eSCAping Type 1

Want to know what life is like as an Inspiration Porn star?

Oh, calm down. You hearing that term for the first time here does not mean I invented it. There is obviously a reason I’m using it.

In fact, the saying was founded by a disability-rights activist named Stella Young way back in 2012. But it’s still very prominent today. Hence this post.

When you have 9 minutes, pleaseeee listen to her TED Talk, “I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much,”  by clicking the image below:

The TV show “Speechless” also does a nice job of defining it in under a minute. Click below to watch.

But, basically, inspiration porn is “images, videos, and memes of disabled people used to motivate able-bodied people, suggesting that if a disabled person can accomplish something, then surely an able-bodied person can.” It’s “the portrayal of people who experience disability as inspirational solely or in part on the basis of their disability.”

It’s this:

For something to be “inspirational,” it usually involves being unique, creative, and motivational. It gives you hope and encouragement to achieve your own goal. 

So, we get it.

To able-bodied people, it seems like people with disabilities are conquering a huge fete just by getting out of bed in the morning. That little boy can’t walk, yet he’s playing basketball!

But, for us, we’re just living life? We get up and get dressed and go to work and exercise because we have to. We do things differently because we have to.

Someone saying we’re an inspiration just makes us feel, well, different. Like we’re doing something we’re not supposed to be doing. It’s portraying a disability as a burden to overcome, not a life to live. 

It objectifies us by emphasizing the handicap rather than the person.

Believe it or not, that little boy is very simply just playing basketball. He’s doing it in a wheelchair because he has to, not to inspire you. That’s his typical, everyday life.

Inspiration Porn reinforces the idea that an able-bodied person’s perception of life is the “right” one. We’re different, so we’re wrong.

Us trying to be normal is inspirational.

The word “porn” was used very deliberately since it’s “the objectification of one group of people for the benefit of another group of people.” In a sense, our bodies are being used for the interest of others. People are comparing their functionality to ours solely for entertainment.

It’s supposed to make you feel uncomfortable since we do.

Of course we appreciate our hard work being acknowledged. Who doesn’t?

But there’s a large difference between someone climbing Mt. Everest and someone going out to eat at a restaurant. Both require work and effort, but only one of them is inspirational.

When I started this blog, I was overwhelmed by daily messages telling me just how inspiring I am.  And, for some reason, those comments rubbed me the wrong way.

I knew it was a compliment, so why was it bugging me?

Honestly, I wanted to respond, “Cool! What did I inspire you to do???”

But that seemed a bit passive-aggressive… So I sat on it for a couple of years and then wrote a post on it instead.

It’s tough because the word “inspiration” is so vague and personal and subjective to begin with. Ugh. Like, were people commenting on my writing skills or by my openness and willingness to share? That I was ok with putting my “difficult” life out there for the world? That I could somehow have a positive attitude while also having Ataxia?

Were they impressed or inspired? Did it matter?

You see, I really did try to hide my disability for as long as I physically could. And then, when I couldn’t anymore, when I had to quit my job and use a walker in public, I started this blog. I wanted to provide support for people like me, I wanted to promote awareness to help find a cure, and I wanted to be able to explain, in my own words, why people were suddenly seeing me this way.

I didn’t really see it as an option, and definitely not an inspiration. Those comments caught me so off-guard because that was not my intention.

And please understand that I was put off by the word itself, not at all by the people who said it. Do not take this personally for one second! That certainly isn’t the point of this post.

The point of this post is really to remind you of the importance the intended audience has on every objective, to encourage you to consider that before commenting, to validate your feelings…

…and to inspire you, obviously.