Saying being paralyzed is “worse than death” is one of the best ways possible to ensure that a paralyzed person, especially a survivor of violence and trauma like Jacob Blake, starts to hate themselves.

You are not just harming other paralyzed people when you say this, you’re potentially harming him even more as well. The messages swirling around you stick.

Everyone insisting that your life is worthless is not empathic or helpful... it compounds the tragedy and dehumanizes the person in question, turns them into an object of pity and scorn before they even get a chance to create their own narrative and make their own way.

Also want to point out that his family has made it very clear that they are abundantly grateful he is alive. To suggest that paralysis is worse than death is going directly against what they have said on numerous occasions