One Question for my Disability in Folklore Blog

[capri0mni]

Should I include depictions of the Elderly as depictions of Disability, if the symbols of Disability (walks with a crutch or cane, has palsy in the hands or head, etc.) are serving a greater purpose as a symbol for Advanced Age?

For example: in the opening scene of The Winter's Tale there are these lines:

CAMILLO:
I very well agree with you in the hopes of him: it
is a gallant child; one that indeed physics the
subject, makes old hearts fresh: they that went on
crutches ere he was born desire yet their life to
see him a man.

ARCHIDAMUS:
Would they else be content to die?

CAMILLO:
Yes; if there were no other excuse why they should
desire to live.

ARCHIDAMUS
If the king had no son, they would desire to live
on crutches till he had one.
----

I've seen it argued that Shakespeare isn't really talking about the quality of life of "the Disabled," but is simply using "went on crutches" as a short-hand code for "very old," in the same way walkers (walking frames) are used as a gag reference to the elderly by modern comedians.

On the other hand, if part of the bias against the elderly (the reason to poke fun at them) is that they become disabled as they age, doesn't that count as depictions of the Big D "Disability" in folk tales?

And boy-howdy! if I included folktales that specifically mentioned an old woman's cane or crutch, the number of relevant stories would shoot through the roof (O Hai thar, nearly every depiction of fairy tale witches!).

Comments

[meloukhia]

I think there is very much a cultural tie between aging and disability and it would be great to probe that, looking at the assumptions that aging=becoming disabled, how symbols of disability and aging intertwine as you point out, etc.

[capri0mni]

*nod-nod*

And also, point out that using the argument that Aging, as such, isn't necessarily so bad "because it does not necessarily lead to Disability, as a matter-of-course" as an anti-ageism statement is, in itself, blatantly ableist.

...And that leads to my personal perennial head-desking over why and how the Elder political lobby (Hello, thar, AARP), so a vocal (and effective) about so many issues, has never identified with the Disability Rights movement.

(Using my shiny new Mother Goose icon, 'cause it was when I was making it yesterday, I noticed that she was carrying her mighty, magical, clue stick crutch as a sign of her old age).

[meloukhia]

Yairs, it's like, if the only argument you have against ageism involves tearing down PWDs, uh, please try harder? So, so many ties between elder rights/disability rights and it would be nice to see people banding together on this one.

[capri0mni]

Exactly.

It's just so infuriating, because when people cite reasons to fear becoming old, and/or becoming disabled, it's along the lines of fearing isolation and helplessness (losing their jobs, being housebound, being forgotten and alone, unable to go places or do things they love, etc.).

And all of those fearful fates have almost nothing to do with actually being old or being disabled, and almost everything to do with entrenched bigotry and social stigma.

So please not to be using that very same bigotry and social stigma as a tool for your agenda. It's effective in the short term, because it allows the people in power feel safe and validated, so they're more likely to hear you out, and give you want you want.

But in the long term, it only works to legitimize those attitudes as "normal," and makes it even harder for the generation that comes after you.