The Lowbrow Casual Restaurants group is under fire for their insensitive social media post on PWDs with what they perceive to be invisible disabilities. What they thought was a trivial and humorous post landed badly and had gained various criticisms online.
Lowbrow’s post came after Restaurant Owners of the Philippines had published an official statement via Instagram regarding the proliferation of fake Persons With Disability (PWD) cards which strained the financial and operational capacities of small and family-owned restaurants. Lowbrow resonated with the post and its message, however, their approach lacked empathy toward legitimate PWDs, especially those whose conditions do not necessarily have physical manifestations.
Rather than focusing on the main message on discouraging the use of fake IDs, Lowbrow managed to turn the tables and put forth the blame with a derisive tone on the said minority group. “Break your leg, become truly disabled, show them how superior your disability is,” they said in a now-deleted post on one of the publication materials they previously published.
i will slit my throat in front of ur cashier to show you how superior my disability is.
i wish someone from ur family will soon suffer from ptsd to the point they will commit suicide only then you will grasp the gravity of you stupid content. pic.twitter.com/Wj5ICNhhE5
— yanez 🇵🇸🇸🇩🇨🇩 (@stargirl2050) February 5, 2025
Although the post has been deleted from their page, social media users were quick to take screenshots of Lowbrow’s evident ableism. They clamored to boycott the restaurant group and identified the brands under Lowbrow.
❗️BOYCOTT ❗️
Lowbrow Casual Restaurants deleted their original post.
Did they think this would be funny or just because they’re trying to be “edgy”?
They didn’t even addressed the fake PWD IDs but the PWDs in general.
Visible or not, disability is a disability. pic.twitter.com/ebGQ31Y7PE
— #agathario my love (@dulcineyaaaa) February 5, 2025
This is just so tasteless. Despite their apology, which feels more like a formality to avoid cancellation, it might be time to stop supporting their business.
Btw, here are the restaurants under this group: Flower Boy, Bad Bird, Fowlbread, Thank You Seafood#lowbrow… https://t.co/D7N4Rn9zuM pic.twitter.com/V5k4YAyANZ
— faye누나•徐菲 ⟡ʚїɞ⟡ (@iamfayee) February 7, 2025
who even approved that fb post? it was so painfully obvious that it was written with a LOT of hatred and spite.
— reki (@rekibilities) February 6, 2025
Lowbrow Casual Restaurants fostering hate and discrimination towards people with mental health, neurodevelopmental, and other "invisible" disabilities.
Only thing to take away from this is you don't screw with MH/PWD communities.
— AJ Sunglao (@junsunglao) February 6, 2025
Since Lowbrow’s post garnered traction and distaste, they followed through with an official apology posted on their Facebook account last February 6 with a short caption “sorry.” Social media users questioned the sincerity behind the group’s apology and noticed that it was a mere screenshot from the Notes application, “Even your apology is dripping with derision.”
It seemed that the damage Lowbrow had stirred online was now beyond repair as the backhanded commentaries on their post along with the heavily criticized apology terribly wounded the PWD community given the indifference to their visible and invisible experiences.
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