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October 30, 2006 Good News and Ugly News 
In one of those moments of serendipity--or perhaps sensitivity after exposing myself to this issue for a few months--yesterday there was a section in the Toronto Star about access to post-secondary education for students with disabilities, and how attitudes are slowly changing. The articles gave me a great deal of hope--perhaps we, as the last generation to expect students with differences or issues or delays to be segregated educationally, are the last of the dinosaurs, the last to feel uncomfortable in the presence of a child not regularly featured in Parents magazine. Perhaps stand-up comics who can't stand up and PhD students who can't spell without assistance will simply be accepted, normal parts of advanced education for our children, and workplaces will automatically accomodate them because schools have automatically accomodated them, and they expect the world to work that way. Perhaps it will be like the second wave of feminism--not perfect, not fixing everything by any stretch, but accomplishing nonetheless such a sea change that the way things used to be, the world of lowered expectations and isolation and segregation, is no longer imaginable. I hope so. Because when, after finishing that, I find this letter about a man with primordial dwarfism, I dread the world my daughter will live in. Posted by Andrea at October 30, 2006 6:33 AM under Being Small EMAIL this entry (comments fields are below this section) Comments I'm often amazed at people with conditions that society labels as "barriers," who go ahead and do what they want in spite of the world around them. There was a fellow with CP on "Last Comic Standing" this summer who was fabulous! I'm sure everyone in his life told him that show business wouldn't welcome him. It makes me think about how most of the barriers that I perceive in my life are all in my head. I recently watched an Austin Powers movie (as homework for a role I was preping) and wondered about the Mini-Me actor. On one hand, I'm sure he's got more money than I'd know what to do with. On the other hand, how humiliating must it be for an adult to be stuffed into a baby-carrier. I wish I could tell you that I've got a fresh new and balanced look on things. But my head still hasn't got around all of that. Posted by: Miche at October 30, 2006 4:01 PM
Yep, Josh Blue (who won the reality TV show "Last Comic Standing") has his own website. It's www.joshblue.com and it's really good. Bonus: he went to my college, and Casey knew him when! Vern Troyer (who played Mini-Me) was on a season of "The Surreal Life" which is a reality show on VH1 for celebrities that people wonder 'whatever happened to?' about. Both he and his fellow celebrities handled his size with sensitivity, I thought. My favorite show, by far, about little people, though, is "Little People, Big World" which is on TLC (the learning channel). The site for that one is here: http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/lpbw/lpbw.html?clik=tlc_leftnav This has been your disabilities in the US pop media report, good luck and good night. :) Posted by: Abbey at October 30, 2006 10:56 PM
I have to say that what struck me wasn't the over-coming-obstacles-to-succeed-in-showbiz narrative(in fact I thought that might be the sad bit Andrea was pointing us to), but the idea that his BODY MIGHT BE DISPLAYED IN A MUSEUM. That strikes me as NOT OK. When did this start to be an acceptable thing? Obviously in this case, his body is an object of display because of his dwarfism, but I think I'm against the idea in general, including Bodies and Bodyworlds, etc. Posted by: curiousgyrl at October 31, 2006 1:18 PM
Yeah, CG, that's getting to me, too. Though I have to say--that it seems from his biography that his body was on display for most of his life. And that, too, makes me sad. Posted by: Andrea at October 31, 2006 1:50 PM
While Mini-Me plays on size, it seems to me to do so without ridiculing or fetishizing little people, because he's a clone and not otherwise an oddity. The actor strikes me as media savvy rather than as a pained, sad, or exploited figure. Also, he is white and American, whereas De la Rosa had dark skin and was Dominican. Both further stacked the odds against him earning a living without being used. I expected more from Martinez, if only because they are fellow countrymen. The woman known as Julia Pastrana had hypertrichosis. A man bought, named, displayed, and married her. After she and their newborn died, he mounted a traveling exhibit of their mummified corpses. They were last on view in the 1970s. (That's not a typo.) Posted by: ~Macarena~ at November 1, 2006 6:51 PM
Actually, he didn't name Julia, he named his next victim after her. Posted by: ~Macarena~ at November 1, 2006 7:03 PM
Oh god, Macarena; that's terrible. What is wrong with people? Posted by: Andrea at November 2, 2006 7:34 AM
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