Understanding Inspiration Porn: The Objectification of Disabled Individuals, Exams of Music

Download Understanding Inspiration Porn: The Objectification of Disabled Individuals and more Exams Music in PDF only on Docsity! [Solemn Music] Kyle: Every day, people with disabilities everywhere try to do things, like go to the grocery store, go outside, and just live their lives. Everyday, able-bodied people come up to them and call them inspiring and tell them how happy they are to see them outside. Hi, I’m Kyle Khachadurian of The Accessible Stall, and I’m here to tell you to leave us the (bleeping sound) alone. Please. It’s all we want. We are people too. Why can’t you just (bleeping sound) see that? [Upbeat Music] Kyle: Hi, I’m Kyle Khachadurian. Emily: And I’m Emily Ladau. Kyle: And this is another episode of The Accessible Stall. Emily: That is not how I do it. Kyle: But it’s how we did it today. That’s what we’re gonna talk about. Emily: But you did it wrong! It’s supposed to be, and you’re listening to another episode of The Accessible Stall. Kyle: Well, you know this is the first time I did the intro so now it is my honor to tell you, Emily, that we’re gonna talk about porn today. Emily. No! Wait, that’s inappropriate! Kyle: Not that kind of porn. Emily: What kind of porn? Kyle: Inspiration porn. Emily: Oh, no! I don’t think I like the sound of that. Kyle: Why not? Emily: I don’t know, what is it Kyle? Tell me what it is. Kyle: You don’t know what inspiration porn is? What kind of disability advocate are you? [Emily laughs] Emily: Okay, clearly I know what inspiration porn is and also, it was kind of my idea to do this episode, and Kyle encouraged me to do it because I came to him because I saw instance number five bajillion six hundred and forty three thousand of inspiration porn whilst scrolling through the internet. [Party whistle] [Emily laughs] Emily: and I basically said that I am so sick of this, and we need to talk about it because it is driving me bonkers. Kyle: Right. So, for the good folks at home, Emily, how would you define inspiration porn? Emily: It is anything that uses someone who is disabled to evoke positive emotions in nondisabled people. Kyle: Anything that uses, that uses disabled people to invoke positive emotion in nondisabled people. That sounds pretty innocuous though, don’t you think? Like, when you define it that way. Emily: Well, I mean I don’t have the technical definition over here, that’s just what I would describe it as, but- Kyle: No, I agree with you, but the reason I say that is because it’s not a good thing, but the way you describe it it sounds sort of like it’s not a big deal, but it is a big deal, and that’s why we’re gonna talk about it today. Emily: Well, okay. So I think that it’s hard when it’s called inspiration porn because it kinda makes people stop in their tracks and be like what? Kyle: Yeah. Emily: But that’s also the point. Kyle: Well, the way I’ve always heard it is sort of like, it’s not just disabled people although we like to, you know, it happens to us the most, it’s not so much that it’s a disabled person that invokes positive emotion in one person like that’s not the sinister part. But the sinister part is it uses the disability specifically and ignores the person that does that and then the emotion that it evokes, although positive, is totally like vacuous, so it’s like all you’re doing is sort of looking at a poster something and feeling good that you’re not that guy, which is- Kyle: I’m sorry, yeah no, for the entertainment of the viewers. Emily: But anyway, so the word porn makes sense. I feel like that’s the part of the conversation that’s often left out of inspiration porn, but it comes down to being a form of objectifying people, so when you see me out and about, and I’m shopping and I’m in the grocery store and you say that it’s so good to see me out, you’re kind of objectifying me. All I’m doing is going about my business and you’re inspired by my existence, which I cannot control that you feel that way, but I wish you wouldn’t. Kyle: But I think you’re sort of talking about two things that are very intertwined. Emily: What? Kyle: Well, because it’s twofold. On the one hand, the problem isn’t that somebody’s inspired by you. The problem, or not even that you invoke inspiration in them. The problem is why? It sounds like from the way that you speak, the way that you’re telling the story. It sounds like because there’s no reason behind what you’re doing, whatever it is, the fact that they find inspiration from your existence rather than your accomplishments or doing something cool or something like that is the issue. Emily: Well yeah, because going to the grocery store isn’t cool. I mean, to be completely honest I happen to love going to the grocery store. Kyle: I mean, you know- Emily: But that has nothing to do with anything. And I mean I am the type of person who will get excited going through the aisles of the grocery store and spin my chair around in circles and pull things off the shelves and throw them in the shopping cart. Kyle: Why? Emily: I don’t know, I really like grocery shopping. That’s not the point here. Kyle: I know. But there’s a difference I think between being inspired and being objectified and also being inspiring, and I think that when you read an article about inspiration porn, you only hear about it from the perspective of the disabled person being objectified. And that’s completely valid and the worst part of it. But then, you know, what happens if a disabled person does something inspiring? Actually inspiring? Emily: Oh see I thought you were gonna say why don’t we interview the people who are inspired and find out why? And then I was gonna have to reach through the computer and punch you in the face. Kyle: You know what, I would love to but I wouldn’t even know where to find, I mean I do, all we have to do is go out and sit on the street corner for five minutes and one will show up. Emily: If you ask someone what they’re inspired about, it better be substantive. There better be a real reason. If it’s that I’m out and about and I overcame my disability enough to be out in public, then on my God. Kyle: Well it says a lot about the other person, doesn’t it, like how boring is your life that seeing another human being is an inspiration to you? Emily: Sure, but it depends on what that other human being is doing, which is what you were getting at before. Like if the person is being a baller, such as what we talked about in our last episode where the person such as Robin is doing something legitimately cool. Kyle: Yes, and is a really amazing athlete. Emily: Then sure, I’m inspired, but I’m not inspired solely because you have a disability. Kyle: Yeah, but I kind of am, and I say that as someone else with CP. It’s not that she’s inspiring to me only because she has CP, she’s inspiring to me because she can do something I can’t and has CP. And that’s where I think that there’s a huge difference because I think it’s, I don’t think that taking a person’s disability in with the accomplishments that they have or that they have done, and then using that to feel inspiring is inherently wrong, I don’t think that. I think that when you take only the disability and conflate it with something ordinary, it’s wrong. Emily: So I’m sort of contemplating this now. So are you saying that if someone disabled does something legitimately awesome, then yes, you are factoring in the disability, but it’s also sort of the same as if you were someone who really looked up to, let’s say, guitarists in a band, and so you look up to that guitarist and if they have some kind of unique story about how they got to where they were that would further impact how you looked up to them? Kyle: Absolutely, yes. But also if what they do is impacted directly by their disability. For example, there’s nothing about your disability that inhibits you from going to the grocery store except if the grocery store is inaccessible pretty much, and maybe a high shelf, but if somebody can do something extraordinarily well that their disability directly impacts their ability to do, then yeah, they’re that much more inspiring to me than if they weren’t disabled. But I don’t think that that’s a bad thing, I don’t. And I’m not just saying that in a way that suggests, oh I’m disabled too, I can say that, I genuinely mean that. Emily: So I guess there are disabled people that I look up to because they are disabled and also awesome, but for some reason, the reasons that I’m inspired still feel different to me than some of the reasons that other people profess to be inspired. Kyle: But they are, and they’re real, but their disability is still part of it. Now, I don’t think, I wouldn’t say that it makes you hypocritical because you have reasons and so do the people that are inspired by your existence at the grocery store. But the difference there at least hearing it from you, and interpreting it for me, is that there’s a difference between, you know, being disabled and accomplishing a lot and also, you know, X Y Z, in a world that already doesn’t like us, and oh, Emily went to the grocery store today. One is vapid and one is not. Emily: You know what I think that’s making me think about? Kyle: What? Emily: I wonder if anyone who’s ever said that it’s good to see me out has someone in their life that has a disability and that person is not quite as active. And so maybe they’re responding based on the fact, or you know what, I change my mind because I think that’s giving them way too much benefit of the doubt. Kyle: They might, you don’t know. Emily: I don’t know, but I think more to the point is they probably have seen someone on TV with a disability looking super pathetic, or they just have this overarching notion of disability is pathetic, and so when we as visibly disabled people are not fitting into that image in their head, then it’s surprising for them. Kyle: You know, I think that’s the heart of the issue. We can argue back and forth as to being inspiring because of disability is bad and being inspired because of someone who is disabled is bad, but that’s no big deal, in comparison, I think, to the reason why that is, which is that on a whole, in general, society thinks that disability is a bad thing. I think that if that wasn’t the case, then it wouldn’t matter. Or at least it would be a footnote instead of the entire reason of your being inspiring. Emily: I just wish that people would say that they find me inspiring after knowing things about me, and even then, I still get frustrated, so I’m not a hundred percent sure that I’m sticking by what I just said because as much as I at least appreciate if someone knows why they’re inspired by me and it’s more than just my general existence. You know, so for example, I travel a lot independently, and people are just always so impressed by that, and they always say “oh my God, good for you. I could never do that, I don’t know how you do that.” And for some reason, and maybe this is just me, I always feel like they’re saying it out of complete and utter shock and surprise that I, a very visibly disabled woman, travel independently and have a very hectic travel schedule. And for me, if somebody told me that they traveled all the time, when I would say I don’t know how you do it, I would literally mean, I don’t know how you, a human being, regardless of ability or disability, do it. Emily: No! Kyle: That’s funny. Emily: No! Kyle: Not that that matters. Emily: And I just- Kyle: I’m gonna say that too. Emily: Of course not. There are plenty of people who totally get it, and I just, it gives you pause because you realize that a lot of people in the world really think they’re doing the right thing by calling you differently abled or handicapable or patting you on the back. Like they honestly think that you’re so down that you need that. Kyle: You know what though? And this isn’t us, but there might be some who do. And that’s why, and I hate to say it, and I really do, but, you know, this is one of those moments where I’m like, we’re not representative of all disabled people, and although I think what we say is the most correct, that there’s more than just the vocal minority that we live in, you know? And I wonder often if there are people, ‘cause I don’t know any, who, when they’re out and about, shopping for groceries, really do appreciate that. I don’t, and you don’t, and I don’t think anyone we know does, but it really wouldn’t surprise me if there wasn’t someone out there who did. Emily: It’s all in the framing and the phrasing for me, I mean, there are times when I kind of do want someone to be like, hey, you put a lot of effort into things! I commend you for that! But again that all goes back to the recognition that this is a difficult place to live in, this world, if you are disabled. And so, I don’t want that recognition just for the sake of making the other person feel good. That’s what it all comes down to. Kyle: Well that too, yeah. Emily: My difficulties don’t exist to make you feel better about yourself. And that’s where the other problem lies with inspiration porn, and the same thing for pity porn, which I don’t think is as widely used a term, but nevertheless is a thing. Kyle: I think it’s more of a thing. It’s a shame that it’s not widely as used a term because I think that is much more accepted than inspiration porn is, because at least with inspiration porn, you can sort of see that maybe their heart was in the right place, but with pity porn, all it is is making themselves feel better for nothing. Emily: Yeah, so perfect example, and the whole thing that sparked this particular podcast is a picture, and I guarantee you’ve probably seen this at some point, a photo of someone with a visible disability asking you to click like or share on social media. Kyle: Or whatever, for like prayers or dollars, or whatever, or whatever. Emily: Or to say that you think they’re beautiful. Kyle: I just said “or whatever, or whatever.” That’s like the dumbest thing I’ve ever said in my life. Emily: No, it’s not, Kyle, I assure you. Kyle: Well, that’s oddly comforting. [Emily laughs] Kyle: God, you’re inspiring me so much right now. Emily: But I think that everyone’s probably, if not, okay, if everyone has not encountered the whole click like if you think this visibly disabled person is beautiful thing, then you have at least seen a photo of a disabled person doing something like athletic or whatever, and then it says “what’s your excuse” as the caption. Kyle: Or “the only disability in life is a bad attitude.” Oh my God, and you know, that’s a thing, that’s a thing. Emily: Dammit, Scott Hamilton. That’s who said that. Kyle: I said this on an episode that we lost, is I as a certified, card-carrying disabled guy person, know exactly what he meant. And it’s a shame, because the message, what he meant, I don’t think is entirely terrible, but I do think that the way that he chose to say it is probably, if you had to pick a worst way, have it scientifically researched and did focus groups and all that crap, I think he nailed it, you know? Emily: Yeah, it’s terribly put, but at the same time, the intention was all there but leave it to every nondisabled person to misconstrue it. Kyle: But that’s the, and again- Emily: Or maybe we’re wrong, I don’t know. Maybe he meant it like that, maybe he did mean that the only disability in life is a bad attitude and that if you have a bad attitude, then that’s what will make you suffer because you’re disabled or something. Kyle: Well, okay. If that’s what he meant- Emily: And keep in mind, Scott Hamilton was dealing with cancer, so not specifically a disability that he was born with or anything like that. Kyle: Acquired, I don’t know, that’s a whole different world. One that I will not speak on because that’s just far beyond what I’m capable of understanding. But you know, while we’re on the subject of attitude, I think that if you’re disabled, it pays to be, you know, if you’re gonna look at the world in a negative way when you already have physical disadvantages, you’re gonna have a worse time than if you just try to- Emily: Oh, that was the most Pollyanna thing you have ever said. Kyle: Polly what? Emily: You don’t know what Pollyanna is? Kyle: You’re gonna have to explain it to me. Emily: It’s like a reference to some very overly cheerful old character. Like, you’re such a Pollyanna. Kyle: Well I don’t mean, you don’t have to be cheery, if you are God bless you, but you don’t have to be. But I’m just saying, having a physical disability puts you at an immediate physical disadvantage for the world because it’s not built for us. Yes, okay, I’ll give you that it’s more society’s fault than whatever diagnosis you have, of course it is, but I think that if that makes you, if that turns into a cycle of woe is me, that you’re just not gonna have a good time. Emily: But you’re also illustrating this constant, vicious cycle that a lot of disabled people live in, which is that, on the one hand, if we’re down and out about how difficult it is to exist in this world, then we are the bitter cripple. And if we’re overly cheerful, then we’re like the disabled person who will never let anything get them down, and we’re just so happy to be alive and look at us out there inspiring everyone. So you can’t win. You can’t just be a person. Kyle: That’s a very good point, and I can’t stand it! I just, I’ve seen that. I can’t stand it. It’s true, you’re either just a bitter, disabled person or you know, you’re a walking ray of sunshine that you, as the walking ray of sunshine in the scenario, might not even wanna be. You might just, that’s a lot of pressure. Emily: I don’t wanna be either of those things. Kyle: No, that’s what I’m saying. Me neither. Kyle: I’m gonna say yes. Emily: No. Kyle: Well, my point is, when you as a person learn anything about another person that can fundamentally color every aspect of how that person sees the world, I’m not gonna blame you for treating them differently to a point. Emily: No, I blame them. Kyle: It’s something that you as the person observing it don’t know. Emily: No, take it into consideration but don’t treat me differently. That’s where you lose me. Kyle: See, I disagree because I, well, I agree with you to people that always treat you differently, people I was describing before, most people I say are good people, I think, maybe I’m just a little too optimistic. The people who only treat you differently when it matters, when they do take into consideration, and whatever situation makes it matter, I’m not gonna fault that. Emily: What kinda differently are you talking about? Are you talking about the differently where it’s like they respect your needs and understand the circumstances may be different for you so you may have to do something differently, so they plan something differently, or approach something differently? Or are we talking about the kind of treat you differently where they handle you with kid gloves because they know that you have a disability? I mean, I assume you’re talking about the first one. Kyle: I am talking about the first one. If you’re gonna do the special voice and talk down to me after say, after learning that I’m disabled, you’re the exact kinda person I was describing that I hate just a few minutes ago. I give you the benefit of the doubt to a point and that’s where my point stops. It’s one thing when you treat me differently when it matters like when it comes to really stupid niche access needs that I need, like I get that. I am different. But if you’re gonna treat me like, if you’re gonna patronize me or talk down to me or do stuff like that, or see me as an inspiration for leaving the house, then I just don’t like you. That’s all there is to it. I don’t care. You’re gonna be ignorant forever and it’s not gonna be my problem because I hate you anyway. Emily: No! See I don’t think these people need to be ignorant forever, I just really think that these people need a good talking to. Kyle: I don’t think they need to be, and I do think they need a good talking to, but if you’re gonna be that way to me, I’m not gonna be the one to do it. Emily: Mr. I love teachable moments? Kyle: I do, but there’s a point where it’s like I’m okay with some level of ignorance. I can’t imagine, I can’t expect everyone to know how to act in every situation about something that they don’t know, I cannot accept willful ignorance and that’s what that is. Emily: But I think that the root of all of this here, since we started out by talking about inspiration porn and pity porn, is that these sorts of things give people license to treat someone differently from the comfort of their chair, or the comfort of their own home, do you know what I’m saying? Kyle: Yes. You don’t even have to find a real one. Emily: Yeah, forget objectifying me or making comments in person, you know, the fact that disabled people are the subject of memes and gifs or jifs or peanut butter, whatever. Kyle: It’s gifs. Emily: I don’t know. Kyle: If you say jif, I don’t like you. Emily: Somebody said it was jif! Kyle: Yeah, the creator says jif, the creator invented it, okay, I’m the creator I can say whatever I want, but you know what you didn’t invent, though? The way letters are pronounced, and it’s pronounced gif, so shut up, guy who made gif. Emily: Is it really? Kyle: Yes. Emily: Choosy moms choose Jif. Anyway, hey peanut butter, wanna sponsor us? Kyle: No. Emily: I love peanut butter. Kyle: Me too, it’s the best, but I don’t like Jif. Emily: Anyway, I don’t like the idea that we seem to be one of the only populations of people that can just be so easily objectified by the click of a button. Kyle: For no reason, either. Emily: And I think it’s- Kyle: It’s literally for nothing. Emily: Yeah but as soon as I said that, it’s entirely not fair because I think about the hungry, starving children. Kyle: No, I think that that’s the same, they’re in, that’s the same type of thing. Emily: Yeah, so- Kyle: You’re not helping the starving children by pressing like on Facebook. Emily: You’re also not helping a disabled person by making their life more accessible. Kyle: What? Emily: In the same way, see we’re both getting excited by this now because we’re talking over each other but in the same way that you’re not helping a hungry person or actually feeding them a meal by hitting like, you’re literally just sharing this because it makes you look like a good person because you felt sad for a minute, and you want other people to know that you were emotionally bothered by this image of a starving, hungry, Ethiopian child, and then like, it’s the same thing. If it’s the disabled person, it is the same thing. You share it because you want other people to see what a kind, good-hearted person you are, that you care so much to take five seconds to hit share. Kyle: Right. And in reality, not only does it do nothing, but the person in the picture doesn’t know you did it, doesn’t care you did it. Emily: Or does care, because I’ve seen people who have had their pictures stolen. Kyle: Oh, well, I’ve never, I mean, if that’s ever happened to you, that’s a terrible thing. Emily: I know somebody who had their picture stolen. Kyle: Well that’s awful. Don’t steal other people’s pictures or likenesses or work, I mean, the internet’s a big, dumb place for that but that’s a terrible, terrible thing to do. But yeah, like you said, it’s the exact same thing, you know? You’re not doing anything but making yourself feel good for a minute because look how much of a decent-hearted person you are. Emily: And that makes me mad. Kyle: Me too. Kyle: Like, I’m pretty lazy, I probably could bodybuild if I tried. Emily: I’ve literally seen you pull yourself up by the subway handle. Kyle: See there, that’s my point, see? I can, I’m just lazy, but I mean that doesn’t make it any less inspiring. But you know what I’m saying. Whatever, Steve’s cool, man. Emily: Shout out to Steve. Kyle: Yep. I don’t know him at all but- Emily: I think that’s our takeaway for this episode. Steve is really cool. Kyle: Well, okay, if I have to do a takeaway for this episode, it would just be, you know, if you’re somebody who is out and about and you see a disabled person and you wanna call them inspiring, think about why, and if you can’t come up with something other than “look at him,” don’t say it. Emily: I would say that’s the exact same logic for should you hit that share button on that post. Kyle: The answer’s always no. Don’t do it. Because that’s even worse. Emily: I have a better idea. Any time you have the urge to share something that you think is inspiring or someone that you feel bad for who has a disability, go find a picture of a cute animal and share that instead, because we can all collectively ooh and aah over it and there’s nothing wrong with that. Kyle: Here’s a good rule of thumb: if somebody tells you to share something, don’t. Emily: Eh? It depends on the source, I don’t know if that’s a good rule of thumb because that really does depend on the source. Kyle: Anyway, well it’s very easy to see which things are bad. And that’s why it really bothers me, and I’m not just saying that as a disabled person who knows, I don’t think that it’s really that hard because if you replaced the disabled person with a person of a different race or a woman instead of a man or something, everyone would think that you’re stupid for saying that they’re inspirational because they’re a woman. So what? Lots of people are women. You see how dumb that sounds? It’s the exact same thing. Emily: Go find a cute puppy picture instead, is how I feel about this. Also, if you wanna feel inspired or get your warm fuzzies, go get yourself a video of a dog or a cat or a turtle or a pig using a little wheelchair made of legos or something. Kyle: Or just listen to our podcast because we’re inspiring, but not because we’re disabled, ‘cause we’re cool. Emily: I feel more inspired already. Kyle: Anyway, did you have any final things? We kinda did a simultaneous one there. Emily: Uh, yeah, I’m just gonna go with what I already said. Kyle: Alright, cool. [Emily laughs] Kyle: And on that note I guess, that is another episode of The Accessible Stall in the books there. Emily: Yeah, thanks for listening. Kyle: Really appreciate it. Emily: Bye! Kyle: Bye bye.