Mar Galcerán makes history as Spain’s first parliamentarian with Down’s syndrome ( www.theguardian.com )

After being elected to Valencia’s regional assembly, Galcerán says she wants to be seen as a person, not for her disability

For decades she battled to ensure that people with intellectual disabilities were part of the conversation. The extent of the progress she had made, however, was laid bare recently when Mar Galcerán became Spain’s first parliamentarian with Down’s syndrome.

“It’s unprecedented,” the 45-year-old told the Guardian. “Society is starting to see that people with Down’s syndrome have a lot to contribute. But it’s a very long road.”

Her feat has been decades in the making. When Galcerán was 18 years old, she joined the conservative People’s party (PP) after being attracted to what she described as its embrace of tradition.

Slowly she worked her way up the party apparatus. Her commitment paid off last May when she was added as the 20th name on the list of candidates the PP was fielding in Valencia’s regional elections.

KevinKostnier ,

This should be illegal

lingh0e ,

Why?

sir_pronoun ,

Seeing all the other comments talking about her cognitive deficiency, I want to add that I will take an honest, good-hearted politician with Down Syndrome over a corrupt asshole any day. And as if the average politician was smarter than a bag of bricks.

..apart from that, shit man, any conservative is one too many

xc2215x ,

Good for Mar.

DessertStorms ,
@DessertStorms@kbin.social avatar

It's a shame she's a conservative, but the fact that she even made it to that position says a lot about her and about the acceptance in Spanish society. In the UK having this kind of representation is decades away, if at all...

crandlecan ,

There might be a good reason for that...

DessertStorms ,
@DessertStorms@kbin.social avatar

Care to elaborate?

crandlecan ,

https://sopuli.xyz/comment/6131361

DessertStorms ,
@DessertStorms@kbin.social avatar

So you're just referencing the other ableist? Can't even form your own opinions? 🤡

Esqplorer ,

Conservatives believe in protecting the right of humans to be born, regardless of their disabilities.
This is not my position, but it is very easy to see why it has appeals to disability communities and disabled people.

FlorianSimon ,

I don't think that's true.

Conservative politicians often play pretend to pander to the religious conservatives, which is a subset of all conservatives. But that does not mean they believe in the shit they peddle.

Let's take the example of the US. Trump was anything but a believing Christian. He still pushed for the end of Roe vs Wade to score political points with the Christofascist right. Then, when shit went too far, he backed down because it's hurting him politically †, which is a sign he never cared. Heck, the man was recorded being "pro-choice" in 1999. Back when he wanted to be in team D rather than team R.

In other countries, like Canada, conservatives have agreed to not put abortion rights into question, because it's very unpopular, even within their ranks*.

† https://time.com/6335088/donald-trump-abortion-position-2024-election/

TranscendentalEmpire ,

Tbh, my biggest concern would be that she's being taken advantage of by a group or family member for political gain. I work a lot with the disabled community and have several patients with downs syndrome.

While people with downs syndrome are a lot more capable than most people give credit and are perfectly capable of contributing to society. I can't say I've ever met a person with down syndrome that would enjoy working in a position that is so dynamic. They typically thrive in routine and in jobs where they can physically engage with their work. J

DessertStorms , (edited )
@DessertStorms@kbin.social avatar

Presuming competence is one of the cornerstones of working with and caring for disabled people. Maybe try that, instead of essentially erasing her achievements and agency? No group is a monolith and you don't actually know anything about her other than that she's dedicated her adult life to politics and has obviously been quite successful at it (and especially not what support or routine she has in place to enable that).

Maybe it's your own bias you should be worried about.

TranscendentalEmpire ,

Presuming competence is one of the cornerstones of working with and caring for disabled people.

That's a nonsensical idiom. You have to evaluate every patient's competency and ability to achieve patient compliance individually, disabled or not.

Maybe try that, instead of essentially erasing her achievements and agency? No group is a monolith

Which is why I didn't make any definitive statement, I just stated a reasonable concern. There are a plethora of examples of parents or organizations taking advantage of people with disabilities.

While no groups of people are monoliths, many people who share certain diagnoses will share similar personality traits. For example we wouldn't assume someone with a social anxiety disorder would thrive as a public speaker.

Maybe it's your own bias you should be worried about.

Maybe you should adopt a more dialectical approach to subjects you don't have experience in. Not everything fits within a dichotomy of right or wrong, context is everything.

DessertStorms , (edited )
@DessertStorms@kbin.social avatar

And maybe you should learn to listen to disabled people about ableism (never mind actual guidelines on how to work with disabled people in general, and people with Down's Syndrome specifically, a significant volume of which mention the long standing "nonsensical idiom" you're dismissing because you are unfamiliar and it makes you uncomfortable to acknowledge, something you would know if you simply looked it up which I didn't need to, but which took literally 2 seconds to do), rather than assume we "have no experience" (again - dismissing agency) and talk over us because that's easier than admitting that you even have bias, never mind shock horror might actually be wrong about something and have a really dismissive and infantilising attitude (you're not even special, unfortunately these attitudes are prevalent in people who work with disabled people and automatically think it makes them infallible saints. Hell, these jobs attract people who think they're better than us, and know better than us about us). And yet, to an outsider in an ableist society, you seem more qualified to speak on disability than disabled people are, and you confirm their ableist bias which makes them comfortable and even less willing to listen to us, so well done on actively contributing to ableism cycle..
It's fucked up on so many levels, but mostly I feel bad for your clients.

TranscendentalEmpire ,

And maybe you should learn to listen to disabled people about ableism

I don't think you get to define ableism for all disabled people......

never mind actual guidelines on how to work with disabled people in general, and people with Down's Syndrome specifically,

Those are all guides for educators..... I work in medicine, this isn't applicable to your argument or this discussion?

Hell, these jobs attract people who think they're better than us, and know better than us about us). And yet, to an outsider in an ableist society, you seem more qualified to speak on disability than disabled people are, and you confirm their ableist bias which makes them comfortable and even less willing to listen to us, so well done on actively contributing to ableism cycle..

I think you may be inappropriately projecting your own feelings about your condition, whatever it may be, to this particular argument. Just because you are disabled, doesn't mean that you represent everyone with a disability. I have a disability, which is one of the reasons I went into my field. However, that doesnt mean I truly understand what it's like for people with other disabilities. I can just provide context based on my own perspective and what I have learned in school and from my patients.

but mostly I feel bad for your clients

Get over yourself, you're not the only disabled person on the Internet. Some of us just don't make it the centerpiece of their entire personality.

creamed_eels ,

What does being a conservative mean in Spain? Is it similar/the same as the U.S.?

DessertStorms ,
@DessertStorms@kbin.social avatar

I wouldn't be able to tell you specifically, but conservativism at its core is about opposing progress and maintaining "traditional values" like capitalism, nationalism, white supremacy, patriarchy, cis-heteronormativity, and abled supremacy, so it's never good.
This is the party she represents: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Party_(Spain), a quick skim tells me they opposed same-sex marriage and have been involved in a lot of financial corruption.

rappo ,

I know nothing about Spain's political parties, and I'm personally not a fan of conservative parties, but just to point out the obvious:

abled supremacy

The whole reason this thread and news article exists seems to refute that. I know it's only one data point, but the situation is notable on a global scale.

DessertStorms ,
@DessertStorms@kbin.social avatar

You're having a fucking laugh, right? There are literally people in this thread saying (or upvoting those that say) this should be illegal.

The whole reason this thread and news article exists seems to refute that. I know it’s only one data point, but the situation is notable on a global scale.

I honestly don't care how you've managed to convince yourself that what you recognise is a single anecdote, and is only getting global coverage because of how rare and unusual it is, somehow refutes the existence of abled supremacy, but it doesn't. If anything, it proves its existence.

The idea that disabled people are seen or treated as equal and equitable in our societies is so wildly and wilfully ignorant, I honestly don't have words..

XTornado ,

I wouldn't go so far as saying the same... But some similarities sure. I mean some differences too.

For example they aren't as much pro self defence weapons for example except extreme right groups of course. Abortion also isn't liked but they aren't as extreme about it either...
Lighther version of the US conservatives I would say, at least in some topics.

Timwi ,
@Timwi@kbin.social avatar

she wants to be seen as a person, not for her disability

... Entire article is about her disability

DessertStorms ,
@DessertStorms@kbin.social avatar

It isn't though? Other than mentioning she has Down's Syndrome they speak almost entirely of her achievements, and some of the reactions she gets.

logicbomb ,

Did we read the same article?

Her achievements that they mentioned are all related to Down Syndrome. The reactions they mentioned are reactions to her having Down Syndrome.

The article also talks about her rise in politics due to help from another politician... wait for it... who also has Down Syndrome.

I'm sure that she has more to her persona than her disability, just like everyone with a disability. However, the article is actually about her having Down Syndrome.

hydroptic , (edited )

It's not a surprise she was "attracted to what she described as [the conservative People's Party's] embrace of tradition", because right-wing systems are generally attractive to people with lower cognitive skills as they claim to offer simple solutions to complex problems. Unfortunately the solutions are nearly always wrong, but that's another matter entirely.

[T]here exists a solid empirical paper trail demonstrating that lower cognitive abilities (e.g., abstract-reasoning skills and verbal, nonverbal, and general intelligence) predict greater prejudice. We discuss how the effects of lower cognitive ability on prejudice are explained (i.e., mediated) by greater endorsement of right-wing socially conservative attitude. […]

Right-wing ideologies offer well-structured and ordered views about society that preserve traditional societal conventions and norms (e.g., Jost, Glaser, Kruglanski, & Sulloway, 2003). Such ideological belief systems are particularly attractive to individuals who are strongly motivated to avoid uncertainty and ambiguity in preference for simplicity and predictability (Jost et al., 2003; Roets & Van Hiel, 2011). Theoretically, individuals with lower mental abilities should be attracted by right-wing social-cultural ideologies because they minimize complexity and increase perceived control (Heaven, Ciarrochi, & Leeson, 2011; Stankov, 2009). Conversely, individuals with greater cognitive skills are better positioned to understand changing and dynamic societal contexts, which should facilitate open-minded, relatively left-leaning attitudes (Deary et al., 2008a; Heaven et al., 2011; McCourt, Bouchard, Lykken, Tellegen, & Keyes, 1999). Lower cognitive abilities therefore draw people to strategies and ideologies that emphasize what is presently known and considered acceptable to make sense and impose order over their environment. Resistance to social change and the preservation of the status quo regarding societal traditions—key principles underpinning right-wing social-cultural ideologies—should be particularly appealing to those wishing to avoid uncertainty and threat.

Indeed, the empirical literature reveals negative relations between cognitive abilities and right-wing social-cultural attitudes, including right-wing authoritarian (e.g., Keiller, 2010; McCourt et al., 1999), socially conservative (e.g., Stankov, 2009; Van Hiel et al., 2010), and religious attitudes (e.g., Zuckerman, Silberman, & Hall, 2013).

DessertStorms , (edited )
@DessertStorms@kbin.social avatar

So many words to say you're an ableist....

gapbetweenus ,

Being conservative is not a disability.

Ragdoll_X ,
@Ragdoll_X@lemmy.world avatar

We should really consider adding it to the DSM-5.

gapbetweenus ,

We removed to much stuff there, you are absolutely right.

ickplant ,
@ickplant@lemmy.world avatar

That and wealth hoarding.

hydroptic ,

Yeah, nobody chooses to be disabled

hemko ,

The will to become a politician is

hydroptic , (edited )

I fully support Glacerán's or any other somehow differently abled person's right to do anything they want. It's unironically great that she got into politics, and it's great that people with Down's get representation like this which has been sorely missing.

This doesn't change the fact that Down's syndrome does have effects on cognitive function, and there's clear neuroanatomical differences that cause those effects. This doesn't mean she or anybody else with Down's is somehow "less than" anybody else, but it's undeniable that there's going to be some sort of cognitive deficit there when compared to the general population, which is why it's not exactly surprising that Glacerán felt that a conservative party was the most "attractive".

I don't see how it's ableism to point out that there's a lot of research showing that people who endorse right-wing ideals are more likely to have lower cognitive abilities (of multiple types). It's not like I'm saying everybody who has Down's is going to be prejudiced because they're 100% certainly going to be conservative, or that people with Down's shouldn't be allowed to participate in politics, for example. But the fact of the matter is that there's a lot of empirical evidence that conservative ideologies are attractive to folks with comparatively worse cognitive skills, because they're exactly the sort of people who would be motivated to support an ideology that emphasizes tradition and strict social norms, and Down's does lead to cognitive issues.

DigitalTraveler42 ,

Of course the Down Syndrome political person is a conservative...🤣

The jokes just write themselves sometimes.

Deceptichum ,
@Deceptichum@kbin.social avatar

Mate, the fuck?

Like rip on right wingers all you want but that’s not cool to people with Down’s.

DontMakeMoreBabies ,

Not like most of them are tracking.

ColeSloth ,

Conservatives always present simple answers. They think all you have to do is "x" and problem solved.

utubas ,

Hilarious how this comment is being downvoted. Lemmy is really a cesspool of tankies

DigitalTraveler42 ,

Reddit: "everyone I don't agree with is a Nazi!"

Lemmy: "everyone I don't agree with is a tankie!"

Try to grow up and realize that life is a bit more nuanced than that pls.

DigitalTraveler42 , (edited )

So it's not incredibly ironic that the down syndrome politician is part of the political ideology that hates any kind difference in people?

Also it's not incredibly ironic that a person with a disease that commonly causes lower intelligence is a conservative?

Get off your high horse, sometimes you just have to laugh at the ironies and hypocrisies of our species.

The only sad part of this is that she's probably being used in some way by her fellow conservatives, even just having her vote the way they tell her to is a benefit to them.

autotldr Bot ,

This is the best summary I could come up with:

The extent of the progress she had made, however, was laid bare recently when Mar Galcerán became Spain’s first parliamentarian with Down’s syndrome.

When Galcerán was 18 years old, she joined the conservative People’s party (PP) after being attracted to what she described as its embrace of tradition.

The achievement catapults Galcerán to the top of the ranks of the handful of people with Down’s syndrome who have crashed through barriers to enter the world of politics.

In 2020, Éléonore Laloux became the first person with the genetic disorder in France to be elected to public office, as a city council member in the northern town of Arras, while Ireland’s Fintan Bray was hailed for making history after he was elected to a political position in the country in 2022.

He was quick to point out that the achievement was also a reflection of the decades Galcerán had spent working to advance the status of people with Down’s syndrome in Spain.

Ultimately she hoped her presence in the regional parliament would help to dismantle the many prejudices that continue to linger in society, particularly when it comes to people with Down’s syndrome.

The original article contains 566 words, the summary contains 192 words. Saved 66%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

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