http://blogs.independent.co.uk| Blogs from the Independent newspaper - news, views and features from the world's most free-thinking newspaper| Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2| en hourly 1 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/08/29/the-lasting-legacy-of-the-paralympics-should-be-to-see-disabled-people-as-equal/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/08/29/the-lasting-legacy-of-the-paralympics-should-be-to-see-disabled-people-as-equal/#comments Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:16:37 +0000 Nicky Clark http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=27936 The inclusion of learning disabled athletes and their presence in the games marks a watershed moment in the changing of attitudes, but there's still a long way to go. ]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/08/29/the-lasting-legacy-of-the-paralympics-should-be-to-see-disabled-people-as-equal/feed/ 12 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/08/24/65000-hate-crimes-against-disabled-people-and-rising-this-has-to-stop/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/08/24/65000-hate-crimes-against-disabled-people-and-rising-this-has-to-stop/#comments Fri, 24 Aug 2012 11:02:20 +0000 Nicky Clark http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=27764 Last night the ITV Tonight programme led the way with a documentary looking at the rise if disability hate crime, press propaganda and palpable apathy on the issue. ]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/08/24/65000-hate-crimes-against-disabled-people-and-rising-this-has-to-stop/feed/ 74 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/08/10/holocaust-eugenics-coverage-shouldnt-exclude-disabled-people/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/08/10/holocaust-eugenics-coverage-shouldnt-exclude-disabled-people/#comments Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:35:11 +0000 Nicky Clark http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=27276 Last night as part of the BBC’s fantastic Olympic coverage a short documentary was shown on nature versus nurture and the triumph of black athletes in the face of racism and oppression, but why was the appalling treatment of disabled during the Holocaust omitted?]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/08/10/holocaust-eugenics-coverage-shouldnt-exclude-disabled-people/feed/ 110 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/31/26907/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/31/26907/#comments Tue, 31 Jul 2012 02:00:27 +0000 Nicky Clark http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=26907 I’m something of an expert when it comes to receiving a non-apology apology. For the uninitiated, the non-apology apology is the Pavlovian response that complainants receive when they question an editorial decision on ‘acceptable’ jokes and has risen with the tide of humour, which leaves its integrity at the door.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/31/26907/feed/ 188 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/24/being-offended-by-rape-jokes-doesnt-mean-lacking-a-sense-of-humour/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/24/being-offended-by-rape-jokes-doesnt-mean-lacking-a-sense-of-humour/#comments Mon, 23 Jul 2012 23:00:55 +0000 Nicky Clark http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=26671 There has been a spate of celebrities defending rape jokes to the world and their fan base on Twitter recently. ]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/24/being-offended-by-rape-jokes-doesnt-mean-lacking-a-sense-of-humour/feed/ 246 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/12/standing-up-to-friends-is-just-as-important-as-voicing-your-opinion-on-a-common-enemy/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/12/standing-up-to-friends-is-just-as-important-as-voicing-your-opinion-on-a-common-enemy/#comments Thu, 12 Jul 2012 03:00:52 +0000 Nicky Clark http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=26224 Stewart Lee is widely regarded by many in the comedy world and the fans who worship them as a comedy God. Oddly for an atheist, and I’ve always thought, an unassuming man, he’s something of a comedy Jesus too, as he’s seen by many as being able to walk on water. His social commentary is [...]]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/12/standing-up-to-friends-is-just-as-important-as-voicing-your-opinion-on-a-common-enemy/feed/ 51 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/08/my-fifty-cents-on-50-cent-and-autism/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/08/my-fifty-cents-on-50-cent-and-autism/#comments Sun, 08 Jul 2012 15:47:24 +0000 Nicky Clark http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=26103 Fifty cent is a little wiser about the condition of autism now than he was when he decided to tweet using the condition as a pejorative insulting term.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/08/my-fifty-cents-on-50-cent-and-autism/feed/ 15 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/04/when-you%e2%80%99ve-met-one-person-with-autism-you%e2%80%99ve-met-one-person-with-autism/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/04/when-you%e2%80%99ve-met-one-person-with-autism-you%e2%80%99ve-met-one-person-with-autism/#comments Wed, 04 Jul 2012 03:00:40 +0000 Nicky Clark http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=25907 They say that society disables people and this is true but what is equally true is the disabling nature of ignorance, which pervades the condition and those who have it.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/07/04/when-you%e2%80%99ve-met-one-person-with-autism-you%e2%80%99ve-met-one-person-with-autism/feed/ 32 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/29/119-billion-the-contribution-of-carers-and-savings-to-the-economy-is-woefully-overlooked/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/29/119-billion-the-contribution-of-carers-and-savings-to-the-economy-is-woefully-overlooked/#comments Fri, 29 Jun 2012 01:00:34 +0000 Nicky Clark http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=25782 As a carer, if I had to give you my rating on a scale of one to ten with ten being great and one being beyond crap I’d say I’m at three currently.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/29/119-billion-the-contribution-of-carers-and-savings-to-the-economy-is-woefully-overlooked/feed/ 40 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/22/anders-breivik-violence-is-not-a-common-symptom-of-mental-illness/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/22/anders-breivik-violence-is-not-a-common-symptom-of-mental-illness/#comments Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:24:56 +0000 Nicky Clark http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=25580 Today marks the last scheduled day in the trial of Anders Behring Breivik, who, on the 22nd July 2011, killed 77 young Norweigians and injured 242 others. What we do know is that he is a self confessed Islamaphobic militant killer, what we don’t know is whether he has a psychiatric illness.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/22/anders-breivik-violence-is-not-a-common-symptom-of-mental-illness/feed/ 56 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/15/vaginamovielines-using-the-v-word-to-tackle-anti-abortion-laws/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/15/vaginamovielines-using-the-v-word-to-tackle-anti-abortion-laws/#comments Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:40:18 +0000 Nicky Clark http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=25322 Rep Lisa Brown caused outrage and the creation of two hashtags on twitter today after indulging in behaviour deemed so “shocking” that the speaker had no option but to silence her from any further participation in debate on the House floor.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/15/vaginamovielines-using-the-v-word-to-tackle-anti-abortion-laws/feed/ 90 http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/28/banter-bigotry-sexism-for-lols/ http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/28/banter-bigotry-sexism-for-lols/#comments Mon, 28 May 2012 03:00:14 +0000 Nicky Clark http://blogs.independent.co.uk/?p=24633 Banter is a very odd thing. As an activity it provides a handy shelter for bigots to flex their anti PC brigade muscles and to prove to their friends that they fell out of the funny tree and hit every branch on the way down. What it is not alledgedly is subjective. Anyone who questions the banter status quo is immediately deemed humourless. I’ve seen it used to shield people from accusations of racism, homophobia, disablism and sexism and it’s the latter, which as a 45 year old woman, I’ve witnessed most.]]> http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/05/28/banter-bigotry-sexism-for-lols/feed/ 244