You may work with "victims" but have you ever been one?
Probably vulnerability is not the right word, I have survived because I did and do.
My dad, an abuser was vulnerable in his own right, and it is a hell of a lot more complex in the experience of all of this historically than is supposed, my dad and my mum another of his "victims" were moulded in that ultimate era of victimisation the second world war.
It's all unfinished business though. Tonight I have heard yet another instance of the everyday disability hate crime that is being fostered by "Middle England" and there media outlets and influencers.
Who is not under threat of something far worse than marginalisation for we are becoming the next cause celebre for extermination, no less than that and those who can't see it will go all too gently into that goodnight.
Academic Ivory Towers are not going to protect any of us, it is real it is now. It's coming to a cinema near you!!!!
The trouble is that a word, one with an ancient latin root, introduced via the Norman Yoke and it's consequences perhaps, has been altered and corrupted as words are, by the "conspiracy" or more accurately the co-loquial and co-local smoothness of those who are better at new speak than I.
Larry
> -----Original Message-----
> From: The Disability-Research Discussion List [mailto:DISABILITY-
> [log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Vision Sense - Susie
> Sent: 25 November 2010 07:50
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Use of the word "vulnerable" and possible alternatives
>
> Dear Colleagues
>
> This is a very current debate and interesting to read your posts on it.
>
> Writing as a disabled woman who works with 'victims' (another problematic term!) and
> Survivors of systems and crimes, it's common that professionals often attempt to locate
> the label of 'vulnerable' onto myself and others (particularly young disabled people) in
> relation to service provision. It's a term I politically reject.
>
> 'Vulnerability' is direct contrast to the resistance experienced by Survivor identity and
> cultural pride delivered by disabled people with engagement with the Disability
> Movement, disability arts and outsider art; I consider it to be a disabling term which
> can damage the space where people can take their own agency.
>
> I've only ever heard oppressed people without a cultural identity as disabled, or people
> experiencing psychoemotional disablism (from hate crime, sexual violence or in
> segregated 'care') use the word 'vulnerable' about themselves and even then it may be a
> learned narrative; it's a 'serviceland' (thanks Crippen!) term that disabled people from a
> social model approach haven't chosen for ourselves.
>
> Gents may note that women working through feminisms and male hegemonies had this
> debate over thirty years ago, when we located as 'vulnerable' to sexual violence; even
> policy now recognises that women may be in situations at risk of rape or battering, but
> are not inherently 'vulnerable' as the problem is with the perpetrator or the lack of
> safety, not the subject.
>
> For a more eloquent discussion of notions of 'vulnerability' in criminal justice, see
> Disability and Society in spring 2011 (in press), when an article by Roulstone, Thomas
> and Balderston will unpick the notions in relation to disablist hate crime. Hollomotz
> work is excellent in resisting 'vulnerability' as a notion in relation to learning disabled
> people in institutional settings.
>
> In short, the 'care' and policy industries may promote the term, but may fail to grasp the
> correct grammatical subtlety offered by Erik! So I'm sticking with 'risk' and resisting
> the use of 'vulnerability' until someone can convince me otherwise..
>
> Best,
> Susie Balderston
> [log in to unmask]
>
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