In Exile & Pride, Clare seemed to express his identity as manifest in his desire. This, to me, is the most apparent aspect of Clare's identity. Yes, in "The Mountain," expressed a wish to not have others see him in the context of making progress toward an ableist ideal. This comparison, further fleshed out through "freaks and queers," highlights this comparison to an ideal. My favorite aspect of Sociology is the study of deviance, and I frequently reflect on a quote by Howard Becker: "Instead of asking why deviants want to do things that are disapproved of, we might better ask why conventional people do not follow through on the deviant impulses they have." Identity is informed by others, but why must it be in comparison to an ideal?

Throughout the his introduction in Exile & Pride, "The Mountain," Eli Clare consistently describes himself using slurs--for example, many that the nondisabled have assigned to the disabled--'crip,' 'supercrip,' 'gimp,' etc. Some of these, he addresses and explores in depth what it means to identify with and reclaim these names. He works through the many meanings and usages of 'redneck' in a later chapter, tying it to how he identifies with his home while expressing the conflict it creates between his multiple identities, given that its most damaging, stereotyping usage is that taken on by "progressives, including many who are queer: ... 2. Used as a synonym for every type of oppresive belief except classism"  (qtd. in Clare 33).

In his book Exile & Pride, Eli Clare writes, "Think again about the Labor Day telethon. Some of 'Jerry's kids' are 30, 40, 50 years old; they are no longer children, although Jerry Lewis claims them still. If you were to believe Jerry's pitch, you might believe that the children who appear on his pity fest leave his stage to lead tragic lives suspended until MDA finds a cure, rather than growing up to become adults with multi-faceted lives" (Clare 126). Here, Clare brings up a complicated relationship between people living with disabilities and the aged roles they are forced into.

DISABILITY, IDENTITY, CULTURE