What's the biggest misconception people hold about you?
Tori_Scope
Scope Posts: 12,452 Championing
A misconception is a view based on incorrect assumptions or information.
What's the biggest misconception people hold about you?
Do you think disability can affect people's perceptions of you? For example, if you're a disabled person, or a carer of a disabled person.
What's the biggest misconception people hold about you?
Do you think disability can affect people's perceptions of you? For example, if you're a disabled person, or a carer of a disabled person.
1
Comments
-
Hi Tori,Your question reminds me of when I started my studies with the Open University (I started a psychology course, but had to change to IT when I was medically discharged (from the RN)).The 1st module had 3 themes:Local and globalPrivate and publicRepresentation and realityThe third theme, representation and reality, I align to your question of misconception.The representation is that I`m an able bodied person but the reality is that I have several medical conditions, two of which can be quite debilitating.Unfortunately, the majority of people judge a book by the cover instead of opening the book in an attempt to understand the contents.Andy3
-
What a good question Tori!
I think disability certainly can affect people's perceptions yes, I've had people express surprise when they find out I have CP- or otherwise, when they know I have CP and I tell them about myself, my work/hobbies etc.
I think a common misconception for me is around driving, people are always fascinated by how I drive as a part time wheelchair user.
Other things include my liking for gaming, perhaps because I'm a woman. I hope it's changing, but there used to be a big misconception about gaming only being for teenage boys.
I think we each experience different misconceptions, and have our own misconceptions of others based on all sorts of factors, and disability can be a big or small part of that, depending on how much it's a part of our identity.
I'd love to know what other people think 1 -
That I’m ignorant, this is so untrue. I am very kind and caring when I’m chilled out, I can get quite stressed when I’ve got loads of things to do or something hasn’t gone the way I predicted. They also presume this from the way I write a message, I’d rather be down to earth so people can understand what I am saying more. This is all due to one of my disabilities.
4 -
Mine is that I'm unfriendly
This occurs as a direct result of my "disability"
That is completely untrue though, just I find it really hard to talk to people in person, so will often come across as "short" or "aloof" when really I just don't know what to say!!3 -
Absolutely spot on!would give you my last penny if I thought you needed it more than me.2 -
Me too @woodbine, my daughter in law thinks I'm downright miserable with money and that I am just mean... She forgets the times I helped out with large purchases without being asked.
2 -
I love this question @Tori_Scope!!! Thank you for asking and bringing up such a relevant topic for disabled people!! I sense the assumption from certain people that I don’t deserve to be in a romantic relationship, or that I am not allowed to go on a date with someone, or that I don’t have any desire to find love. In the past some family members have projected the attitude that a person with a disability does not have any right to have children, or explore their sexuality, which I found very unfair, disrespectful and traumatising. I believe everyone deserves to feel accepted and loved…
1 -
wendy41 said:That because I speak with a scouse accent that I'm a thief! The most common biggest misconception about being a scouser. The all too common saying 'oh better watch my car around you I might come back to it propped up on bricks' or 'if it isn't tied down you migh walk off with it' then when I don't laugh at their NONE funny assumption about ME as a person they say 'where's your sense of humour' I'm SO FED UP WITH IT! A doctor once tried to make a joke out of it and when I challenged him about it and stated 'how is that funny?' it went a deathly silent. Then the question is asked 'oh what part of liverpool do you come from? and when you say TOXTETH they either change the subject or out jumps 'isn't that where the riots happened!?'
So sick of it. The prejudice shows itself in it's full glory especially in a work environment.Hi,Scousers are portrayed as thieving scallies.Cockney`s are portrayed as wide boys.Manchunians are portrayed as thugs (I`m Manchunian and about as much as a thug as a slug attacking a lettuce).Geordies are portrayed as football hooligans.The list goes on.No point letting generalisations spoil your (your as in general, not your as in specifically) day, I don`t.2 -
Thank you for the positive feedback on the question, all!
Thanks also for your thoughtful and insightful comments. I'm sorry to hear that so many of you have faced negative misconceptions.
I suppose my next question would be around how you react to these misconceptions?
And what do you think needs to change to prevent these misconceptions being so widely held?0 -
People think I’m quite posh when I’m really as common as muck.0
-
Someone once called me a snob @Karen7788 is that the same as posh my daughter laughed that much she had bubbles coming out of her nose
0 -
People think I'm fat I'm just not tall enough3
-
People think I’m overweight because I eat too much when actually It’s the meds I’m on. Within six months of being on them I weighed two stone more, I’m now four stone overweight due to the previous meds I was on. Nightmare. I’m now on a self imposed very low calorie diet.0
-
I really don't know what people think about me directly,
Be intresting to know.0 -
I've only just thought to look at this post, because i don't know ha ha
Some one did once say to me when they meet me face to face - oh i thought you were younger ha ha mmmmmm
0 -
I honestly don’t know why they thought I was posh, it was the mums at school, my friend told me, laughing their head off. I think it’s because of my manners, it’s the way I was brought up. I’m proud of being common.vikingqueen said:Someone once called me a snob @Karen7788 is that the same as posh my daughter laughed that much she had bubbles coming out of her nose 2 -
. . . . that I have no friends. It's simply that the people who care aren't pretending, so there often isn't a big show for others to see. I'd rather have a few real friends, than many fake acquaintances. . . . ta.x.2
-
People assume because of my autism that I must be intellectually disabled. Because I have a hard time with eye contact and struggle to know what to say in conversations, it makes people think I’m not very bright, when in fact I have a verbal IQ of 141.2
-
@emberkid I have found exactly the same r.e. people thinking I'm not very clever, yet my IQ is meant to be similar to yours (that said I am unsure whether I believe in the tests so haven't taken one for over 10 years). I have found you can use this to your advantage sometimes, it's sometimes convenient for people to think you are a bit "simple"!!1
Categories
- All Categories
- 14.2K Start here and say hello!
- 6.8K Coffee lounge
- 70 Games den
- 1.6K People power
- 100 Community noticeboard
- 22K Talk about life
- 5.1K Everyday life
- 59 Current affairs
- 2.2K Families and carers
- 826 Education and skills
- 1.8K Work
- 438 Money and bills
- 3.4K Housing and independent living
- 895 Transport and travel
- 659 Relationships
- 64 Sex and intimacy
- 1.4K Mental health and wellbeing
- 2.3K Talk about your impairment
- 845 Rare, invisible, and undiagnosed conditions
- 893 Neurological impairments and pain
- 1.9K Cerebral Palsy Network
- 1.2K Autism and neurodiversity
- 35.8K Talk about your benefits
- 5.6K Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- 18.5K PIP, DLA, and AA
- 6.6K Universal Credit (UC)
- 5.1K Benefits and income