Pay –to –be –Gay

We had this discussion in class about non- handicap people playing handicap rolls in television and movies. I know that being from the LGB world does not make a person handicap or disabled however I am wondering how people feel about straight actors portraying gay characters in the movies and television shows. Actors call it Pay –to –be –Gay, the straight actors who sign up to play a gay role might actually make more money. But do actors who are gay playing a straight character make more money? Is it fair to all the gay actors out there to have a straight actor on television or in the movies play a gay character when they have no real experience draw from? What do you think? 

-Sarah Fiorella 

The R Word and Culture

Could it be that a word we have, for so long, attached to a community of people with legitimate disabilities, has transcended that community and entered mainstream culture?  What about the word "idiot?"  Idiot was a word that was used in the political context to define people with a mental disability and we now use that word to describe anyone who does something stupid.  What about stupid?  That is a word that once had extreme acceptance in our society but is now no longer applicable to students with disabilities, as it once was.  My point is that we are a very temperamental society.  If I told someone that their political beliefs were "retarded," how is that any different than telling someone that their political beliefs make them an idiot?  The scenario is exactly the same, with the lone exception being the word in question.  What makes "retard" worse than "idiot?"  Ideas?

The Kennedy Influence March 29th

While I am quite obviously biased, I feel as though we could barely only gloss over the role of the Kennedys in the Willowbrook incident.  I maintain that the media attention would not have even been comparable to what it was had the Senator, Former Attorney General, and brother of a slain President not taken a tour of the facility.  The Kennedys have a very long, established history of advocating for the mentally disabled.  As I mentioned in class, their sister Rosemary was mentally disabled.  The Special Olympics, the IDEA, the ADA, and others would not have been possible had it not been for the advocacy of this family.  Their influence and persuasive tactics are the stuff of legend when it comes to obtaining equal rights for everyone, not just the mentally disabled.  While the advocacy of others should always be taken into account, the inside presence of this family gave those advocates a voice within government.  Say what you will about their personal lives, but this is a family that has made the country a much better place for millions of people.

Differences

I find it amusing that we descendants of white Europeans think that we are the ones who have all of the answers and that the rest of the world are ignorant savages.  These “savage” cultures, it seems, have already dealt with the question of gender and have concluded that there are those who do not fit the European stereotypes.  These “savage” cultures allow and acknowledge and even celebrate those who see things in a different light.  I refer to the hijra of India, the Polynesian mahu, South American travesti and the Native American “two-spirit” etc..  It is a shame that we who see ourselves as the cultural leaders cannot learn from those who have already solved this social issue.

Joyce Abbott

Willowbrook Mar 29

The conditions at the Willowbrook mental institution were shockingly grotesque for something that was supposed to be such a great idea.  However, the truth of the matter is that Willowbrook was extremely unclean, overcrowded and many times the nurses and aids were abusive to the residents that lived there.  In addition, many of the patients who were severely mentally and physically disabled, didn't even have a bed to sleep in, but rather at times slept naked in metal kennels.  Now clearly this example, and other mental institutions around this time left a significant effect on the current laws against mental institutions such as Willowbrook.  With that said, are there still times in this day in age that helpless victims in homes of all kinds are abused in some way.  For example, there is a shockingly high number of elderly people who are abused in nursing homes across the United States.  Can this be seen as discrimination against the elderly?  If we have gradually been trying to fix the problem of discrimination against disabilities, are the elderly next?

Disability History Mar 27th

Throughout history people with disabilities have been discriminated against and looked down upon in most cases.  Often times when people think of discrimination its of violence or name calling directly to the victim.  However this is not always the case and I want to point out how much discrimination and ignorance was portrayed throughout legislation for people with disabilities as well as educational plans.  The jargon that was once used when dealing with disabled people is seen today as insulting.  For example, mentally handicapped people were commonly referred to as idiots or morons as mentioned in class.  If you follow the legislation to what is currently in use, you see the language gradually changed to be more politically correct.  This fact has changed even within our lifetimes.  For example, it was once acceptable to call a mentally handicapped person retarded.  Now, the current term is intellectually disabled which is very clinical but not at all insulting to people who are disabled physically and mentally.  I think this fact shows how far we continue to come as a society as far as the continuing effort to help reduce discrimination on any "deviant" member of society. 

Emily Rapp Article

Dear students,

Below is the link to the article written by Emily Rapp that I mentioned in class. Rapp's son, Ronan, was born with Tay-Sachs. In the article she responds to Rick Santorum's belief that prenatal testing should be banned/limited on the basis that it encourages women to seek abortions. As Rapp demonstrates, the issue is clearly more complex than Santorum's framework.

Emily Rapp Article

Also, the sculpture I mentioned in class is entitled: Alison Laper Pregnant. Here is a link to an excellent photograph of this piece of art:

Alison Lapper Pregnant

Best,
Jeff