Acceptance of Scociety, Describibe why some types of freakishness and/or disabilities are accepted by society more than others.

Essay by jadog1230College, Undergraduate November 2003

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Acceptance of Society

Why is it that some forms of freakishness or disabilities are accepted by society more than others, making them more marketable? Disability is a word with many different definitions. Webster defines disability as, "The state of being disabled; deprivation or want of ability; absence of competent physical, intellectual, or moral power, means, fitness, and the like" (Webster 109). I see disabilities as an impairment that may restrict or hinder the ability to perform basic life activities that are considered "normal" for a human being. However it is obvious that a disability involves many other aspects. Views on disabilities are strongly influenced by what society sees as normal. Society sees some forms of freakishness or disabilities as more marketable than others, so they become more accepted throughout the community. This shows how easy it is for someone else to define your beliefs and feelings.

It is not right why people such as Lucy Grealy are shunned out by society because of the way they look while others are not.

In Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy, she relives how people treated her and her feelings during her childhood because of her disfigurement. When Lucy was nine, she had half of her jaw removed because of cancer. The essay states, "This experience, traumatic in itself, was made worse by other people's reactions to her disfigurement" (Grealy 395). With this in

mind, everyday mothers are telling their children not to stare because there is someone passing by in a wheelchair, as if to say that person is not "normal". If people have a limited interaction with those having disabilities, it is often easier to try and ignore or push the sights from our heads, than to actually consider some of these individuals as people. Because, once we realize...