You've got my vote!
Phyllis
On Fri, 15 Oct 1999, Shelley Tremain wrote:
> Lennard,
>
> I find it quite interesting that none of the individuals you name below
> have cognitive impairments, given the fact that infants with cognitive
> impairments are usually the most readily targetted for arguments of the
> sort Singer makes. Perhaps what needs to be questioned is what counts
> as "good in public" and "can handle an audience," who gets to make these
> judgements, and according to whose criteria. I suggest that the
> assumptions which, to me, seem embedded in your remarks below evince the
> sort of unacknowledged privileging of certain behaviours and skills in
> Disability Studies which excludes some members of disabled
> constituencies, members who have much at stake in arguments against
> Singer. Until those in Disability Studies become self-critical about
> the ways in which their own discipline reproduces the mechanisms of the
> academy that delegitimize and discredit people with cognitive
> impairments, they will be complicit in those oppressive practices.
>
> Best regards,
> Shelley Tremain
>
> Lennard Davis wrote:
> >
> > I'd love to debate with Singer. I spent all day yesterday driving from
> > Binghamton to NYC having my own private debate with Singer. Judging from
> > the response in my car, I won. But I WAS the only person in the car.
> >
> > This discussion only reiterates what I've been saying that we need to have
> > a PR/speaker's bureau. I can think of any number of people to add on to
> > Adrienne who would be able to argue Singer into a corner....Paul Longmore,
> > Tom Shakespeare, Rosemarie Thomson, Simi Linton, Harlan Hahn, Nancy
> > Mairs....there's no shortage of persuasive argumentive sorts amongst us.
> > And there's no reason we should not get pro-active about finding people who
> > like to argue, are good in public, can handle an audience, and then
> > assembling a list of would-be speakers. I hope that people will take this
> > issue up at SDS this year. I know there have been others who have
> > backgrounds in journalism, rhetoric, public speaking who have been
> > advocating this.
> >
> > In the meantime, I'll look into things like getting The Nation to host a
> > debate on this subject. If anyone has a venue they think would be
> > appropriate, perhaps we can stage further debates.
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > Lennard J. Davis
> > Professor and Graduate Director
> > Department of English
> > Binghamton University
> > Binghamton, NY 13902
> > 607-777-2770 Fax: 607-777-2408
>
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