The Lesser-known Judatos Goat |
So, a few weeks ago, I read a puff piece which begged for a rebuttal, and you can find it here, as well as the link to the original story:
Reply to Simon Stevens, author of "Atos Declares Coma Patients Fit' and Other Disability Related Welfare Urban Myths"
I am no hypocrite, and I didn't know Mr Stevens, so I set to educate him, in the hope that he would take on board what I had written, I sent him the link to my blog in the reply section of the Huff, and that was that.
Little could I guess that Mr Stevens would immediately take to his keyboard to write back. I can't say he answered my post, because you would be hard pressed to see the link between my post and his response. I hesitated long and hard before publishing his reply, which he'd sent on G+, because I was ashamed on his behalf, that he could spew such mindless vitriol, and I honestly thought that he may be suffering from some serious mental health issues, so I didn't rush in. If I am being completely honest, I also didn't want to give him the oxygen of publicity. Hey, I have never pretended to be a saint!
Sadly, far from being a one-off, it would appear that Mr Stevens makes a habit of expressing himself in such a reprehensible manner, and after reading his latest outpouring:
Why should disabled people who terrorise ATOS get support?
I have decided that there is no reason why I should stop the man from damning himself in his own words, so here is a copy of his reply to me. (I took a screenshot of it straight away in case he decided to delete it or deny these were his words, so there can be no doubt)
Reply
Well, as you may expect, I was somewhat taken aback by his reply, not least because it seemed so, I don't know, random. But then, I got angry. It seemed to me that there was someone who would stop at nothing to portray himself as the victim even when he was in fact the attacker.
I saw earlier someone commenting on his latest hate piece, wondering he may be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, where the subject ingratiates himself to his captors in the hope that by creating a bond they will spare him, and even in some case, developing feelings of affection or love for them. It is of course a possibility, but I am inclined to believe that this is too generous a description. I think Mr Stevens is more a Judas Goat, happy to sacrifice everyone like him to his masters as long as he himself is spared.
I replied to Mr Stevens' hateful little rant on G+ and I am posting my response here in the interest of transparency:
Edit
To date, I haven't had a reply, nor do I expect one. I think Mr Stevens knows he has found me to be someone he can't bully with his hateful words, and therefore prefers to move on to easier victims. I don't care, his opinion has no worth whatsoever and his rhetoric comes straight from DWP/Atos standard narratives, with not an iota of original thinking.
If being at the opposite complete end of the spectrum of Mr Stevens' rationale makes me an extremist, then I shall wear this badge with pride and honour, long may I continue to gather the opprobrium of his ilk.