Jes Sachse's Genetic Disorders

What comes into one’s mind when they think of a disabled person? Most people feel pity and embarrassment, and feel these disabled people are nothing but useless. In “Disability,” writer Nancy Mairs discusses the experience of being a disabled person in a world focused on strong and healthy people. The danger in this single story is that people with disabilities are discriminated against and put away with forgotten care. Mairs states, how debilitated individuals are continually barred, particularly from the media. People with disabilities are the same as the average American person, but because they are disabled, they are seen as meaningless human beings and

In Nancy Mairs’ article for The New York Times, “Disability”, published in 1987, she expresses her distaste with the media's representation of handicapped people. Mairs, who struggled with multiple sclerosis herself, clearly and sharply conveys this disgust by stating, “I’m not, for instance, Ms. MS, a walking, talking embodiment of a chronic incurable degenerative disease.” (Mairs 13), and that she is actually, “the advertisers’ dream: Ms. Great American Consumer. And yet the advertisers, who determine nowadays who will get represented publicly and who will not, deny the existence of me and my kind absolutely”(Mairs 14). Mairs is greatly upset that disabled people are defined by their disabilities and, therefore, are underrepresented in public media. This might lead to one asking themselves, but why are they? And the answer, according to Mairs, is quite simple, “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of daily life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anybody’s life”(Mairs 14). Mairs concludes by pointing out how this effacement could have dangerous consequences for both disabled people and, as she called everyone else, TAPs (Temporarily Abled Persons) alike. Treating disabilities as an abnormal characteristic (as opposed to viewing them “as a normal characteristic, one that complicates but does not ruin human existence” (Mairs 15)) can cause one of these repercussions, as it makes the

This article begins with Mary Forr discussing how society has reached the point where people with disabilities are faced with the greatest form of discrimination available and how this type of discrimination grows when other persons within society get rid of individuals who have any genetic differences through abortions. Next Forr discusses the history of discrimination and how person with disabilities have been treated as “less than human.” Forr even gives and excellent example of this when she quotes Aristotle, “Let there be a law that no deformed child shall live.” In this instance Forr explains how the child was seen as a liability on the society in which it lived in and the child’s death was determined to be a greater benefit. Forr continues

Society’s ideological constructs and attitudes towards minority groups are created and reinforced through media imagery. Although negative associations that maintain inequities with regard to race, gender and homophobia (Conner & Bejoian, 2006) have been somewhat relieved, disability is still immersed in harmful connotations that restrict and inhibit the life of people with disabilities in our society.

Once again, concerns of eugenics come into play, and because it was widely believed that defects in mind and body inevitably reflected lacks of moral quality and character. As Baynton observes, American criminologists were quick to seize upon the disabled as explaining criminal nature. Immigrants were often described as “degenerate and psychopathic types,” so certain physical characteristics of European populations became identified with a criminal “type” (Baynton, 2011, 20). This in turn reflects the thinking of the 19th century's eugenics advocate, Albert Wiggam, who asserted that good-looking people tend to be morally superior to ugly people, and that the mating of good-looking men and women should be greatly encouraged (Mitchell, Snyder 91). This is a critical reality, and one explaining why, even today, the disabled create senses of discomfort among much of the population. In Western thinking, there remains an association between moral character and physicality, despite the reality of this as irrational. It is arguable that “normal” people feel the need to justify their discomfort with the disabled, and view such individuals as somehow deserving of their limitations. Similarly, it may be that guilt triggers feelings going to marginalization. However it has happened in the past and occurs today, however, there is no

The article “introducing disability Studies” by Ronald J. Berger was an eye opener in uncovering the past history of negative stigma associated with having a disability. Through history people have felt the need to stare at people with disabilities or to turn away in fear of maybe contracting the “disease”. This negative attitude was positively reinforced by ordinances such as the Chicago “ugly law” in which a person with physical deformities would have to pay a fine for simply being too “disgusting” looking to other citizens. This law was in place from 1880 to 1973, which is pretty recent in history. However there are positive glimpse in history when it came to uncovering and defining disabilities. Men like Leo Kanner and Asperger have dedicated

Tay Sachs Disease is an inherited disorder that kills nerve cells in the brain, and also in the spinal cord. A couple of things that could cause this mutation is a missing enzyme. This is an enzyme called ganglioside, that is a fatty substance. Another reason why tay sachs could appear is a change in chromosomes. This is chromosome number 15. The gene is the HEXA gene, or hexosaminidase A. This is a recessive disorder that you can only inherit if both parents have tay sachs. Some symptoms to know if you have this disease is weakened muscles, startling of loud noises, seizures, hearing loss, blindness, and paralysis. If you’re an infant and you have tay sachs disease, you will start to gain abilities, like crawling, but then start to lose them.

Teenagers all across the country contain a fascination in determining who they are especially when shown through fashion. This passion to show who one is, is not racist or ableist, it's just an emotion that many teenagers face while learning who they are. From this passion they style their ideas and clothing choices off the magazines and stores they constantly see. From back to school sales to black friday shopping, advertisements that are posted influence what teenagers spend their money on. One of the most prominent teenager stores would be American Eagle. American Eagle might be a worldwide organization, having clothes on teenagers in every corner of the globe, yet its representation

Wendell’s article relates to intersectionality; she says, “Disabled women often do not feel seen (because they are often not seen) by others as whole people, especially not as sexual people. Thus, part of their struggle against oppression is a much harder version of the struggle able-bodied women have for a realistic and positive image.” (p.10) Disabled people is closely linked to the cultural oppression of the body. We look at disabled people as if they are not people, as if they are not a part of the “norm.” The ideal image, in our society, shapes the way that people think and glorifies the beauty “norm.” We are shaped to believe that there is a certain type of beauty, we see it on TV and we are framed to believe if you don’t look that way then we not beautiful. This perception can cause people to be uneducated about the disabled. The disabled are looked at as weak, dependent, unhealthy, and more. This explains the issue of the intersectionality that women experience and the different perspectives that we think and that we learn

In “On Being a Cripple,”  Nancy Mairs describes her life as a “cripple,” being treated different for her multiple sclerosis. She describes how society views her as handicapped or disabled both which are terms that the author dislikes.  Her viewpoint makes readers question their own beliefs on how the terms handicapped, disabled, or cripple influences a person to think differently about each term and its meaning. One of the reasons I chose this essay was because the author shows how different terms could affect the way society thinks about a person. Mairs believes that society often judge others based on their physical appearance and use the terms handicapped, disabled, or cripple to label. She argues that the outcome of this is creates an idea where being a cripple, or being disabled is considered a taboo where you're expected to be treated differently. Mairs claims that society i

In the media today, people with disabilities are perceived as tragic heroes or as medical miracles. They are rarely seen for their intelligence or for their accomplishments excluding their overcoming disability hardships. The textbook, Everything’s an Argument, contains an excerpt from Charles A. Riley II 's book “Disability and the Media: Prescriptions for Change.” Riley, a journalism professor at New York’s Baruch College, uses appeal to ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade his audience that their methods of portraying disabled people are in dire need of change.

We are constantly surrounded by images of the “perfect” woman. She is tall, thin and beautiful. She rarely looks older than 25, has a flawless body, and her hair and clothes are always perfect. She is not human. She is often shown in pieces – a stomach, a pair of legs, a beautifully made up eye or mouth. Our culture judges women, and women judge themselves, against this standard. It is forgotten that “beauty pornography”, as Wolf says, focuses on underweight models that are usually 15 to 20 years old. Flaws, wrinkles and other problems are airbrushed out of the picture.

A controversy in the field of intellectual disabilities is whether or not families should be able to choose cosmetic surgery for their child with Down Syndrome. (1) Some people believe that children who get the cosmetic surgery will be accepted by others in their life time, whereas others say the surgery has too many physical risks (Suzedelis, 2006). A child with down syndrome getting a cosmetic surgery could cause identity crisis issues later in life and could create and gives off a negative message to society (Duff, 2008). The negative message related with this type of cosmetic surgery is that in society everyone has to look similar to be excepted when that should not be the case. On the other hand, people are saying that getting plastic surgery for children with down syndrome will increase

Feminine attributes, such as breasts, are not uncommon, but at times are perceived as unacceptable for public view. Notably, a perspective which may influence individuals to shame women for possessing or embracing their inborn traits. The truth of the matter is breasts, although different to the male breast remain just an extremity to the human form. Although, society does appear to desensitized the male counterpart. Nevertheless, women are incarcerated for exposure, whereas men are not. In short, creating a driving beacon for individuals craving

In today’s society we let the media decide everything in our lives from what clothes we should wear, music we should listen to, and how we should look. One of the biggest problems that both men and women face is body shaming, because the media sets standards for young kids and young adults., they often times try and fit the description of “perfect” which leads these people to either be depressed because they do not look like people want them to look or harm themselves in order to achieve the desired look. The most common ways the media shames both men and women are by celebrities and how they are the “perfect” body, publishing magazines of what is the ideal man and woman, and by the people who believe being “too” fat is bad and being “too” skinny is bad.