobering experience; we could see how long the assessments took, we could see how people struggled to even get to the place, and, perhaps most soberingly, we could see how little people cared. We gave out about 15 leaflets during the day, despite trying to engage with people, and a mere six people turned up to leaflet. Able-bodiedness is only a temporary state; even if you don't believe in "organised compassion", don't you want to be supported if you're hit by a car tomorrow?
The sardonically named Diary of a Benefit Scrounger has an idea for a silent protest

I think people are starting to think more about a multi-faceted approach. The government are cutting fast and hard at all sorts of services, and trying to sacrifice one to save another won't work. I really liked sebastienne's post on this where she argues that

to engage in direct resistance, to simply say "no, don't do this", is to stay on the road that has been chosen for you, but to try to push back against the flow of traffic, the direction of power. Whoever wins, you lose, because you've allowed those in power to define the terms of the discourse, and your endpoint is still a point on their road. It is far better, therefore, to strike off the road, to show the other way as best you can".

[...]

The very idea that we must choose a cause to fight, resist the single cut that is the most evil, and stay true to that campaign, is our defeat. We feel it, because the size of the whole project terrifies us, but to come to the place where we choose we have already implicitly accepted so much.

Against the “Right” to Protest: dissent is not a commodity makes a similar point that "protest is not heritage. It is not a “right” to be invoked when threatened. It is a disruptive action designed to fundamentally challenge structures of power". When we accept things like pre-planned routes, collaboration and clearance by authorities, and the careful management of protest so it doesn't disturb anyone, it also means that we accept someone else's terms and, both literally and metaphorically, stay on their road.

The Deterritorial Support Group has some interesting ideas around similar themes of how to resist fighting on anyone's terms but our own.

So yeah, I'm thinking our protests have to be less wildcat and more feral. Keep them unpredictable and creative and startling, keep them on our terms and not on anyone else's.

Speaking of creative, I came across this amazing, amazing fanvid for Jurassic Park. From the dinosaurs' point of view. Sometimes I fscking love remix culture.

SO. I have been at the NUS LGBT conference since Friday and just got back. I am beyond tired, thoroughly peopled-out and may well be losing my voice. I think I've had approximately 12 hours sleep since Thursday night and and my 5 portions of fruit and veg per day has mainly consisted of gin and lurid green apple stuff. I went to trans activism workshops and gave people backrubs and made horrible, horrible jokes with some of my favouritest people ever.

I also argued for a motion because of the epic, epic fail. I was tired, had a splitting headache from trying to read from a projection screen when I could barely make out the words, hungry due to last night's main course (a roasted vegetable and possibly sage & onion stuffing affair) containing Surprise Pineapple which I'm mildly allergic to and so unable to eat without my mouth burning, profoundly unimpressed with this state of affairs and complaining vehemently to anyone who'd listen, and therefore the disability rep decided I should be the one to speak. I only had a minute to speak; we came up with the following in about ten minutes and I am really rather pleased with it.

Conference, I do not define as myself as disabled. I have high degree myopia and without my glasses, I would be legally blind. Because I am able to make accommodations, I am aware of the potential but do not claim this identity.

I have been disempowered by this conference. This lack of thought has shown itself at nearly every level; the lack of ingredients listing, alternatives for food containing well-known allergens, limited working lifts, a venue impossible for those with spatial organisation issues to navigate, problems reading the powerpoint and problems hearing speakers so as as to make it impossible to make an informed vote.

Elis, disabled rep, wanted me as a non-disabled identified person to speak for this motion to highlight the fact that accessibility is not an identity issue but an issue regarding rights and frankly, common sense [the crowd goes wild]

Vote for this motion so everyone can take part in conference and represent our fellow students as we came here to do.

The motion was for proper planning when it came to accessibility issues, a knowledgeable survey of the building and more attention paid to dietary issues.

The motion was passed unanimously and, as far as I could see, with no absentations.

So much credit goes to Dreamwidth for making me aware of these issues and giving me the language to express them. I know I'm rubbish at commenting, but I am inspired by so many people here and the way accessibility issues are approached - with thoughtfulness, consideration and compassion. Today, I have changed conference policy, made things better for people and, I hope, inspired people who might never have been aware of accessibility issues. Perhaps they, in their turn, will find themselves standing up and fighting for accessibility.

Today I saw an advert starring Bill Shannon and it's possibly one of the most glorious, graceful ads I've ever seen. I keep replaying the ad and grinning.

Shannon's website is interesting, even if it's in Flash and Flash-based websites make me go D: Interesting stuff about his approach to dance and movement and disability.