To all
Not being a fan of political debates I have kept quiet for
a long time during this discussion. However the question
of labels is directly related to the essay I am writing.
My own view is that labels are regretable most come about be
what seems to logical necessity and societial demands for
identification. Disabled is merely the rule of negation
introduction applied to the term abled. This is just to
assume the opposite is the case. The term maybe harsh when
used in the right context but at least it is lingusitically
accurate, unlike cripple or handicapped. (See the work of W
V Quine.) The meaning attached to it by society does not
change much when the context it is used does
However is any label positive? Disabled people are not
Gods only lonely people. Many people who have seemingly
harmless labels attached to them hate/d what they implied.
Stephen Hawking hates being called an instrumentalist or a
positivist scientist. The composer Philip Glass hates
being called a minimalist. The painter Francis Bacon hated
being called Expressionistic and so on.
The important thing for me personally is what we liked to
be called ourselves and what it means to us personally.
Thiugh I do not call myself it if "cripple" just meant for
me "disabled" then that is my choice. As long as I do not
force that definition on to others.
Michael
----------------------
M.G.Peckitt
[log in to unmask]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|