![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Apr. 27th, 2009
Oh, comments.
Apr. 27th, 2009 06:41 pm
There's an article about autistic culture (more or less) in Salon, which I'll copy paste in a second. But hold on.
The comments are a mess, as always. I'm tempted to go in there, but it wouldn't do much good. There's one I want to respond to here, because I want to make sure my reaction is right.
These disability sub-culture identity movements are insane.
Obviously, aggressively treating one's autism can have disastrous results, and we should tread lightly. But this hardline "I'm okay, you're okay" feel-good crap is just nuts. Deaf people (e.g.) aren't differently abled. They are *disabled*. I write this as someone who was born with spina bifida. Trust me -- the tendency to shit and piss oneself involuntarily and in the most embarrassing of circumstances isn't a super power. It's a *handicap*.
Disabilities certainly shouldn't be a source of shame. But to treat them as cultural sub-units that should be preserved for their enriching "specialness" is beyond goofy.
Her comment seems to be that she's qualified to speak on Deaf or autistic culture because deaf people and autistics are disabled and she's disabled t0o.
But you know what I hear? I hear "I'm speaking as somebody with spina bifida" and it sounds an awful lot to me like "I'm speaking as somebody who isn't deaf, who isn't autistic, and who has no idea what I'm talking about, but maybe if I fill in the gap somewhere else you won't notice".
What the heck does spina bifida have to do with any other disability? She assures us it's no fun to involuntarily mess oneself, and I agree, that sounds like no fun at all. But deaf people don't do this (unless there's something else going on), so what's the point? I'm aware that there are deaf folks who think the idea of Deaf culture is absurd, and autistic people who think the same about neurodiversity and autistic culture and not wanting a cure. They get to go "I'm deaf/autistic, and my view has more weight because of this". But spina bifida? Surely that only gives her insight on... well, spina bifida!
It just seems to me that if you're going to take the trouble to establish your credentials you can at least put in the effort to make sure you have the right credentials to establish, otherwise I just don't see why you'd bother.
Michelle Dawson, before I forget, has a response to this article here.
( Read more... )
The comments are a mess, as always. I'm tempted to go in there, but it wouldn't do much good. There's one I want to respond to here, because I want to make sure my reaction is right.
These disability sub-culture identity movements are insane.
Obviously, aggressively treating one's autism can have disastrous results, and we should tread lightly. But this hardline "I'm okay, you're okay" feel-good crap is just nuts. Deaf people (e.g.) aren't differently abled. They are *disabled*. I write this as someone who was born with spina bifida. Trust me -- the tendency to shit and piss oneself involuntarily and in the most embarrassing of circumstances isn't a super power. It's a *handicap*.
Disabilities certainly shouldn't be a source of shame. But to treat them as cultural sub-units that should be preserved for their enriching "specialness" is beyond goofy.
Her comment seems to be that she's qualified to speak on Deaf or autistic culture because deaf people and autistics are disabled and she's disabled t0o.
But you know what I hear? I hear "I'm speaking as somebody with spina bifida" and it sounds an awful lot to me like "I'm speaking as somebody who isn't deaf, who isn't autistic, and who has no idea what I'm talking about, but maybe if I fill in the gap somewhere else you won't notice".
What the heck does spina bifida have to do with any other disability? She assures us it's no fun to involuntarily mess oneself, and I agree, that sounds like no fun at all. But deaf people don't do this (unless there's something else going on), so what's the point? I'm aware that there are deaf folks who think the idea of Deaf culture is absurd, and autistic people who think the same about neurodiversity and autistic culture and not wanting a cure. They get to go "I'm deaf/autistic, and my view has more weight because of this". But spina bifida? Surely that only gives her insight on... well, spina bifida!
It just seems to me that if you're going to take the trouble to establish your credentials you can at least put in the effort to make sure you have the right credentials to establish, otherwise I just don't see why you'd bother.
Michelle Dawson, before I forget, has a response to this article here.
( Read more... )