Why I'm NOT Inspired by That Viral McDonald's Photo
Recently, I saw a photo of a McDonald’s employee helping a disabled man eating his meal plastered all over the internet, and it really made me uncomfortable
. I have nothing but respect for the actions of the employee, and I always think it’s a great thing to help out another person when they ask for help; however, the fact somebody took a picture and posted it all over social media without the consent of the person in the photograph is not okay.
This man was simply trying to eat and live his life, and to unknowingly have yourself photographed and turned into a viral story by another person is a terrifying prospect. As our world becomes more and more saturated by social media, being different from what society considers normal in public spaces has become increasingly precarious.
As a disabled person myself, I live in constant fear of becoming victim to this new phenomenon. As I exist and live my life in public spaces, I constantly worry that someone will photograph me without my consent.
I constantly worry that my everyday way of doing things will attract the attention of the social media paparazzi. Simply because I do things differently than other people and my way of living may seem ‘fascinating’ or ‘inspiring’ to the casual observer, does not mean that is okay to take pictures of me without my consent.
Disabled people are not tourist attractions, science exhibits or zoo animals. You cannot photograph us or stare at us because we exist in public spaces.
I have had friends with service dogs be photographed by strangers who see them as nothing more than a curiosity or an oddity. For people with visible disabilities the thought of being treated like an exhibition and photographed while doing everyday things, like getting a coffee or getting groceries, is a horrific reality. These interactions go beyond simple photography and go into invasion of privacy and making assumptions about people’s lives.
A while ago, there was a meme that went viral on Facebook showing a wheelchair user standing up to get alcohol from the top shelf in the grocery store. People on social media turned this into a big joke saying this person must have been faking their disability if they were able to stand.
This made me so uncomfortable, not only because the assumption that being in a wheelchair means that you are totally unable to stand is completely false, but also because I thought of the person whose privacy had been invaded when that photo was taken. I thought of the difficult situation of being disabled in public in the modern world.
People have always stared, but now staring has gone viral.
[Image description: Pink text on a white background reads, "Disabled people are not tourist attractions, science exhibits or zoo animals. You cannot photograph us or stare at us because we exist in public spaces." There is a pink box at the top of the image with white text that reads, "www.claimingcrip.com", and a pink box with white text at the bottom of the image credits the quote to Karin Hitselberger The image has a pink and white striped diagonal border at the top and the bottom.]
