Crip's Column
View from my wheelchair - Victoria Brignell on life as a disabled person.
How dare I say 'crip'?
- Posted by Victoria Brignell
- 06 November 2006
So were you surprised by the title of this column? Are you concerned that your socially-aware politically-progressive New Statesman has suddenly lost its marbles? Are you on the verge of writing a disgruntled e-mail to the editor complaining about the appearance of offensive language on this normally reputable web site?
Well, before you hit the send button, I want to point out that the title has my full support. I don't find it in the slightest inappropriate. And as I'm a wheelchair-user and paralysed from the neck down, I feel I am suitably qualified to be able to judge such matters. Indeed, the only aspect of the title that annoys me is the fact that the editor suggested it before I did.
Cripple or crip is a word that you will hear increasing numbers of disabled people utter these days, especially young disabled people. It's a word we not just use but positively embrace. To understand why, you have to take on board the history of this loaded piece of vocabulary.
For centuries, cripple was a term used to undermine, demean, humiliate and patronise disabled people. Think of cripple and it immediately conjures up images of Charles Dickens's Tiny Tim or the Hunchback of Notre Dame – hardly great role models. Anyone forced to bear the label cripple was made very much aware that they were regarded as a second-class citizen, a burden on society, a superfluous member of the community.
The c-word
Then, in the late 20th century, the disability rights movement came into being. As disabled campaigners slowly gained strength and influence, so the word cripple gradually became taboo. No one with a modicum of social awareness, certainly no one in the liberal-minded "chattering classes", would dare to use the c-word. People were expected to be sensitive to the feelings of others in the way they used language and respect the intrinsic value of all human beings, and rightly so.
Now, once again, the c-word is back in fashion in some circles. What has prompted this change? Why is it suddenly acceptable to use a word that was previously so discredited?
The crucial difference now is that it's disabled people themselves who are using the word.
It's part of a trend towards "reclaiming" language for our own purposes. We know full well that when we say the word crip, it will shock and startle – or at least raise eyebrows. It will grab able-bodied people's attention and make them take notice of us. It forces able-bodied people to confront our disability. Whereas in the past able-bodied people used the word against us, we are now using it against able-bodied people.
Who am I to argue?
But the situation is more complex than that. Most of the time when disabled people use the word today, we have a smile on our face. The resurrection of 'crip' has happened in tandem with the rise of disability humour. Disabled comedians like Laurence Clark and Francesca Martinez are among those most likely to use it. When we say crip, we are also gently making fun of ourselves. Humour is by far the best way to break down barriers. If we can make able-bodied people laugh with us, then they won't be afraid of us. And if people are not afraid, then they are less likely to show prejudice.
I'm not suggesting that only disabled people are allowed to use the word. In the early years of the 21st century, whether crip is offensive or not depends on how it is used, why it is used and when it is used. Personally, I would feel perfectly comfortable with, say, Jo Brand or Lenny Henry using the word, less so with some other comedians whose so-called "comedy" is based upon being insulting to anyone who isn't white, male and able-bodied. I won't name names but you know full well who I'm talking about.
However, it's when disabled people themselves use the word that it has the most desirable impact. When it comes from our lips, it becomes a linguistic tool in the struggle for the social inclusion of disabled people. And if you are still in doubt about the ethics of this column's title, then just bear in mind that even Tanni Grey-Thompson has been known to use the word. If the patron saint of Britain's Paralympic team thinks it's OK to use it, then who am I to disagree?
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