(Twitter / @prntgdcolonized, @thegothbae)

The greatest minds of Twitter have convened yet again to give the site much to think about.

The concept at the center of the latest discourse mania, as it so often has been in the past, is ableism, after Twitter user and parenting podcast host @prntgdcolonized argued that hating or disliking children was a form of "ableism."

According to @prntgdcolonized, people who dislike children do so because children have not yet developed adult-level social skills, which for some adults, can make children tiresome to be around. As a result, adults will ignore or express rage at children who don't conform to social norms, which in her view, is akin to an "ableist" response.

At a basic level, ableism means discrimination and social prejudice against people with physical and mental disabilities. The subject is why words like spaz have become controversial as of late, and why some have worked to eliminate words like "crazy" and "retarded" from their vocabulary.

While some recent discussions about ableism have proceeded in (relatively) good faith, other, more viral hot takes, such as "'Himbo' Is Ablelist" and "Expecting authors to know how to read is ableist" have left many Twitter users jaws agape at the leaps in logic required to make such a claim. The reaction towards @prntgdcolonized's ableism take largely veered towards the latter.

Some users, however, saw where she was coming from and attempted to elaborate that disliking a group of people for their inability to conform to an ideal is indeed a form of prejudice. However, many were astounded that @prntgdcolonized seemed to imply that being a child is a "disability," though she denied that implication in her thread.

Others simply enjoyed the hot counter-takes that emerged from the discussion as it continued snowballing throughout the day.

It seems we're nowhere near a conclusion in the debate over whether hating kids is "ableist," but in any case, the viral debate has provided yet another example of why Twitter is A) Tumblr 2.0 and B) one of the wildest, most fascinating places online, even if that, at the same time, makes it one of the most exhausting.


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Comments 5 total

mehmehmehmehmeh

You just can't win… hating kids is "Ableist", loving kids is "Pedophilia"

1

KoimanZX

I suppose the only remaining option is indifference.

0

FanglyFish

Me with diagnosed autism spectrum disorder disliking kids because they're loud, overstimulating, and have no understanding of social norms.

6

Just Sayin'

Pretty sure it's people with autism that don't understand social norms… isn't that like the essence of the entire disorder?

2

KoimanZX

Those who are on the level of young Chris-chan aren't going to apply the same standards to themselves as they do to others. Given how autism is auto + ism, self-centeredness is typical.

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