I am tired of seeing post/videos of people ranting on non seemingly disabled people taking parking for the disabled or sitting down in chairs for the elderly/disabled/pregnant in public transportation. I am fucking tired of it. These people have no fucking idea that there is such thing as invisible illness. Going out and trying to do justice by scolding people won’t help! Yes! There are assholes that take advantage of this but you are not helping by guilt tripping the person which you don’t know! You don’t know their history! You don’t know if its that the condition they have isn’t visible!
My mom suffers from fibromyalgia and diabetes. Whenever we travel and take public transportation, I quickly snatch a chair for her to sit. I can stand. I can take it. Someone made a direct comment that my moms lazy and selfish for stealing a spot meant for someone disabled. Mom, being the patient mofo instead of scolding just began to talk about what is fibromyalgia, since there is still a shitton of people (and doctors) that don’t know it exists. I have to give her props for taking her time in doing that. But that doesn’t stop her from feeling guilty saying “someone deserves this chair more than me” while I know VERY well she CAN’T stand after a long day of walking and the last thing I want to see is her falling and hurting herself badly.
I am sure I’m not the right person to talk about this. I am not disabled. But my friends and family who are goes through the guilt that they are being selfish just because they don’t look like it.
Newsflash: Invisible illnesses exist.
