sasha_feather (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sasha_feather) wrote2011-03-21 08:29 pm
sasha_feather) wrote2011-03-21 08:29 pm
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The Power of the Right Metaphor
I was reading the other day at This Ain't Livin' about the Ashley X case: On Growth Attenuation and Moral Compromise. A warning: This is an upsetting case to read and learn about. (Thanks torachan for the link).
I first heard about this at a talk I went to where a candidate for a professorship was giving a slide show and lecture focused on disability. During the Q and A someone raised the issue of the Ashley X case. The questioner summarized the controversy and some discussion ensued. I remember that one young woman in particular seemed confused and defensive/uncomfortable.
The presenter, whose name I unfortunately do not recall, let the discussion go on for a bit before stopping it. She said, and I paraphrase, "All of the medical details can get confusing and upsetting, so I like to use a metaphor. Imagine you are caring for your elderly grandmother. It's difficult to get her up and down the stairs and into the tub because she is a tall woman. So, to fix this problem, you decide to cut off her legs to make her smaller."
That silenced the room.
torachan for the link).I first heard about this at a talk I went to where a candidate for a professorship was giving a slide show and lecture focused on disability. During the Q and A someone raised the issue of the Ashley X case. The questioner summarized the controversy and some discussion ensued. I remember that one young woman in particular seemed confused and defensive/uncomfortable.
The presenter, whose name I unfortunately do not recall, let the discussion go on for a bit before stopping it. She said, and I paraphrase, "All of the medical details can get confusing and upsetting, so I like to use a metaphor. Imagine you are caring for your elderly grandmother. It's difficult to get her up and down the stairs and into the tub because she is a tall woman. So, to fix this problem, you decide to cut off her legs to make her smaller."
That silenced the room.