"Reading Across the Grain" really opened my eyes to the hardships that disabled people have to endure throughout their lives. Not only do they have to endure harsh criticisms from their peers, but the public views disabled people as outcasts who cannot possibly conform to society's high demands. Disabled people are thought of as being incapable and of really doing anything significant and their actions always seem to surprise the public when in fact they aren't trying to impress anyone. When the narrator mentions Ellen Stohl, it seems as though she glorifies that she had poised for Playboy, but at the same time the narrator is really trying to demonstrate that although one may be disabled, this does not mean that he/she is unable to do what he/she feels like doing. Stohl was confined to a wheelchair, but did not allow this to hold her back and showed that disabled people can exist in a sexual world even though society views this as impossible. Stohl is a "full-time student, a part-time actress, model, and a public speaker;" she is capable of performing acts that would be seen by a non-disabled person. This passage shows that despite one's flaws adhering to their body or mental stability, one should not be negated from being a human being, nor should they be placed into a separate category based upon their physical or mental attributes.
An interesting point that the narrator focuses on deals with disabled people's sexuality. Most people would think that disabled people could not engage in sexual activites, or in some instances should not at all. It is unfair to dictate someone else's life and tell him/her what they can or cannot do. This very similar to the case in U.S. history involving Carrie Buck. In the case of Buck v. Bell, Carrie Buck was ordered to undergo compulsory sterilization for being considered "feeble-minded." The term feeble-minded can be considered now as having mental retardation in various types. Buck was sterilized simply because she was considered mentally disabled. It was wrong then, and it is wrong now to cast a disabled person aside like they are some defect that cannot possibly conform into today's society. It really makes you think about how would you like to be treated if you were disabled, and how would you feel if you were Carrie Buck?
(David Roberts, Post 18)
You do an excellent job here of identifying the major points Clare makes in this chapter.
ReplyDeleteThank you for telling us about the example of Buck v. Bell. This case seems to fit in perfectly with the points Clare makes in this chapter regarding societal perceptions of disabled sexuality.