Hello, reader. How are you doing? Do you like disabled comedy? I hear comedy about race and fatness. But disabled comedy is my new favorite.
I recently heard Tina Friml for the first time. The first performance I heard, I cried through the whole thing.
Why did I cry? I found it moving; I relate to her. The dating part really got to me.
Dating men as a woman with cerebral palsy sounds harder than dating as a fat person. Wow. I love her analysis of the men saying they’re “open minded” and “down for anything.” What a lie! Most people don’t know themselves. Dating profile cliches hurt.
normalize disability
I don’t love normal–normal is so overrated. But I don’t know another word for how I want to normalize disability.
Disability is not weird, rare, and over there. Disability is common, all over the place, despite it being swept under the rug.
- ignored
- downplayed
- demonized
- flat out denied
We can do better. I want to come out as disabled and speak about disability justice whenever I can.
I don’t want to put disabled people like Tina Friml on a pedestal or turn them into inspiration prrn. But I must admit they are my hero. Anyone is my hero who speaks the truth to people who might not want to hear it. I’m guessing that she does a lot of good, being real about who she is and how other people hurt her for it.
questions for discussion
- What would you like normalized?
- Do you know a better word for that concept?
We could say “de-stigmatized” or “accepted,” but what I want is something more than that: Acknowledgement of how disability is expected, a common, neutral aspect of the human experience.
- Are you disabled?
- If you’re not disabled yet, do you have a guess about how you might become disabled?
- Do you really believe in your heart of hearts that all people are equally worthy and deserving of respect, resources, and a good life?
- How do you work toward equality?
- What are a few things we could change about culture, to have more justice for disabled people and all people?
4 replies on “disabled comedy”
If you’re not disabled yet, do you have a guess about how you might become disabled?
…Not beyond predictable aging, but Peggy Seeger wrote a great song, “Woman on Wheels” that she either introduces with, or includes this line I recall frequently as I move through my privileged spaces: “We’re all only temporarily able-bodied!”
gmorning, Jack. yes, many people are born abled. I don’t think I’ve heard that song.
Thank you for this and introducing me to Tina Friml. I’m wondering about other words for normalized in this context. I don’t know. Perhaps “shared” or “understood”?
thank you for these ideas. happy to share with you! hugs!