Negative slogan gives negative outcome?
The slogan, “Nothing about us without us” has been bandied around the international “disability” community for years and it has just been heralded, at the Disability Intergroup of the European Parliament and the European Disability Forum (EDF) in Brussels, as “the motto … calling for a full participation of disabled people in all policies.” It was described by the President of the EDF as “an historic day for the 65 million persons with disabilities” where inclusion ”is becoming a reality.”
Really? I think the only reality this motto is creating is exclusion. In terms of genuine participation in political change, disabled people still get “nothing” about us, and that nothing happens “without” us.
When are disabled people going to get it? Why do we keep putting negative ideas into the quantum field by using negative language? When we think “disabled”, we get disabled. When we think, “nothing” and “without”, bingo! We get it.
“Everything about us with us,” is the energy we need to be generating. We need to be labeling ourselves as unique, not disabled. We need to be thinking of ourselves as part of the natural diversity of humankind, not excluded and in need of inclusion. We need to be creating a positive reality.
If you don’t believe me, consider this ancient story from the Sioux Nation:
The Creator gathered all of Creation and said, “I want to hide something from the humans until they are ready for it. It is the realisation that they create their own reality.”
The eagle said, “Give it to me, I will take it to the moon.”
The Creator said, “No. One day they will go there and find it.”
The salmon said, “I will bury it at the bottom of the ocean.”
“No. They will go there too.”
The buffalo said, “I will bury it on the Great Plains.”
The Creator said, “They will cut into the skin of the Earth and find it even there.”
Then Grandmother Mole, who lives in the breast of Mother Earth and who has no physical eyes but sees with spiritual eyes, said, “Put it inside of them.”
And the Creator said, “It is done.”
If you agree and would like to discuss this with me more, help me form the WISE SPECIES social network on Facebook. It’s a social experiment to see what happens when we purposefully create a positive reality by reframing negative thoughts.
I look forward to talking with you.
I don’t think you understand the meaning of the expression. Have you read James Charlton’s book of the same name.
What it means is we are tired of people without disabilities deciding on policy that affects our life. It is a perfect expression of our desire to be empowered and be inside the decision loop.
Thanks Stephen – I know exactly what it means, I just don’t think it’s the best way of expressing it. Have you read anything about quantum physics and the law of attraction? When you think “nothing” and “without” and “disability” that’s what you get. But think “everything/with/unique”, you begin creating it
I understand where you are coming from but I have to respectfully disagree.
I don’t thing the slogan ‘nothing about us without us’ is framing our desires in negative terms at all. It is a slogan which states the desire for change, suggests a way forward which is inclusive and is an assertion that we are claiming our rights as individuals. It says we demand to be recognised as important and demand to be included in any process which involves us and our welfare. Sure if you take single words out of the slogan and highlight them out of context, it appears a negative slogan. In context though I think it is a positive affirmation of the way forward for the disability community. Context is everything.
I am as frustrated as the next person with the slow movement toward equity and equality in so many areas. I do think we are getting there though, which is something we should not lose sight of.
As far as the word disabled goes, I appreciate that it is a term that might well have negative connotations for people. For me though, like many words, it has come to mean more and something quite different than was originally intended by the word and again depends completely on context. To me having a disability, being disabled, however you want to word it, has come to mean uniqueness, diversity, strength and resilience among other things. I would much rather just say that I am disabled than the myriad of other terms that are bandied about, which mean nothing to me. I think anything else tries to pretty up and decontextualise a part of us which is wonderful and awful and rewarding and trying and character building and painful and so many other things… Sometimes I wonder with all of the saccharin sweet gestures, positive terms, turns of phrase, slogans, etc. just who it is we are trying to convince.
Yes, words are extremely important in the, sometimes, minefield that is identity politics. I thinik sometimes though we can be too caught up in semantics and end up doing summersaults trying to find the right or appropriate words or turn of phrase to describe who we are and our experience. This has been a theme throughout my lifetime and I’m sure it will continue.
For me, it’s all in the way the message is received and to reiterate, I don’t there can be a more positive message than: ‘nothing about us without us’. With slogans and catchphrases it is important that they are catchy, memorable, portray meaning and roll off the tongue. I’m afraid ‘everything about us with us’ just doesn’t cut it with me. For a start, it doesn’t have any rhythm:)
Words can only take us so far though. We must stop expecting to be invited to the table and stop feeling hurt and frustrated and angry when it doesn’t happen. We must fight for and demand our place at the table. Easier said than done, I know. To paraphrase a much repeated notion: Nothing in this life worth doing comes easy.
I’m not quite sure on how to express this, as oftern my meaning is lost in the translation to the written word.
Both phases create an image, entity, or energy. One is a hub (of creativity perhaps?) the other a ghetto. Both have a center and one looks out and one is introspective.
To be free, one has to realize they are in prison.- (another great Native American- I think).
Thanks Michelle – I appreciate the time you’ve taken to reply so eloquently! I don’t fully disagree (hah! hows that for a double negative) with what you say, but I don’t fully agree. I totally accept your point about connotation – if “disability” means strength, diversity etc to you, that’s great. My point is that to many – if not most – people, disabled and non disabled alike, it doesn’t mean those things, it means the opposite, and that’s why I think a change in terminology would be useful.
Regarding taking negative words out of context (indeed I think you may be quoting me back at myself! http://wp.me/poylQ-Ns), I would still hold that positively framed words create more potent energy in a quantum mechanical sense and therefore manifest a result more quickly and easily.
Fair enough too, Philip. I do get where you are coming from. Just thought I should put across an alternative point of view. I don’t think there is ever an easy answer to any issues to do with disability. Having just experienced really blatant discrimination today when enquiring about a part time position, whatever anybody’s point of view is and however far we have come, we obviously still have a fair way to go, on that I think we can all agree. Thanks for being so reasonable by the way. I realised when I posted what I wrote that it was probably all a bit full on. It’s what I think but sometimes I can get a bit intense on these issues.