Comments on: Recommended Reading for November 18 http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/18/recommended-reading-for-november-18/ FWD (feminists with disabilities) for a way forward Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:07:39 +0000 hourly 1 By: Nomie http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/18/recommended-reading-for-november-18/#comment-2894 Nomie Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:24:33 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=1283#comment-2894 Also on the prosthetics, this line: <em>The case of Oscar Pistorius is yet another example of a certain kind of modern public debate, immediately hobbled by irrational superstition and crippled by incomprehensible fear.</em> ....eesh. *facepalm* Also on the prosthetics, this line: The case of Oscar Pistorius is yet another example of a certain kind of modern public debate, immediately hobbled by irrational superstition and crippled by incomprehensible fear.

….eesh. *facepalm*

]]> By: Meg Thornton http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/11/18/recommended-reading-for-november-18/#comment-2884 Meg Thornton Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:33:16 +0000 http://disabledfeminists.com/?p=1283#comment-2884 With regard to the hi-tech prostheses matter, what makes me cynically amused is the way it's a perfect example of how some people who aren't marginalised get almost unbelievably terrified when it appears a marginalised person might just be able to compete on an equal footing (as it were) to themselves. The same sort of thing happened in the Caster Semenya case ("oh my god, the Chinese are going to start forcibly selecting intersex people and making them compete as women in athletic events to win more gold medals" - this was an actual worry someone mentioned). Let's face it, in order for someone to be able to obtain the high-tech prostheses in the first place, they need to be pretty damn privileged - I'm willing to bet my eye teeth those things are far from cheap. They're also going to be running at the highest possible levels - we're not likely to be overtaken by someone with a pair of Cheetah prostheses running for the number 9 bus to work each morning. With regard to the hi-tech prostheses matter, what makes me cynically amused is the way it’s a perfect example of how some people who aren’t marginalised get almost unbelievably terrified when it appears a marginalised person might just be able to compete on an equal footing (as it were) to themselves. The same sort of thing happened in the Caster Semenya case (“oh my god, the Chinese are going to start forcibly selecting intersex people and making them compete as women in athletic events to win more gold medals” – this was an actual worry someone mentioned). Let’s face it, in order for someone to be able to obtain the high-tech prostheses in the first place, they need to be pretty damn privileged – I’m willing to bet my eye teeth those things are far from cheap. They’re also going to be running at the highest possible levels – we’re not likely to be overtaken by someone with a pair of Cheetah prostheses running for the number 9 bus to work each morning.

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