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Disability

Deviance Defining the Self

rebeccamec's picture

In Exile & Pride, Clare seemed to express his identity as manifest in his desire. This, to me, is the most apparent aspect of Clare's identity. Yes, in "The Mountain," expressed a wish to not have others see him in the context of making progress toward an ableist ideal. This comparison, further fleshed out through "freaks and queers," highlights this comparison to an ideal. My favorite aspect of Sociology is the study of deviance, and I frequently reflect on a quote by Howard Becker: "Instead of asking why deviants want to do things that are disapproved of, we might better ask why conventional people do not follow through on the deviant impulses they have." Identity is informed by others, but why must it be in comparison to an ideal?

Disability and Social Inequality

abby rose's picture

In her most recent post, Sunshine equated ableism with racism and articulated that "[c]learly, we should not try to make everyone look more white. Rather, we should try to eradicate racism." I thought this comparison really helped clarify the simple yet major message from Exile and Pride that it is not disabled indivduals that need to be changed, but the society we live in that compels us to see those with disabilities as flawed and in need of fixing. 

The Conundrum of Language

bridgetmartha's picture

Throughout the his introduction in Exile & Pride, "The Mountain," Eli Clare consistently describes himself using slurs--for example, many that the nondisabled have assigned to the disabled--'crip,' 'supercrip,' 'gimp,' etc. Some of these, he addresses and explores in depth what it means to identify with and reclaim these names. He works through the many meanings and usages of 'redneck' in a later chapter, tying it to how he identifies with his home while expressing the conflict it creates between his multiple identities, given that its most damaging, stereotyping usage is that taken on by "progressives, including many who are queer: ... 2. Used as a synonym for every type of oppresive belief except classism"  (qtd. in Clare 33).

Assigning Age/Maturity to the Disabled

smalina's picture

In his book Exile & Pride, Eli Clare writes, "Think again about the Labor Day telethon. Some of 'Jerry's kids' are 30, 40, 50 years old; they are no longer children, although Jerry Lewis claims them still. If you were to believe Jerry's pitch, you might believe that the children who appear on his pity fest leave his stage to lead tragic lives suspended until MDA finds a cure, rather than growing up to become adults with multi-faceted lives" (Clare 126). Here, Clare brings up a complicated relationship between people living with disabilities and the aged roles they are forced into.

Social Construct of Disability

Sunshine's picture

In Far from the Tree, Andrew Solomon wrote “One could argue that black people face many disadvantages in the United States today, but there is little research into how gene expression could be altered to make the next generation of children born to black parents come out with straight, flaxen hair and creamy complexions.”(pg 4) I do not think Solomon thought this thought through. There may not be research, but I do still think there is a desire. Many black women relax their hair so that it is smooth and thin and straight just like white women’s.