I read this article today concerning disabilities and how a handicap is a "misfortune" not an "injustice." I guess I can agree with that statement. The way society perceives the "uncommon"(disabilities) starts a chain reaction of bad responses (discrimination) that makes the common appear very uncommon. This article seemed very philosophical in its appealing subject. It speaks of how a place is what identifies our true character. "Who we are, our self-definition, is a matter that is inexorably tied to our orientation to the place in which we find ourselves - to our orientation to the place we find ready-made for us," and who we are is defined by our place in this community. It's a really deep thought - how do we know who we are? How can we really define ourselves? This article presents the place that we feel most comfortable should be the one that provides answers not pose questions. How we feel in a certain environment is the reflection of our identity. When we question "belonging" to this certain area, our identity is questioned as well. I guess this does make sense. When I'm home, I feel comforted and I know everything: my environment, my family, my friends, and the way the community perceives me, aka my identity. At college I question my identity all the time. I wonder if I actually belong and if I will ever make something of myself and be truly comfortable in my skin. It's scary to think of how we feel when we are in a specific place is a reflection of our identity. Looking at college, I wonder what it says about me. Another point the author made was "Questions of self and of identity are framed not only within the spatial terms of where one stands but also within the moral space of where one ought to stand."
I'm pretty sure I will be thinking about this article for a few days, any thoughts? How do you perceive yourself? Do you agree with what the article said?
Penelope
2 comments:
Penelope,
I recently read the same article, and I really enjoyed what the author had to say. I like how you chose to write about that author and how he talks about how the way we feel in a certain environment is a reflection of our identity. That section of the article caught my attention as well and I can relate to you analyzing the difference in the security you had at home versus at school. I'm a college student too and I've also had similar thoughts. The article did mention something that I found encouraging; "The difference between disability and able-bodieness springs from the imputed intention of an environment. For whom is the environment intended? For whom is it constructed?" You mentioned that you ever wonder if you will ever be truly comfortable in your own skin. I'm sure you will and I would just give yourself some time to adjust to your environment, just like handicapped people have to in a world built for "able-bodied" people. I guess what I am trying to say that it is okay to question your identity at this point in the college experience because I've talked to many people who also feel as if they do not "belong". The college environment was not built specifically for you (like your home) nor for anybody else but hopefully soon you will be able to feel as "at home" as you do in your actual home. So try to keep in mind that plenty of others are in the same boat as you and eventually, we will all discover our true identities.
Sorry my mind was all over the place, but I hope this helps,
Yougottabreate
While reading this article, I found it interesting that the author thought that the accommodations made for disabled people made public spaces not ordinary. Although I understand that according to the author an ordinary place is designed for able-bodied people I don't think that having these accommodations makes a place not ordinary. I rarely notice these things or think to myself how unusual they look. It would be more unusual to find places without handicap spaces or wheelchair ramps. I guess because these things are so common now I feel that an ordinary place is a place that contains these accommodations for disabled people.
As to the point you raised about ones identity, I can definitely relate. I sometimes feel like I don't fit in, but I think everybody feels like that sometimes. It's human nature to feel insecure and out of place. We are all in a new place it will take time to adjust and really feel comfortable.
Post a Comment