[Air-l] ableist language (was facebook)

[Dr. W. Reid Cornwell]

Kathy,

I take your point. I can't speak for Ellis since I know he is reading these
posts. 

I am unsure how or why you are using "ableist". There is nothing in what I
wrote to suggest "ableism." You had to reach to get that flame.

My point was that there is a disconnect between the affective perception of
privacy and the reality of privacy. There is a disconnect between the need
to be seen and the reality of being exposed. "Willful" is exactly opposite
of my intent. "Unconscious" denial was intended. 

I think my quote of Ellis is more out of context than paraphrased. I read
his work because he is influenced by Donald Black at UVA and I am fascinated
by Blackian theories of "Pure Sociology." Black is a proponent of rigor in
Sociology.

My use of "blind" was to indicate the absence of a sensory modality I.E.
can't see it all. It is a metaphor. I take exception to your labeling my
comments as a "willful spin." I had no such intention. To say someone is
"blind" carries no more connotation than saying someone is black, Hispanic,
or a man. For me "oblivious" carries far more negative implications.

I think your final paragraph is duplicitous and condescending in light of
your "thanks." I'm assuming that this was "unconscious" and not willful. If
you want to keep it friendly you should reexamine your own comments.

Reid

-----Original Message-----
From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org
[mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Kathy Mancuso
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 2:21 PM
To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
Subject: [Air-l] ableist language (was facebook)

In answer to Mr Cornwell's commment (and possibly Dr Goddard's--since
he said it was paraphrased I don't know what wording Dr Goddard used)
that we are all half-blind on the internet, it is inappropriate and
ableist to use the word blind to denote what appears from this post to
mean wilful ignorance.  By using that term in that way, you are
arguing that just because blind people cannot see they are somehow
less aware of the world around them than sighted people, which isn't
true: just differently aware.  The sort of wilful spin on it here just
makes the ableism even worse.

Perhaps we could use a term like oblivious or unaware instead.  A
thesaurus will provide you with many excellent options that do not
cast aspersions on a particular group.  Thank you in advance for your
consideration in keeping AIR-L a friendly and non-discriminatory space
for everyone.

Kathy

-- 
. . . connection in an isolating age . . .
Katherine Mancuso, graduate student, Emory University

Web 2.0 research, life, and meta:
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"Whenever anyone says 'You are,' they mean 'I want you to be.'" --Anais Nin
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