January 26, 2022 - 20:00
The article in NY times by Liva Lehrer is especially moving to read, as it covered moral dilemma under special periods of time. Though the 21th century has made immense progress in technological improvements, mobility of resources and people across geographical and spatial boundaries, there are still many issues awaits us to tackle. COVID 19 revealed to us a public health system that is biased in its foundation, as resources are devoted to patients with a higher chance of survival. Under such medical resource shortage, the lives of those impacted by disability only struggled harder. One could not evaluate the worthiness of a life merely by statistics, as we are humanistic and meaningful beings. But how could we solve the issue in a better way? I believe it is crucial for the society to increase its acceptance of the disabled community, and to eliminate, if not oust the imaginery boundary, an invisible shield that lies between the majority and minority.
In the old days, people with physical and mental disability could end up in circus and earn a fortune based on their "quirky" outlook. Some famous examples include colonel thumb (forgot the exact name) which in film The greatest showman also appears. It is sad to see how capitalism has extended its tentacles not just to hinder the accessibility of those in need, but to earn profit based on people's desire to witness someone "unique" and "different" than us.
I really relate to the ten principles we discussed in class, especially to grant voice to those who are most impacted. It is vital to have those voices in the public, to let people appreciate the resistance and optimism they put on to cope with a world that is artificially not tailored to their needs. And it is crucial to appeal to their inner world, instead of drifting above the surface, being deterred by their appearance. Social media has made more unique voices bubble up, changing the perception we used to have about this great and amazing community.