Shane Burcaw
7K posts
@shaner528
Trying to change the world with laughter. Writer of several books. Wheelchair enthusiast. President of @lamnightmare Contact me at [email protected]
Thousands and thousands of people have poured into the streets for Minnesota general strike demanding ICE out of their state. Footage via @BTnewsroom.
This is a Facebook post I want you to read from my friend @shaner528 who doesn't really do Twitter much anymore. When I began with AbleGamers in 2004 I avoided cameras like you're supposed to avoid the plague. But after we started to see some success I started to understand I'd need to stop hiding and get in front of cameras to really let the world see what it's like to be disabled and want to be a part of something like the videogame community. It's not easy and people needed to see it for themselves. So I did. I started getting in front of cameras, doing interviews, and becoming the very public face of AbleGamers. Largely, people and developers alike were kind, generous, and very welcoming. But there was always that 15% that were not. I've been called ugly, vegetable, worthless, useless, and just the same as Shane—better off dead. It takes a toll. But anybody who follows me here knows I am extremely skilled at fighting trolls. I attribute a good portion of my success to my ability to take jerks saying mean things and turn them into comedy dunking. Let's be honest here, it's the Internet. There have always been and will always be mean people. But the hatred for simply existing is extremely difficult to deal with some days. And friends/strangers alike will tell you to ignore it, but how do you truly ignore being dismissed outright simply for being... you? I hope you'll follow Shane & Hannah on their determined journey to normalize being disabled and being in love with someone who is disabled. They have a set of courage that even I don't have. Yeah, you can see lots of pictures and videos of me on the Internet, but not with the vulnerability that they are willing to share. I have dreams of being a public speaker. I want to share with the world what I learned during my time as a disabled person on Earth. I still want a TED talk. But sometimes, that hatred does feel insurmountable. If you ever wondered why I've been less visible the last year or so, this is a lot of it. Because viral success brings a lot of love and a lot of hate.
This is a Facebook post I want you to read from my friend @shaner528 who doesn't really do Twitter much anymore. When I began with AbleGamers in 2004 I avoided cameras like you're supposed to avoid the plague. But after we started to see some success I started to understand I'd need to stop hiding and get in front of cameras to really let the world see what it's like to be disabled and want to be a part of something like the videogame community. It's not easy and people needed to see it for themselves. So I did. I started getting in front of cameras, doing interviews, and becoming the very public face of AbleGamers. Largely, people and developers alike were kind, generous, and very welcoming. But there was always that 15% that were not. I've been called ugly, vegetable, worthless, useless, and just the same as Shane—better off dead. It takes a toll. But anybody who follows me here knows I am extremely skilled at fighting trolls. I attribute a good portion of my success to my ability to take jerks saying mean things and turn them into comedy dunking. Let's be honest here, it's the Internet. There have always been and will always be mean people. But the hatred for simply existing is extremely difficult to deal with some days. And friends/strangers alike will tell you to ignore it, but how do you truly ignore being dismissed outright simply for being... you? I hope you'll follow Shane & Hannah on their determined journey to normalize being disabled and being in love with someone who is disabled. They have a set of courage that even I don't have. Yeah, you can see lots of pictures and videos of me on the Internet, but not with the vulnerability that they are willing to share. I have dreams of being a public speaker. I want to share with the world what I learned during my time as a disabled person on Earth. I still want a TED talk. But sometimes, that hatred does feel insurmountable. If you ever wondered why I've been less visible the last year or so, this is a lot of it. Because viral success brings a lot of love and a lot of hate.
