Barbara Wheeler's article, Our Language and Our Attitudes, is a very important commentary on today's state of affairs in political correctness. As someone who has always tried to be wary of hurtful language and stereotyping tendencies with regard to individuals with disabilities, I identified with her dismay at the general public's lack of awareness to such sensitivities. Barbara cites the issue as a topic of 'national discussion,' but I certainly feel that this discussion is taking place in forums in which physical and especially mental disabilities are a professional reality, ie among music therapists. It is not being addressed in a way such that the great majority of the population has access to it.
While the guidelines that Barbara cited from Darrow and White's 1998 article seem to be a solid basic foundation for writing and talking about people with disabilities, I was struck by a thought after having read through all of them. The political correctness seems, to an extent, to take a bit of the humanness out of working with a person with a disability. Particularly as therapists, we are supposed to exude empathy. Empathy and pity are clearly two very different constructs, but when we take ALL of the 'feeling' language out of the discussion of people with disabilities, aren't we denying a reality that we are specifically supposed to acknowledge as therapists? Isn't it our professional duty?
"Suffering through depression" is a phrase that I have heard countless times, and as someone who has, indeed, suffered through depression, I find the phrase accurate and, in fact, comforting. It is a relief to believe that people acknowledge the pain that accompanies it. While I admit that I can't identify with those who may have life-long disabilities, my guess is that- while they might not seek pity- some might just want acknowledgement that some aspects of life are more challenging for them, many times insurmountably so. Yet they are stronger individuals for having come up against, and/or overcome those challenges. This might be a personal, individual distinction, or a more general one within certain categories of disability.
So while I will again stress the importance of being sensitive with our language, I simply want to be wary of the possibility for political correctness to get out of hand. It has the potential to deny or distort reality, and, especially as therapists, this isn't something we can afford to allow happen.
About Lisa Jake
Biography
Graduate music therapy student at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, USA.
Barbara Wheeler's article, Our Language and Our Attitudes, is a very important commentary on today's state of affairs in political correctness. As someone who has always tried to be wary of hurtful language and stereotyping tendencies with regard to individuals with disabilities, I identified with her dismay at the general public's lack of awareness to such sensitivities. Barbara cites the issue as a topic of 'national discussion,' but I certainly feel that this discussion is taking place in forums in which physical and especially mental disabilities are a professional reality, ie among music therapists. It is not being addressed in a way such that the great majority of the population has access to it.
While the guidelines that Barbara cited from Darrow and White's 1998 article seem to be a solid basic foundation for writing and talking about people with disabilities, I was struck by a thought after having read through all of them. The political correctness seems, to an extent, to take a bit of the humanness out of working with a person with a disability. Particularly as therapists, we are supposed to exude empathy. Empathy and pity are clearly two very different constructs, but when we take ALL of the 'feeling' language out of the discussion of people with disabilities, aren't we denying a reality that we are specifically supposed to acknowledge as therapists? Isn't it our professional duty?
"Suffering through depression" is a phrase that I have heard countless times, and as someone who has, indeed, suffered through depression, I find the phrase accurate and, in fact, comforting. It is a relief to believe that people acknowledge the pain that accompanies it. While I admit that I can't identify with those who may have life-long disabilities, my guess is that- while they might not seek pity- some might just want acknowledgement that some aspects of life are more challenging for them, many times insurmountably so. Yet they are stronger individuals for having come up against, and/or overcome those challenges. This might be a personal, individual distinction, or a more general one within certain categories of disability.
So while I will again stress the importance of being sensitive with our language, I simply want to be wary of the possibility for political correctness to get out of hand. It has the potential to deny or distort reality, and, especially as therapists, this isn't something we can afford to allow happen.