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How do you feel about the term 'superhumans'?
Adrian_Scope
Testing team Posts: 8,007 Scope community team
A piece in The Guardian yesterday by Jack Perry (a member of Team GB’s World Under-23 title-winning wheelchair basketball side in 2017 ) suggests that by using the term 'superhumans' to promote para-athletes, they are being done a disservice.
How do you feel about the label? Do you think it abnormalises disability?‘Superhumans’ tag plays down the talent and dedication of disabled athletes
The World Para-Athletics Championships start on Thursday but punchy branding during Rio 2016 inadvertently cast Paralympic athletes as freaks of sport.
"The superhuman label also affects the Paralympic athletes themselves, who are cast as the freaks of sport, existing outside the perceived norm of able-bodied elite athletes. Too often what is highlighted about disabled athletes is the disability that sets them apart instead of the supreme talent and dedication that makes them exceptional."
The Guardian
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Scope
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Interesting topic. But yes I think that we need to be careful to lower the harmful effects this could have for the disabled community. I have always believed that words are important. We must choose our words carefully. I’ll have to read that article now. Have you ever heard of the end the r-word campaign or not?
We are all humans with various capabilities . To say that disabled athetes are 'superhuman' is incorrect i believe. If anyone is " "superhuman" , i would take it to mean they are not normal human beings . It must take loads of training and expertese to compete at that level whether being abled or disabled . If i was confined to a wheelchair i doubt if i would be seen as superhuman . As a disabled person i would like others just treat me as an ordinary human being with less capabilities than an able bodied person . Which is what i am.
Good luck to all the athletes taking part in the games.
Also, although we are all humans, disabled or not, there ARE differences between us due to our individual but different abilities. It is hard enough at times for able bodied to choose the words, but I'm sure that most journalists mean well even if some of us think it's wrong. Many disabled people have made their so-called fame & financial richness via the media, when perhaps if they were able bodied they would not, and they themselves have no complaints, and so??? @Adrian_Scope your post is very thought provoking. Thank You.
I think context definitely plays a large part.
personally Society doesn’t value my efforts and I feel If I dropped dead nothing would change.
It's kind of sad for me to read that you have such a low opinion of yourself... though I know that many people may feel that way
While I Breath I Hope: and THAT is very much worth You adhering to. DON'T let 'society' get you down. YOU are stronger than any society, and all of your efforts are a value to YOU first and 'society' second. Not all within a society are uncaring. It is individual people that are, and you're not one of those. Keep headstrong, my friend.
Anyone, whether disabled or able bodied can appear superhuman by doing amazing feats. But this is all done with strength, persistent training and self belief.
It`s just a label to describe someone who excels at whatever they do.
I am not superhuman is that not patronising . All of us who ever we are in the community have abilities, talents, skills.
We need to use those and think more positive, clearly and have more self esteem.
I do think also do we need to prove ourselves and not be an image to those who simply to the society. That does not wish to know.
Creating isolation and social problems have the attitude to make a serious misjudgement of all us.
We need to be strong have courage and do the things we want. I remember one time the big put downs from so many employers.
Special job for a special young man. Do I need this feel the problems and issues with those who consider us a burden give us the hardships and stress every day.
With media being an essential tool to harass and hurt our community.
We have the perceived image of those who do see or do not think. Very much opinionated and give an opinion of.
Whether in sport, or lifestyle or social or anything we do.
Only advice I can give to any one who thinks we are superhuman what exactly does that mean?
Why do we need a label, why is it necessary to put those like us in the spotlight when in reality. The truth is many do not ever wish to be associated with us .
All we need is to promote ourselves. The important valued work SCOPE does then we might get a lot of the respect we justly deserved.
@thespiceman
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It's not any different really, from emphasising a persons background or what they may have had to go through in life in their own personal world...The loss of family for example or being poverty stricken, as such things are also without any fault of their own...
It "is' remarkable when a Disabled person surpasses any expectation, and yes they should be applauded, but not in a way that makes them feel marginalised. Many disabled people simply achieve remarkable things because they want too, and not to fight against their disabilities or to be reminded of them by being labelled differently.
There was a time when I used to look at the Paralympics for example, and consider the promotion of such as being like some kind of Circus, but I doubt that the contestants themselves feel that way at all. None of them are 'forced to 'perform' for spectators!