icicleman: soft-intelligence: TRAUMA WARNING FOR ABLEISM brittanyn: Something I Feel Strongly About
icicleman:soft-intelligence:TRAUMA WARNING FOR ABLEISMbrittanyn:Something I Feel Strongly AboutI don’t know why I’m so passionate about advocating blood donations. I just am. I’m not exaggerating when I say I get emotional when people give bullshit excuses to not donate.“I’m too lazy.”While you’re sitting there being “too lazy to donate,” people are out there fighting to stay alive.“I’m afraid of needles.”While you let your petty fears of needle keep you from donating, people are out there fearing the idea of never being able to see another day with their family and friends.“I don’t have time.”While you can’t seem to find more time to donate, people out there are struggling to find more time to live.Trust me, the people on the receiving end are going through a lot more than you are on the giving end, and you’re going to tell me that you’re not going to because you don’t feel like it?http://www.redcrossblood.org/make-donationhttps://www.mysdbb.org/Appointment/search.html1. i would be way more comfortable donating blood if blood donation places like the Red Cross actually took donations from gay men and trans people 2. way to shame people with real phobias of needles. they have extremely stressful experiences around needles! their phobia can seriously impair them, not just from donating blood to help others, but also from HELPING THEMSELVES. THEY MIGHT HAVE HAD A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE WITH NEEDLES. but no, i guess they’re just “petty” and they should just get over it because ANYONE JUST CAN WILL THEMSELVES TO GET OVER A PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FEAR right? RIGHT? (THE ANSWER IS NO. SOME PEOPLE CAN, SOME PEOPLE CAN’T, AND THAT’S OKAY)3. i legitimately do not have the time or energy to donate blood. when i’m not in school i’m resting. donating blood can be a stressful experience and i’m just not able to do it. i wish i did—i’ve donated before. but i don’t have time. that’s a valid reason not to donate blood! and you know what else is a valid reason not to donate blood? “i don’t want to donate blood!” some people just don’t want to! that’s ok! if people are able and willing to donate blood, GOOD FOR THEM. but if they aren’t, or don’t want to, then GOOD FOR THEM. the world works both ways, OK?????OKI like tattoos and piercings, but I’m terrified of getting shots and drawing blood. Like shaking, tensing, mamapleaseholdmyhand terrified. And if I have to see my blood drawn out, I might freak the fuck out. Yeah, I feel guilty about it since I’d like to donate, but everything Softie said.THANK YOU for saying this. I’m legitimately afraid of needles- I have no piercings, no tattoos, and avoid anything with a hypodermic needle as much as possible- in the past I’ve fainted and once broken down crying in the hallway of the doctor’s office too frozen to even enter the room. My college has big blood donation campaigns, with the buses parked right outside the dining hall, and I can’t even walk by the fucking buses without feeling sick, but saying I’m afraid of needles doesn’t stop people from trying to shame me into donating. -- source link