Monday, June 11, 2012

Ain’t Nobody Takin' My Cripple Away

Some people says using the “r” word is now as offensive as using the “n” word. The people who believe this most are the people formerly known as mentally “r.” They want to be called intellectually disabled or more respectable stuff like that.

Fair enough. We’ll not use the word “r” here at Smart Ass Cripple. Consider the word stricken, in spite of its element of comic allure. I am not “r” so who am I to tell them what they have to call themselves? And I can kind of see their point. Some people referred to the “r” kids at the cripple elementary school I attended as “delayed.” That’s a helluvan identity to have to carry around. “Hello, I’m delayed.”


So I will comply. But I have to admit that I’m doing so with a great deal of consternation. The banishment of the “r” word was the result of a massive re-branding campaign. There were public service announcements and billboards. I believe I even saw a Don’t Use the “R” Word blimp. And there was no overt opposition. No one dared put up a billboard that said “Screw You ‘R’ People!”

So bravo for them. I’m glad they were able to pull it off. But I sure hope it doesn’t give anybody any big fancy ideas about spearheading a similar mobilization against the word cripple. God help me if I have to call myself Smart Ass Differently-Abled Person or Smart Ass Individual Who Happens to Have a Disability or, horror of horrors, Smart Ass Handi-capable Man. If that happens, somebody please shoot me in the head.

It’s not that I don’t get pissed off about how some people use the word cripple, especially journalists. They talk about the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant or the crippled Greek economy. They use crippled as a synonym for fucked up. I guess they look up fucked up in the thesaurus and the first word that pops up is crippled.

That’s fucked up. But I’d rather hammer away relentlessly at the word cripple like a coked-up blacksmith until cripple is forged into something new. Maybe being crippled will become synonymous with being awesomely cool. From that day forward, when people visit the Sistine Chapel, they’ll look up at all the Michelangelo stuff and say, “Man, that is sooooooooo crippled.”

If anybody starts a Don’t Use the “C” Word campaign, I’m afraid I’ll have no choice but to be on the other side. It may be me against the world, but I can’t imagine giving up without a fight. I will engage them in a contentious battle of dueling blimps. I’ll write a protest song: Ain’t Nobody Takin' My Cripple Away.

If they want to take away my "c" word, they’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

19 comments:

  1. One Cripple to another Cripple that is the real deal.

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  2. A few years ago, I "acquired" a disability. Now as far as disabilities go, even though It has meant major upheaval in my life, it's relatively minor. So I just call myself a "gimp." The assistive & adaptive devices I use are "gimp things," etc...

    You'd be surprised at the number of folks who look at me like I just kicked a puppy when I use that word - about myself!

    So I hear ya. You've got my support. If you need help with a campaign of any kind I'll write letters ... no, wait, can't do that. I'll march ... no, can't do that either.

    I know, I'll put a ribbon on my car for you!

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  3. Testify! I'm a proud gimp. I use gimp parking spaces, for which I have to hang a gimp tag from my rear view mirror, I use gimp sticks for walking and I enjoy shaking people's hands with my gimp paws, if only to see them cringe a little.

    I was using cripple for a time and I am technically a quadriplegic, I prefer gimp. Less letters. Easy to spell. Almost cute. Like me.

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  4. It's probably very bad that I thought you meant a different "c" word, which has some limited applications. The main problem with the "r" word is that it's used as a slur, though my guess is that for many years ahead any word used to describe someone with a disability is going to become a slur.

    I agree that we should make cripple a positive word. That's so crippled!

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    1. Cripple was still a slur when I grew up. And, I'm quite a bit younger then my friend Smart Ass Cripple. In fact it was the distance between what I was told a cripple and who I and those I know are, that won my over to Cripple.

      Only we can make the world anew.

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  5. this post was cripplicious

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  6. I <3 this post. I just wish you used less colorful language so I could share it with all the people that would be offended by it in it's current form lol.

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  7. I have had doctors refuse to use the word cripple, I've found "gimp" just doesn't have the same impact. "Gimp" is the walk I have now. ie: "I gimp along". Cripple denotes a status, current up in your face statement. Gimp is entirely too passive for my crippleness. YEAH . . .dis-ability is like dissing me out, I'm not DIS anything, I'm PRO-crippled, YEAH that's the ticket. The crips out in california stole this title, Hire an attorney and SUE EM, Get it back for us ALL . . .Mr. Smart Ass Cripple!!

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  8. I wrote a post about this not that long ago - http://www.withalittlemoxie.com/2012/05/reclaiming-words-crip-gimp-and-n.html - like I wrote, I don't care if you call yourself a flaming turd - we ALL deserve to call ourselves what we want. But it's a more complicated piece than that because by calling ourselves something, it's spilling over the edges to others that might NOT want to be included in that. Besides, it's such a tired, old word - why not just let it lie and get something new?

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  9. by the way - I can't find your email address on here

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  10. Uh oh, don't come to Ohio! :P
    http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/cincinnati-police-ticket-man-saying-crippled-public-221948643.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

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  11. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/19/crippled-comedian-muscular-dystrophy-detained_n_1608895.html
    Up dates

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  12. There are various ways of dealing with language and its power. One is to try to squash a negative, inappropriate use (such as the R-word campaign), another is to own it and take it for your own tool (such as the "Gay Pride" movement).

    Own it, baby. You're awesome.

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    1. How does "Gay Pride" relate? Yes, some people use it as an insult, "That's so gay", including my cousin who IS gay. But it also means to be attracted to someone of the same gender. That's where "Gay Pride" gets it's meaning.
      I do agree with you though about the power of language. In most cases, words have as much power as you give them. But there are some cases where the intent behind the word is just too much to overcome. Do you really think a person who really IS mentally retarded can get over hearing someone say "You're so retarded" to a friend as a funny insult?

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  13. Those who wish to replace the word retarded with the term intellectually challenged, should come up with a simple word the intellectually challenged could actually pronounce?

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  14. perhaps cripple could be given short form as 'crips'
    If some think you are talking about ganglands crips and bloods- just put on your macho...

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  15. I am not formerly "mentally r" as you put it but I do agree with eradicating that word. I do liken it to the "n" word because they are both used in the same way - hateful & hurtful. No good! But I don't see why there have to be changes in the medical field when doctors refer to a person's mental status or in laws & statutes. Oh wait, actually I do. It's really about the political players trying to do something that will endear them to their constituents...but that's a whole nother bear...

    Pop culture is now beginning to use "autistic" as the new "r" word. Why does society feel the need to use others' disability or hardship to feel better or to make a joke?

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  16. Mike,
    I've read your stuff and it's hilarious. I'm not a cripple myself (yet; you never know when a car might plow into me or I could get a disease) but I work for one; help him out; and he's a bit of a smart ass cripple himself. I also write screenplays that feature people with disabilities being outrageous, romantic, sexy, complicated and devious...one is about a suddenly blinded movie star who turns into a smart ass blind guy. Richard Redlin referred me to you and I would FB friend you only they blocked me for twenty more days due to making too many requests (don't understand why since FB invited me to do it) My blog is:http://dillydaleydaily.blogspot.com/. Not quite sure how to use it yet.

    My point is: I want to move back to Chicago from LA to be with my children in their twenties. Richard mentioned you may be able to advise me in the way of finding a job, place to live etc., I'd love to touch base with you. Are you from Chicag? Either e-mail me at Sandy4899@aol.com or call, 310-961-0463. Or FB friend me.

    I still plan to pursue selling my scripts...more on that if you contact me and I hope you do.
    Sandy

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