The Leafs Welcome Terminally Ill Toddler

I was not planning on blogging anymore for the day but then the unhusband sent me an e-mail about three year old Tucker Patterson.  The following comes from the CBC.

Tucker Patterson, 3, suffers from Leigh's disease, a debilitating genetic disorder that has him confined to a wheelchair. He cannot walk, talk or eat, but was smiling as his father and twin sister wheeled him around the ice surface at the home rink of the Leafs on Tuesday.

Tuesday's skate came nine days after Tucker was denied access to a Hamilton rink. A rink employee told Tucker's mother Kari on Jan. 17 that the facility could not accommodate her son and his wheelchair.

"I was looking on the city of Hamilton website, and it stated in their mission values and goals statement clearly that all Ontarians with disabilities of any age are given equal opportunity to enjoy life," Kari Patterson said Tuesday.

The rink's manager promptly apologized to the family. Hamilton city manager Chris Murray told CBC News in an email the city "has a policy that is inclusive, not exclusive, and allows or makes accommodation for any and all our citizens."

He said the city will ensure there is "better communication with our employees regarding these policies."

A representative from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment heard Tucker's story and offered to have him watch a Leafs practice and tour the ice surface.

Click the image below and you will find a video of Tucker at the Air Canada Center cheering on The Toronto Maple Leafs.  I am warning you I cried like a baby.

Below is an excerpt from a letter that Tucker’s Mom wrote to The Leafs in thanks.

When Jason gave Tucker, Tori, Avery and our nephews the gift bags, they were so thrilled.  Then when Tucker received the warm-up suit, felt hockey helmet and then the brand new jersey – I nearly cried. I couldn’t wait to watch the practices and then see Tucker’s reaction to being on the ice for the first time (a very special father/son moment): I honestly don’t think it could get better than that.

I’m not even really a hockey fan but this story really touched me.  Thank you so much to the Toronto Maple Leafs for being a class act and asserting that everyone has a place in this world.

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Emily Blunt Makes Disability Fashionable

In a series of photographs featured in the Los Angeles Times Magazine, Ms. Blunt can be seen posing with crutches.   Isn’t she vulnerable and sweet?  Images of differently abled people rarely appear in mainstream media and to have an able bodied woman affecting disability not only creates the differently abled as invisible, it presents an unrealistic image of what disability looks like.

Crutches are not a fashion statement; they are a mobility aid. There is nothing chic about crutches because they help to mark a persons body as faulty to the outside world, due to our understanding of disability.  Crutches mean limited access, and exposure to disableism, therefore the idea that they can enter a fashion shoot in the same way as a pretty dress or a nice pair of shoes is highly offensive.

An injury or a disability often means pain and some cases chronic pain.  While Ms. Blunt is quite happy to hold the crutches because it costs her nothing, I daresay Ms. Blunt would be far more resistant to taking on the pain that comes with this mobility aid.  An able bodied person cannot represent a disabled person because they cannot know what it feels like or have an understanding of the limitations that are imposed. 

One of the ways in which we express power over others is through appropriation.  You can see this happen time and time again when Whiteness takes on parts of a racialized identity because it appears to be cool.  The above image is of exactly the same vein.  Who is represented in the media and how they are represented, often speaks loudly as to which bodies are valued. Why show a real differently abled person when we can have an able bodied person play that role?  This image asserts that the differently abled aren’t really meant to be seen, unless it serves some larger narrative.

H/T Jezebel

 

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Just Another Monday

Well here we go, the beginning of another work.  Please use this thread to chat about your weekend or simply whine about the fact that it is Monday and that there are forty hours to go until freedom.  This weekend I finally watched “Up in the Air” and everyone’s favourite Gus, Allison McCarthy forced me to watch “Flowers in the Attic” despite the fact that she has thus far failed to yell, I love Black people in honour of Black history month.  If that isn’t going above and beyond for friendship I don’t know what is.  Let it all fly and I will meet you in the comment section.

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Super Bowl Ad Fail:Dodge Charger Man’s Last Stand

Voiceover (over images of various men looking utterly morose and defeated): I will get up and walk the dog at 6:30am. I will eat some fruit as part of my breakfast. I will shave. I will clean the sink after I shave. I will be at work by 8am. I will sit through two-hour meetings. I will say yes when you want me to say yes. I will be quiet when you don't want to hear me say no. I will take your call. I will listen to your opinion of my friends. I will listen to your friends' opinions of my friends. I will be civil to your mother. I will put the seat down. I will separate the recycling. I will carry your lip balm. I will watch your vampire TV shows with you. I will take my socks off before getting into bed. I will put my underwear in the basket. And because I do this [cut to image of black Dodge Charger speeding on the open road], I will drive the car I WANT TO DRIVE. Charger: MAN'S LAST STAND. [The words appear onscreen in all caps. More images of car, set to Bond-like music.]  Transcript via Shakesville.

What would the Super Bowl be without ads which enforce gender normativity and a large dose of heterosexism?  His life is a complete misery because he has to participate in the world.  Were it not for the ball and chain he could be free to hunt and bang his chest at will.  Yes, a man’s life is nothing but suffering and duty.  He has no power, he is completely impotent all because of the evil matriarchy.  We’ll just ignore the reality of the double day that is a regular feature in women’s lives, the mehnz are suffering.  Quick, someone pass me an onion, I need to dredge up a tear.

Also, don’t you just love the idea presented by this commercial that all men are straight?  Real men are heterosexual beasts and therefore there is no need to even consider the fact that gay men do indeed exist.  How can we possibly talk about male oppression, if we for a moment admit to the existence of gay men? The issue here is that there is only one kind of approved masculinity and the matriarchy is stifling it. Oh Noes. Oh Noes.

Not to worry because all of that suffering will not be in vain, you can yet hold onto some of the privileges that the evil matriarchy is stripping away.  Thank God/Goddess (yeah the Goddess part was just to be PC) that the Dodge Charger exists.  You can unleash your inner heterosexual defeated caveman.  You can reclaim the freedom that you lost to support the evil ball and chain.  In that moment, when you hit the open road, you will instantly be transported back to a time when men were men. At last, an escape from the evils of female tyranny.

This was  but one of the many commercials that irritated me.  Feel free to share in comments some of your least favourites and why.

 

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What Counts as a Disability?

Just like any other identity, a disabled identity is highly disciplined. Those that are able bodied highly discipline the identity by attempting to decide who has the right to take this label, thereby justifying their disableism.  Last week I wrote a post entitled, “Disability when Accommodations are Imperfect”.  I am going to highlight a few comments on this post as an example of discipline.

There are countless millions dying of starvation around the globe.
This one American thinks she has it hard because her obesity (whilst I concede it is a disability, its a disability you gave yourself, sort of like if I were to cut of my legs little by little everyday, despite various health warning and people telling em to stop) makes it a little difficult to get on buses.
I know swearing is the sign of an inferior intellect, but seriously fuck you. Fuck you, and your bullshit.
You should be GRATEFUL that you live in a country where there is so much food, you can eat yourself to death. You should be grateful that whilst you are doing this, in the face of the dying millions, your government still has the heart to help you out as much as it can.
Again, I hate to be vulgar most of the time, but seriously, fuck you.

The above is but one of many that I received on that post.   We often look at an illness and decide whether or not we are going to have sympathy for a person based on whether or not we believe that they are responsible for their sickness, for e.g. few would have sympathy for a smoker who had lung cancer. While this position is extremely problematic, this is a subject best left for another day.

The Calvinism in our approach to health and well being is based on fear.   We believe that if we eat right, exercise, get enough sleep and somehow manage to avoid stress, that we can avoid disability.   No matter how socially accepting we claim to be towards those that are differently abled, our bodies are still understood to be irrevocably damaged and there is a real and concrete fear of a loss of able bodied privilege.  When someone is both fat and disabled, then fatness for many serves as a mitigating factor, even when the condition is not known to the person judging/disciplining.

When someone can point to fatness, suddenly it is believed that a person did not do all that they should have to avoid becoming disabled.  The fact that fatness is an indicator of illness is ignored to push a disableist Calvinist agenda.  We ignore the fact that medications like prednisone, which is a steroid can lead to massive weight gain no matter what a person eats or how much they exercise.  We don’t care that many anti-depressants will also have the same effect.  This is not a chicken and egg situation; the cure/treatment in many cases increases the likelihood that a spoiled identity will indeed attach itself to the disabled person.  Is it really better to be skinny and extremely ill than fat and healthy?

I suppose that having to exert yourself in a way besides using one of you fat fucking whale flippers to shove junk food in to your pig disgusting face is worst that the holocaust.
Eat heath you disgusting beast. You do not exercise and eat right and that is why you are a cancer to society.
I am an EMT and you fuck fat assholes break our fucking backs. Think about somebody besides yourselves for once. Plus you all have a shit-ton of medical complications which cost a shit ton.
For real, kill yourself, you're a plague on humanity.

When fatness and disability combine it is enough to make society attempt to force someone to closet themselves.  Fatness is perceived by many to be grotesque and disability reminds everyone that able bodied status is temporary for us all.   We hate because we fear.  The stark reality is that no matter how hard we work to achieve the mythical perfect body, some conditions are unavoidable. 

It is further ironic that cost is often cited as justification for hatred.  In a society that is based on consumption, it is quite ironic that when it is convenient we will discipline based on this factor.  The cost of dealing with the medical complications of obesity or even disability pale in comparison to those that we willingly burden ourselves with to support the ruling bourgeoisie.  This is not about real cost, this is about denying certain bodies the right to take up space.  If we were truly concerned with cost, our current predatory mode of exchange would long ago have been dismantled.  The fat person does not impoverish; however, the boss that daily pays you less than the value of your labour week after week most certainly does.

One of the most pervasive false rights that we daily act upon is the right to oppress another.  In so doing, we reify a hierarchy of bodies that traps us all into supporting the idea that those with privilege are necessarily valuable bodies.   If we engage in ‘othering” and false identification, it is most certain that these ideas will continue to flourish, thus ensuring that each person in time will be subject to some form of social discipline.  It is quite simple really, karma awaits for us all.  That which you send into the world will certainly be visited upon you.  

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Focus on the Family Super Bowl ad: both abortion AND motherhood matter

This is my latest post for Global Comment

CBS has traditionally maintained a ban on advocacy ads, but when the network announced their intent to relax this restriction, Focus on the Family took the opportunity to create an anti-abortion ad. Super Bowl commercials are assured to receive a high rate of viewership, not to mention the fact that football is generally a bastion of patriarchal masculinity.

The ad itself features the story of Pam Tebow, who was allegedly told by doctors during her pregnancy with Timothy Tebow that she should abort because she had a medical condition that threatened her life. Like all pro-life advertisements, this is framed as a “choice for life,” but the ad neglects to mention that Ms. Tebow made this so-called decision in the Philippines, where abortion has been illegal since 1870. Can a choice really have been made under these circumstances? And what to the meaning of the choice to become a parent in general? Could we be missing something important here?

Organizations like NOW and The Center for Reproductive Rights have been very active in challenging the position that this ad represents choice. In a letter to Matthew Margo [PDF link], the Senior Vice President of Program Practices for CBS, The Center for Reproductive services contend that considering the dire consequences for women who are found guilty of terminating a pregnancy, it is highly unlikely that Ms. Tebow was indeed advised to procure an abortion. Both NOW and the Center for Reproductive Rights assert that this is ad does not meet the standards that CBS has set regarding accuracy in advertising.

NOW and The Center for Reproductive Rights present a cogent argument to invalidate the claims made by both Ms. Tebow and her son, Timothy. Pro-life groups in the U.S. have a history of presenting the women who have chosen to keep their babies as emblematic of an anti-abortion stance without acknowledging that these women only had the ability to choose because abortion is a legal procedure in the United States. The absence of free will invalidates the argument that a conscious choice has been made.

Meanwhile, if Focus on the Family had chosen to highlight the story of a woman who had indeed chosen motherhood, would the current opposition to this advertisement still exist?

Finish reading here.

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Sunday Shame: Self Indulgence Edition

This is a guest post from the often incorrigible Sparky

The weekend is here and I am currently seeking sanctuary. Beloved has spent the best part of the week playing with fish tanks and I'm rapidly considering whether living in a desert would be so bad. Work is piling up, I'm behind in everything and my grey hairs are growing. And the cat keeps missing her tray and hitting the mop bucket - and nothing ruins your day than realising that Beloved hasn't actually mopped the kitchen floor but has actually coated it in a thin layer of cat's urine.

So I'm in full blown whine mode. There may be flouncing. There is certainly a danger of huffing. Pouting is certainly on the agenda.

It is therefore absolutely NECESSARY that I indulge, methinks. All right thinking people agree.  The mobile is turned off, the land line ringer turned down.

So far breakfast has been a full English (and is there any comfort food in this world better than bacon?) with every trimming imaginable. And quite a few that shouldn't be imagined for the arteries panic at the thought of them. Also, it was served around noon.

I've spent most of the day in the bath with a large (and now very empty) bottle of Baileys (with a hint of coffee no less. Gods this stuff should be banned as an illegal drug). And my extra fancy, ridiculously expensive percolator (which we all condemn beloved for buying, of course) is churning out extra rich fair-trade coffee to which I am adding double cream and Tia Maria.

Oh and it's 6:30pm and I'm still not dressed. I don't intend to change this state of affairs. I am also listening to my amazing music that you all failed to hail as the best thing ever last week (shame, shame on you all!)

I  have a cake. A very big cake. With chocolate on it.  I may or may not let Beloved have a sliver. A small sliver. Actually no, it's mine. He has his fish.

A small part of me feels guilty for being so shamefully indulgent. I take this as a sign that I haven't drunk enough yet and am opening the rum.

So, 'fess up, what's your utterly over the top self-indulgence? Is it lying in the bath until the water goes cold? Killing your arteries with bacon, or cuddles with cute furry animals?

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Drop It Like It’s Hot

 Hello everyone, I would like to thank you for another wonderful week of conversation.  This week I decided to attempt to make the blog more accessible by increasing the size of the font.  Please let me know how this change is working out for you. 

I also wanted to remind everyone about the open guest posting policy here at WM.  Please feel free to either send your original work or a link via e-mail if you would like to participate.

Below you will find links to posts that I found interesting this week.  Please note that I did not read the comment section.  Please take the time to show these bloggers some love and check them out.  When you are done, don’t forget to drop it like it’s hot and leave your link behind in the comment section.

Use of Gender Based Statistics in Calculating Damages in Personal Injury Cases

The Republican Conservative Dichotomy

The NHS funding EX GAY THERAPY

Why Do So Many Men Die As A Result of Domestic Violence?

The Miracle Woman

The Thirteenth Carnival of Feminists

The Eyes Have It

Black Mystery Month

When the people that claim to help are the problem

Prince of Peace, My Ass

The Ugly Art of De-Gaying

“Million Dollar Blocks”: Incarceration as the New Jim Crow

Racism, Sexism, Homophobia and Black Folks

Rights- Uganda: Fugitives In Their Own Country

Do You REALLY Trust Women?

Babies going once, going twice…SOLD! (To the nice A-merry-can with the two car garage.)

Temporarily Able-Bodied: Useful, but not always true

The (Troubled) Black History of the Oscars

Why Online Gaming is a Hostile New Frontier

Handling Internet Ike Turners

 

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Call for Submissions: Queering Sexual Violence

An anthology of LGBTQ writers, survivors and activists confronting heterosexual privilege and the gender binary system while creating a dialog about the limitations of the anti-sexual violence movement in hopes of creating change.

Edited by Jennifer Patterson

Queering Sexual Violence seeks 20- 25 LGBTQ writers who are interested in submitting pieces that confront the current state of our anti- sexual violence climate. Part memoir/ part criticism/ part call to action, this anthology seeks to address the limitations of a society that is not only unequipped to deal with rape culture but also unable to look at it without the lens of heterosexual privilege and through the interests of a gender binary system.  The anthology seeks to destroy the image of the “perfect survivor” and motivate the anti-sexual violence community to embrace a more radical perspective in order to foster sustainable change.

For general purposes, the definition of Sexual Violence attached to this anthology is as follows:

Sexual Violence is an unwanted or non- consensual act, whether completed or not, that is sexual in nature and violates a person physically, emotionally, spiritually and/or politically.

To be more clear, Sexual Violence can be a range of non-consensual sexual exchanges, from unwanted interactions on the street, to non- consensual rape from either a stranger or within a relationship, to incest or also invasive sexually based comments in regards to ones gender presentation or identity, among many other things.

The pieces submitted should be of the writer’s personal experience and explore the intersections of ability, sexuality, race, class, religion, citizenship, gender identity, sex, age, ethnicity and how these either magnify or minimize your experience/ work and your history with sexual violence. I encourage you to write about living as a  “survivor” but also the ways in which you navigate and celebrate not being a “typical” survivor (as I am sure most of us are not, by the larger societal definition.)

I believe that organizing from the center of our many different and overlapping marginalized communities could do nothing but improve the current anti- sexual violence movement.

I am looking for pieces 1200- 2000 words, Times New Roman Size 12, double-spaced in length. Upon publication, I will supply moderate compensation for pieces picked.  Also, please provide a short bio (150 words or less) with your submission.

Please send submissions and/ or questions to queeringsexualviolence@gmail.com by March 31, 2010. For extension requests, please write.

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It’s Friday And The Question Is….

Spring is fast approaching and in my neighbourhood this means the return of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and The Mormons.  Each year despite my sarcastic commentary, they decide to knock on my door in an attempt to convert me.  At any rate, I am looking for new lines in preparation for the invasion of what I like to call the God squad.  What do you say when you open the door and find Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons attempting to convert you that gets them moving quickly?

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