After reading about the past topics about transgender/transsexual people and ableism, I noticed a common theme amongst the authors of the articles in each section. It is one of “queerness that includes queer bodies, queer politics, and queer coalitions” (Calling All Restroom Revolutionaries! article). In the case of the restroom, it shows that not only are disabled and transsexual/gendered people apart of the group, but mothers with infants and even obese people (ever noticed how tiny some bathroom stalls are?). This makes me wonder, “Who isn’t queer? And what does the non-queer look like? It points to the fact that the classification of these different persons is being done because there is some sort of deviation from the “norm.”
Again and again, we see that sexism—meaning a threat to the male identity—has something to do with many different kinds of oppression. What is it about this image of the white powerful, athletic, assertive, successful, [whatever other desirable adjective you wanna throw in there] male that makes it the symbol of what is the norm? I know it has something to do with economics and political power. The unfortunate thing about this whole ideal image of what a non-queer person looks like, is that it actually hurts everyone. This includes white males because very few probably measure up to this image, which is reflected in the prevalence of bullying amongst middle and high-schoolers.
Using Drama
After watching the movie about bullying and the council member’s urgent cry that bullying needs to stop in schools, I thought about how this would happen. What are some of the things that a school could do in order to educate the students about it? I thought that drama would be a powerful way to teach kids about the harmful effects of bullying. I looked online to see if there were any such groups. I ended up finding an article that talks about the unique ability of drama to help students step into the shoes of another person. It is a useful tool for increased awareness about bullying.
Here is the article: http://www.education.com/reference/article/using-theatre-to-decrease-bullying/?page=2
I also found an organization that performs educational dramas in schools across the country followed by talk-back sessions. Check it out: http://www.respect2all.org/
Personal Experience
Our discussion about learning disabilities in school along with the article about Asperger’s Syndrome reminded me of my own cousin who has AS. He is extremely bright and witty, and yet certain expected social behaviors haven’t developed. He has a hard time recognizing when to take something as a joke due to a very literal understanding of things. In seeing his experiences with the school system, I realize that a person with disabilities can feel that the school system is like a lottery. That’s literally what happened because my aunt entered my cousin into a lottery drawing to go to a charter school for this year and he was chosen. Even still, she has had to keep a close watch in order to make sure that he gets all of the resources he is supposed to within that school. I can’t imagine how it would be for him if he didn’t know that he had AS, like the article described.
I want to leave you with this video about a talented basketball player who has autism. We need more coaches like this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHl1d4eWkiI
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