I, like many women, buy into patriarchal standards of beauty every day. I very rarely leave the house without make-up. I dye my hair. I wear clothes that I choose carefully for how they make me look to the outside world.
Stella YoungRead
It's undeniable that what we are taught as a culture to believe about disability is at odds with traditional notions of masculinity.
Interpretation
Cultural beliefs about disability clash with traditional masculine ideals.
Stella Young's quote highlights the conflict between societal perceptions of disability and the conventional expectations of masculinity. It suggests that the mainstream cultural narrative often marginalizes those with disabilities, positioning them in opposition to the traits commonly associated with masculinity, such as strength and independence.
In practice
During a panel discussion on disability rights, this quote could emphasize the need to challenge societal norms.
I, like many women, buy into patriarchal standards of beauty every day. I very rarely leave the house without make-up. I dye my hair. I wear clothes that I choose carefully for how they make me look to the outside world.
We often hear that people mean well: that so many just don't how to interact with people with disabilities. They're unsure of the 'right' reaction, so they default to condescension that makes them feel better in the face of their discomfort.
In my own home, where I've been able to create an environment that works for me, I'm hardly disabled at all. I still have an impairment, and there are obviously some very restrictive things about that, but the impact of disability is less.
We fill our lives with all sorts of things that make it easier for us to get along in the world: wheelchairs, crutches, grabber sticks, hearing aids, canes, guide dogs, modified vehicles, ramps, as well as other kinds of services and supports. Disability does not necessarily mean dependence on other people.
For me, disability is a physical experience, but it's also a cultural experience and a social experience, and for me, the word 'crip' is the one that best encapsulated all of that.
We are a society that treats people with disabilities with condescension and pity, not dignity and respect.
That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful.
It seems to me that man is made to act rather than to know: the principles of things escape our most persevering researches.
It was the contemplation of God that created men who were equal, for it was in God that they were equal.
The whole of existence is dancing, except man. The whole of existence is in a very relaxed movement; movement there is, certainly, but it is utterly relaxed. Trees are growing and birds are chirping and rivers are flowing, stars are moving: everything is going in a very relaxed way. No hurry, no haste, no worry, and no waste. Except man. Man has fallen a victim of his mind.
Every civilization sees itself as the center of the world and writes its history as the central drama of human history.
And death shall have no dominion. Under the windings of the sea They lying long shall not die windily; Twisting on racks when sinews give way, Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break; Faith in their hands shall snap in two, And the unicorn evils run them through; Split all ends up they shan't crack; And death shall have no dominion.
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