inspiration is just a word. what matters more is the intent behind it which can be destructive and derisive or utterly benign. i think when people are overexposed to the former intent, the word is immediately vilified whenever its heard (and the real intent is filtered out in favor of conditioned presumptions).
i have several physical disabilities in addition to my autism diagnosis. i'm also a rape survivor, a survivor of child sexual abuse and a survivor of an eating disorder that nearly took my life. that said, i don't think very much of the word inspiration itself, when i hear it, unless there's some unequivocal condescension or ignorance attached to it. and usually there isn't. i think most people are just trying to awkwardly acknowledge my experiences and are unaware of how their word choices might impact me.
but it doesn't offend me. at very most, it annoys me because it makes me feel like there's some tactic expectation for me to walk around as some persistently indomitable force, without any frailty or humanness. my life is complicated enough without the added burden of being someone's inspiration. but i recognize that those are my own personal feelings and they generally have little to do with the person who's made the comment. people are pretty myopic. i doubt any stranger would have enough insight to realize how emotionally charged the word inspirational might be for some disabled people; or that we have incredibly nuanced conversations like this that utterly deconstruct its meanings and implications. i think most people are just trying to give quick, if unrefined acknowledgement and then there's a percentage of people who are so artless and ignorant that it comes off as something offensive
27 Dec 2013, 9:04 pm
