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Feminism, able-ism and their intersectionality
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I really like that in this class we discuss the intersextionality between various identities. Often it is only one "category" that is focused on in a text or discussion, but that can be and is limiting because humans are all so diverse and have various identities and personalities. Talking about ableism in class though I feel we really only touched on physical diablities, but what about the individuals with mental disalities such as ptsd, aspergers, deafness, depression, pyschosis? I am interested in the intersections between feminism, race, ableism, and classism, and how that plays out for various individuals.
Also on the conversation on Tuesday, we questioned what "disablity" actually meant, and who defines it. Like most hierarchies I feel that those in positions of power (or in some cases its just the majority) can create definitions, so those who are seemingly "able-bodied" categorize those who are different in appearance and stature as not abled (it is interesting to note that most dividing catergories between people are base only on what we see). But are we not all disabled in some way?
Also, I really like this quote I from Kai Erikson in his book Everything in its Path: "a person's mental health is measured less by his capacity to express his inner self than by his capacity to submerge that self into a larger communal whole". Many things in society are based on who's "in" and who's "out", and often those who are "differently abled" (as opposed to disabled which creates an "Other") are often left out.