Post by Guillem Leon

femto.pub

🧵

I'm willing to accept the general de-nuanced views against smart glasses and those who profit, economically and in clout, from disparaging them and the people who make use of them.. I'm willing to accept that they're a cancer on society and I'm willing to accept violence against those who make them and use them. Under one condition. That you grant me this: I am fully blind. Anytime I go out in public, I am acutely aware that an overwhelming majority of people have at least one device on them with a camera. Their cameras and microphones could have disco lights going off every time they take a picture or start a recording and I'd be none the wiser. I do not know whether someone is taking pictures of me, videoing me, or even whether they are holding this machine in their hand or not. A train carriage full of people minding their business feels the exact same as a train carriage full of people pointing their evil anti-privacy, anti-blind machines at me. It does not make a difference whether they are big or small tech. It's absolutely trivial to turn any audible alert off. What's more, even if you do happen to have your GoodSmallTech™ made-in-the-EU ethical anti-AI anti-fascist anti-nazi phone's audible alerts at full volume, a selfie and a photo straight at my goddamn face sound the same to me. And you know what the funny part is? That I have no doubt, no damn doubt in the world, that people take pictures of me without my knowledge or consent at least somewhat regularly. I'm blind, I'm gallivanting around with a cute dog, crossing streets and going on trains... How inspiring, how interesting! And after all, I'm blind, so I'm not gonna notice! I firmly believe that at least a decently sized sector of the population does not assign the same level of personhood to a blind person, or probably any disabled person, than to "normals".

Edited 1h ago

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Go on, ask me for sources. I've got stories aplenty! Like that lady who I accidentally bumped past two days ago who turned toward me and said to their companion "oh shit, he's blind!" in a very audible voice. How about the lady that stopped me at crossing last week to talk to me about how praiseworthy I was, how much my dog took care of me, how he's my best friend, "right?" while I was running late to an appointment? Wait until I tell you about the lady who shouted across the street when the traffic light went green "ARACELI! QUE VIENE EL CIEGO!" (Araceli! The blind one/blind man is coming!). Are you looking for examples specific to pictures/videos? On multiple occasions, my sighted friends and mobility instructors have had to tell me about people openly taking pictures of my dog and I on trains and in stations, and on a couple of those have had to tell those people off.

Are you sighted, like the great overwhelming majority of people are? Check your privilege. You can tell when someone is wearing smart glasses. I can't tell when someone is holding their fucking phone. I can't even tell when people are gawking at me for being an inspiring superperson with a supercane or a superdog (okay Sid is actually a superdog). It makes me uncomfortable and guess what? The not knowing doesn't make it easier. If I were a more vindictive person, I could be saying "hah, now you know what it's like". Stop whining. Or at least, have some humility and adequate your whining to the world, not just to the able-bodied majority. It is so, so typical of the Fediversal Good to leave entire sectors out of the equation out of simply not thinking about them.

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