Watch this documentary!

[sasha_feather]

jesse_the_k posted about the best TV documentary she has ever seen, from "This American Life" with Ira Glass.

You should read her post, or you can go directly to the online video which is uncaptioned.

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I think I forgot to say it in my own journal! kaz, were_duck, and I have been collecting links on Feministing and disabling language and posting roundups in access_fandom. Check it out. It's cool to see people talking, cool to see so many voices.

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Generally for me, learning about disability is frankly a survival tactic: it gives me tools, resources, communities, ways of thinking that help me with a sometimes very challenging life. But I also think that DS is interesting to learn about, it is concerned with justice and feminism and anti-oppression, it involves ethics (always something I've been interested in), thinking about bodies and embodiment, thinking about the way we treat people as a society; it's about humanity, and the wrong messages we're given growing up, like how if you only try harder you can change, you can be better, stronger, smarter, prettier, more able; and how to undo some of those messages.

And even if you are able-bodied now, it is likely you won't always be, so, as Jesse says,
"Learning why disablism is wrong now will make your life easier later."

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

(blush)

[sasha_feather]

*air hug*

[thingswithwings]

I really appreciate all the work you do to link to disability studies stuff and to talk about it in regards to feminism and fandom and all! And I've subscribed to the access_fandom community, awesome. Thank you!

[sasha_feather]

Woot! Thanks, that means a lot to me. :)

[dersteinkauz.livejournal.com]

Wow. That was brilliant on so many levels.

If you don't have a way to watch the episode, let me know and I'll give you the login info for my Netflix account. The first two seasons of This American Life are available on "Instant Play." I have a feeling that you've already seen it though, since you mentioned that the video you linked to is uncaptioned.

[sasha-feather.livejournal.com]

Yep, I did watch it! I think it's up free for a limited time, as a promotion or something. I think I just need to get NetFlix again, because I miss TV. :)