Month: November 2016

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Ashley X

Feminist, Queer, Crip by Allison Kafer is by far one of the most critically complex novels that has allowed me to attempt to grasp understandings of many different and unique situations. But the one chapter that stood out to me the most is the chapter on Ashley X. Ashley X’s story has not only brought into question my idea of ethics and morality, but a notion of reality and what is considered right and wrong. Every situation is unique to the people it is effecting because of different opinions, circumstances, and influences. But the case of Ashley X felt more universal in the sense that it could potentially happen to anyone, who in turn would be faced with the same moral dilemma. This blog post intends to question our idea of morality and whether an idea of right and wrong can be created around a situation that may be completely opinion based. But first fact and understanding that Ashley X is assumed to be at an infant level physically and mentally has to be accepted.

I genuinely do not know if their is an easy way to approach Ashley’s unique situation due to my moral standing. I personally believe that what I would do is considered my morals, and what I wouldn’t do is what I would consider immoral. But in the case of Ashley X, I genuinely understand the perspective her parents are coming from with the decision to surgically alter her physical and biological being. This is probably the only case where I can understandingly say that it may not be something that I may do if I were put in the situation, but I empathetically understand the angle that her parents are coming from.

There is no easy way towards this opinion and I understand that it may be different from others and that my opinion may change as I grow and have experienced more. But for my current standing I understand their position and do not hold it against them.

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The day after the election:No Hope?

The day after the election (Wednesday November 9, 2016), I had only one class, Psychology of Women. Waking into class that day was a little surreal. I did not know what to think, what to expect from the class but I knew something was going to happen. And I think everyone had the same feeling. There was little to no talking, and even if there was, it was whispers between friends about what had happened the night before. As we took our seats we were all on edge about the class, what is the professor going to say? Are we going to talk about what happened? Are we going have a class discussion about implication of a Trump presidency? Are we going to have an opportunity to speak our minds? Are we going to talk about whats the implication on women, minorities, the LGBTQ community, etc., and those with intersectional identity? No one knew the answer, which made the anxiety in the room increase. 

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Video Games, Representation, and Disability: What is Empowerment?

As a person who is considered disabled in mainstream American society, video games have become a way for me to escape feelings of marginalization and feel powerful. More specifically, Western role-playing video games that allow the player to design what their character will look like, as well as the specific attributes they will have, are a very effective escape from the marginalization I often feel as a woman of color who is considered disabled. The player character also becomes very physically and politically powerful over the course of the game and has a significant amount of control over the world around them, contributing to my feelings of empowerment.

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“Illegal” Immigrants

TW: Violence, shooting, election results, war

I hate using the word “illegal” as a label for a group of people. It is such a dehumanizing term. Something that is illegal on UMBC is smoking inside the buildings. An illegal item on an airplane is a whole bottle of shampoo or a weapon. No human being on earth is illegal. Earth is our home. Continue reading →

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Mental Illness, an existence defined by potential futures and progress

Warning: This blog contains around 1250 words. It could very well be an article in a journal.

In the previous part, I discussed that mental health is constructed by both individuals and society.

Then, what makes a certain state of mental health undesirable? What power is there in claiming a weakened state? Finally, what makes a “normal life”?

In order to understand these questions, it would be important to state the concept of “future”. It is, according to Wikipedia , what will happen in the time after the present, an inevitable event. I will add onto that definition, that future is also a nebulous concept that has not yet been determined. This has political power, in that one can create a variety of potential realities that could come into being as a result of [event].

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Disabling a Nation

After the results of 2016 presidential elections, many people seem to be nervous of what the future holds. Some group of people fear that they will be deported, some fear that their culture and/or religion will be targeted, and some fear their skin color will become even more of a bigly “issue” than before. Keeping this in mind, and relating this situation to Douglas Bayton’s article. One can argue that Trump’s victory has disabled or is going to disable variety of minority groups in the United States.  Continue reading →

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Is Our Campus Allergic to Accesibility?

I am an able-bodied person. I take advantage of this fact every day of my life as I walk around campus. At times I get winded or my legs hurt, but for the most part, I have no trouble walking to my classes, the dining hall, or common spaces on campus. As such, it is not immediately obvious to me and other able-bodied people around me how inaccessible this campus is. Every single one of my daily routes involves stairs. I hate them, but I can climb them. This is not the case for everyone on campus.

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