Where is the Joel Burns clip???
nice reporting! one thing: 'wheelchair-bound' is really, really antiquated language. wheelchair-user = modern times.
@NifTnudel227: Well said! thank you.
@DeccaLeChat: thanks for yr thoughtful comment! i myself am a disabled woman, a wheelchair user, and would also not choose to be ablebodied. I think most people who've never experienced a disability assume disabled peeps would choose NOT to be disabled, though most disabled people I know don't feel that way at all. Granted, some definitely want things like cochlear implants and prosthetics, and that's their own decision and could be beneficial to them. Not everyone feels that way, however. Anyway, thanks! These discussions are really important ;)
@The Gays Have It: 2 of my friends are armless. they would both disagree with your position about 'fixing them.' neither would choose to have arms if given that 'miraculous' option. I've asked.
@libritech: Agreed! thanks for posting. the movie 'sound and fury' is a great exploration of this issue. [soundandfuryfilm.com]
@Hooplehead: Thanks for asking Hooplehead- love yr name. I personally love Jezebel and appreciate the enthusiasm the writers show for exploring different marginalized communities and systemic oppressions experienced by said groups. There seems to be a lot of great articles on race, particularly African-Americans, GLBTQ issues, fat acceptance etc. There's MUCH LESS talk about disability, disability culture/identity/discrimination (though I've recently seen some interesting posts such as on Britain's Missing Top Model). One concern I have is nondisabled writers covering these topics who have no experience/awareness in disability culture or disability theory. I don't think I've ever read a post from a disabled woman on this website, but if I missed it I apologize. From reading over these comments, I'm troubled by a lot of the knee-jerk ableism implicit in statements like 'it'd cost too much/be too much trouble to hire a disabled actor.' Again, the Lennard Davis HuffPo article iterates some very important points: we don't wear blackface any more so why do we get ablebodied actors to portray disability? and why is it hard for ablebodied people to understand how offensive that actually is? disabled people are the world's largest minority. I'm sure a few of us can memorize some words and perform them in front of a crowd.
I weighed in on this before, and it saddens me that so many Jezebel commenters just don't 'get' the disability stuff. Disability status doesn't seem to get the same validity as other identity politics on this website, and I haven't noticed any Jezebel writers discussing their own disability issues, so I'm guessing this community is not really part of the staff. (You can't have everyone from every race/sex/gender/disability/etc, I certainly realize that, but it'd be nice if Jezebel could include writings about disabled people BY disabled people. Lennard Davis, a noted disability scholar wrote about the Abigail Breslin controversy on HuffPo. [www.huffingtonpost.com]
@linnyt is a walking cliché: @dearestkatrina: I think you're missing the point. I wouldn't cast a white actor to play the role of w black person. I think it comes down to our culture not recognizing disability as a STATUS AND CULTURE not a medical condition. #helenkellerabigailbreslin
Actually check this link for a better analysis: [tinyurl.com] #helenkellerabigailbreslin
As a disabled woman, I NEVER see anyone on tv or in film who looks like me. If I do happen to see someone who looks like me, it's almost always an ablebody 'acting' disabled. It's absurd. People with disabilities, especially women, are continually excluded. [www.sag.org] #helenkellerabigailbreslin
love him
it'd be great if Jezebel didn't refer to people with down's syndrome as 'genetic problems.'
@Cry4Hemp: you're an idiot. why don't you go join a pro-eugenics group.
Ooooh I think I'm gonna love Sheena too
she actually looks human with a little bit of weight on her. she needs to get rid of those fugly shoes though.
I REALLY want to see this
