A Day in the Life of a Disabled-Bodied

Able-Bodied / Non-Disabled Privilege/ Ableist Oppression

Monday April 21, 2008

I don’t have any scheduled classes but I have two video projects that I need to go to campus and work on. I live in an apartment building on the top floor. Since I live on the outside of the building I have at least 5 flights of stairs that I have to travel down each day. My building is not wheelchair accessible. Even if I had crutches or a walker, I would have a definite struggle to make it down all those stairs. Once I hit the bottom of the stairs a narrow sidewalk that immediately leads to grass and a very high curb greet me. I am unable to access the parking lot without going over the grass or taking a great leap off the curb. There is no ramp that will better assist me. I have also noticed that I can’t even take a ride down the street in my wheelchair because there are no sidewalks near my building. There is just grass and the street. Again, how am I supposed to get from one place to another if I can’t even be on a sidewalk? Once I do leave my building I go to the student union to grab something to eat. The union does have handicap doors that allow me to better get in but they are also very crowed and bombarded with students. I go on into the Falcons nest where I can barely reach food, drinks or any other thing to eat. I feel that people are quick to try and open the cooler door for me or even hand me the food I attempt to order. It isn’t clear if it is out of sympathy or politeness. I get what I can to eat and move on to my next journey in the tech lab. The tech lab is pretty far from the union but also wheelchair accessible. I go in and head straight for the elevator that takes me to the second floor. I am able to work on my projects quietly. After I leave the tech lab, I try to go back home and apparently there is no way for me to get up my 5 flights of stairs. I see that I face this struggle because every building is not accommodating for disabled people. I get stares from people, wondering what happened to me and usually assuming that I lack a lot of capabilities that I don’t such as being intelligent, outspoken and adventurous.
Thinking as a person with a disability has allowed me to realize that able-bodied privilege is really taken for granted. People can really be judgmental of people because of what they see and hear. It was interesting to notice how hard a disabled person would have it, living in my apartment building. The thought of not even having sidewalks is very disturbing and in my opinion stupid. We can educate society about people with disabilities by recommending books such as “Waist High”. We can also step out of our comfort zones, talk and get to know these individuals to realize how human and similar they are. I think people with disabilities become foreign to able-bodied individuals because, dominance can force you to tune others out. Privilege is the best way to describe it because when you feel that you have something someone else’s lack then you continue to build on that instead of being open-minded and seeking new opportunities.

Kiylise Crutchfield

Hlavin – Post #5 – Nondisabled

I am a non-disabled, white male and until I actually started viewing the world from the perspective of wheelchair height, I was mindless about how hard this life can be. I can pick any day in my life that I am busy with school, work and family. I will use today because it is like any other.

In the morning, I shower, dress, and eat. All of this is done with the fluidity of years of routine and almost effortless. Once I’m out the door of the house, I’m into my chair and heading to the hospital to make rounds. As with most public parking, there are plenty of handicap spots but these are reserved for patients, so I’m out of luck in the practitioners parking space. We are jammed together with little room to get out the car door so maneuvering a wheelchair would be impossible (and I’m at a HOSPITAL). I can only assume that the medical staff is not expected to be disabled. This leads me to ponder how it is probably frowned upon to be someone with a disability caring for patients since it seems that we are not afforded the same ease of access that patients receive.

As I go though my rounds in the hospital, I can easily see that it is easier for my to mobilize around the patient areas but not so easy for staff areas. The locker rooms have no easy access or even room to get around the dressing areas.

I am in surgery and here it would basically be impossible to do my job if I was limited to using a wheelchair. There is no equipment that would allow for me to assist in surgery or even mobilize in the OR.

I go to the office and thankfully, it is attached to another hospital so access is easier even into the actual office space. The exam rooms accommodate wheelchairs so no problem there. My own office space is another issue. I am packed in with 3 others and could get in here with a wheelchair if my life depended on it.  Although this is a temporary office situation, it is still difficult for me to get in here on my own two feet.

Throughout the day, I was noting how different life must be like when viewed from the sitting level.  Everything that I do is based on how quickly, efficiently I can get to it.  Be in a wheelchair would significantly slow my work life down.  I can see how society in America is based on speed; get it done now!  Society has little “time” for the disabled.  I think that if we just took a step (no pun intended) back, we could really see people and make this world more accommodating.

A Day in the Life – ACS 250 Bob Majeska “Waist High in the World”

                                                   

 

A typical day in the life of an able-bodied person is drastically different from one in the life of a disabled-bodied person. If I were to be in a wheelchair, how would it have an effect on my daily life?

To begin with, I am married with eight schoolage children at home, and I am usually home when they leave for school – in fact, I have to drive two of the kids to school each morning. So starting from the moment I wake up how would my daily routine change?

To begin with, my bedroom is on the main floor with bathroom nearby; in fact, the room is designed fairly well for a wheelchair person (all doorways are even wide enough), so I’m OK there. Going into the kitchen is another matter – countertops, sink, and stovetop are too high for me to accomplish a whole lot, and I probably would not be able to get dishes in the dishwasher, either. I could probably get food from the fridge and cook on the front burners, but beyond that would be a challenge.

Going outside adds one more challenge – converting our porch steps to a ramp. Even if that were done, I would certainly lose out on walking my younger kids to the school bus unless I paid to have my driveway paved – too much money for me, and my driveway would be too hilly to really be worth the expense, anyway. Of course, driving my older kids to school would be out, as well; that would be something to pass onto my wife.

Errand running would be severely reduced, as well. I would probably arrange to have as many of my bills paid online as I could; running to “drop off” a check for the electric bill or phone bill would be very impractical. My cell phone company, for example, has a store five miles from my house, but only one handicapped parking spot, and the sidewalk between the ramp and the door is crumbling; so even if I could get to the parking lot in the first place, getting out of the vehicle, into the chair, up the ramp, into the door, and then reversing the entire process to go home is way more effort than I would wish to invest unless I had an extremely good reason for needing to go.

I would probably want to get a bite out to eat with my wife while we’re out, so I would more than likely want to eat at the same two or three restaurants most of the time – the ones I knew I could get in and out of with the least amount of hassle.  I checked four different restaurants my wife and I currently frequent, and wondered if any would fall off my list:

1)      Bob Evans – lot has three parking spots, nice ramp, and good sidewalks. You would need someone to open the door for you, but the hostesses are pretty good about that in BE. Tables are a good height for a wheelchair, as well, and staff has always seemed friendly to disableds I’ve seen in there; register counter a little high;

2)      McDonalds – four parking spots, ramp is a bit steep but within legal limits. Sidewalk OK, but seems a bit narrow for my taste. Doorway fine, but booths are just that; no place to really scoot your chair in properly to avoid foot traffic from behind; good height at register counter;

3)      Sky Diner – two parking spots right in front of the door; wide sidewalks and doorways; tables with plenty of room for a wheelchair, and good height; register counter a bit high, uncomfortable;

4)      Subway – strip mall, no close parking spot; wide doorway, but counter corner juts into aisleway enough to be a problem; booth seats do not move, similar problem to McDonalds; countertop a bit high, can’t see workers make sub; not much room at register to fit chair to pay comfortably.

 

What about a grocery store? There are two I frequent:

1)      The large box store (Giant Eagle, similar to Kroger) has multiple spots for parking, easy access in and out, and offers a worker to help shop with you, if requested. The only issue I saw is, the aisles at the registers themselves are too narrow for most wheelchairs; only about four are wide enough, and you have to hope that they are both open and have short lines in order to properly utilize them;

2)      Aldi’s has much lower prices than GE, the parking lot is almost as good, and the aisles are wider. The difficulty comes if you are by yourself; they simply do not offer enough staff to assist you if you need some help for more than a couple of items.

 

Grocery cars in both stores (and in general) are simply too high to be of much use to the wheelchair-bound; if you are getting more than just a handful of items, you will need assistance from someone.

 

Now, if I were restricted because of a wheelchair, I would at least try to make myself useful around the house, but that can run into issues, as well:

1)      I discussed cooking restrictions earlier; if needed, I would try to find appliances geared towards those who are “waist-high;”

2)      Cleaning – floors would certainly be more of a challenge, and going upstairs at all is probably not going to happen;

3)      Laundry – front-loading washer and dryer are musts; sorting would be more of a challenge as well. I would probably have to eliminate laundry hampers and go with canvas bags, and do all of the folding and sorting on a table.

4)      Dining – more of a problem than most people might face, simply due to the fact that our dining room is barely big enough now to hold ten people nightly without wheelchairs; this could take a bit of remodeling.

 

As for people’s prejudices – my wife and kids have experience with people in wheelchairs, so it would not be brand-new to them. I would probably be looked at as a burden on occasion, but I really do not believe that anyone living in my house would resent me for being in the chair.

Outside prejudices can be diffused if I have the right attitude. If I don’t treat myself as a helpless victim, then they probably will not view me as one, either – as long as they take the time to know me properly first. Losing the use of a limb or two may slow me down, but would not stop me as long as I would not allow that to happen.

Able-bodied privilege I believe comes down to simply taking for granted what we have the physical ability to accomplish. It is the job of those with abilities and those without to work together to accomplish great things; there is just too much evidence of disabled people achieving greatness for anyone to be denied or overlooked.  The key is to avoid pity – disabled people should not feel sorry for themselves, and ableds should not feel sorry for them. Help them as needed, yes, but do not pity them.  Disableds need to take advantage of every opportunity presented to them; that will be the primary way to eliminate much of the privilege and oppression which exists in relationships with others.

 

Bob Majeska   ACS 250  Blog #5  Instructor: J.R.Ryan  4/22/08 

Maloney Blog 5

Tim Maloney

April 23, 2008

Instructor Joelle Ruby Ryan

ACS 250 #26449

Blog Entry #5: able-bodied privilege

 

Able-Bodied / Non-Disabled Privilege/ Ableist Oppression

            My barrier through the eyes of a non-ambulatory disabled person begins by my hand right form the start of the morning.  It is due to the contractor / salesperson’s advice to build a two-story home as “I can acquire more square footage with a smaller footprint making the overall cost of construction less.”  However, as I find out long before this project I question my final decision to ascend stairs daily to get to all the upper rooms.  Was this a good idea?  It looks grand but am I going to be able to walk up and down these steps when I am fifty-years my senior?  Nevertheless for this project my initial ability to get further than the landing of the second floor looks glum. 

            Next its on to breakfast, it’s a good thing the coffee cup was left on the edge of the counter after our nightly cup or I would be tasked with trying to obtain a cup from the elevated cabinets or just tip the scalding hot pot out of the Black & Decker Café Noir.  A dirty cup seems to be the best option. 

            After coffee I need to get to the 0800 eye appointment for my routine exam.  Outside of the 3.50 going on 4.00 dollar gas I take notice of the multiple hindrances to even get my vehicle out of the garage and uptown.  There are two sharp turns and a 32″ door with a standard approach that would require a little more than a running start to get over.  Then there is the “SUV on E”, thankfully enough to get three miles to the office, but last night it wasn’t backed in and the driver’s door is right up against the wall.  No chair will fit in there.  I realize now so ominously that I couldn’t even live in this home too long as time will take its toll on all of us and I’m not sure I would be able to make some of these obstacles.  To move forward into the observation of the day I need to call a time out to get to my appointment although I know the SUV, even though a king on the road will not accommodate a wheel chair. 

            I pull into the Eye Doctor with relief to see that the parking lot has been extended and there are multiple ramps and smooth grades with anti-slip texture cutout of everyplace there’s a step.  The doors however open outwards for rapid egress of the people inside but with no electronic opener I would again have a tough time with the two sets of doors.  When I get to the waiting room there is the counter that has a great leaning height for the person that just had to walk all the way in but would require me to ring the bell as all I would be able to see or be seen was the top of a head.  Still it’s a Doctor’s office right, they are in business to help me?  When I am called back to put my chin into and forehead forward into the multiple machines it is not the test drops and the profuse tearing that would be most difficult but the size of this room.  At nearly 4′ x 6′ as I can tell there would be no chance for me to get in there with a chair.  I would be subjected to the continuous “this one or this one better” as the state of the art equipment that replaces this subjective method of eye exams would not be available. 

            Eyes are of fine health but need to up my script to make reading more comfortable.  Here’s something I found ironic, I now need to go pick out some stylish frames for my new script and I think of two things here.  What frames compliment a wheelchair, and if I was truly disabled would I have insurance as I do now to cover the hulking 518.00 they need to order the total package? 

            Next I make my way to the post office to literally mail off my BGSU summer tuition payment.  I wonder again would I have the means to further my education if I was disabled or would I just be confined to the knowledge I could gain from the local media centers, internet or TV.  At any rate, the steps at the post office that was built in1934 are now flanked by a ramp that was installed only about five years ago.  I begin to think why was a government building built to not allow for handicap access in the 30’s?  I recall my history lessons in that the post office was built during President Roosevelt’s New Deal program to offer jobs to the masses to combat the rigors of the great depression.  I’m sure that at the time people were not worried about who couldn’t work to bring the country back online but who could work.  It is too bad that during that time America did not have the forethought to make these buildings more accessible then as I’m sure it would have been much more cost effective. 

            This constituted the amount of running around and errands for my day so I would like to conclude with my reflections as it relates to the subject matter. I realize that from the time I woke to walking up the steps of the post office I have been the product of our national privilege long before I was born.  My house as with every building plan I looked at was designed with the image of grandeur.  Everything I can recollect from the build project to looking at plans now has a minimum of four steps to get to the front door.  All the artist renderings of inside and out paint a picture for the able bodied person to inhabit and bask in their own level of perceived luxury.  I can’t do much about what I have done but I can make the change with the next home I build if I am fortunate enough in our current economy.  It will be one level with access built into the design or the provisions put in place if I or some other future homeowner has the need. 

            I look at the glasses and the Doctor’s office and think about the advertisements or lack there of that would show a disabled person sporting the latest and greatest Ray Bans.  The office obstacles probably go without saying as the Doctor is probably only concerned about the seeing abled.  I’m sure there would not be a need for brail signs in an Eye Doctor’s office; what’s the need? 

            It was satisfying to see that the post office put in a ramp for disabled people but as I looked around when outside there was but one spot for handicap accessibility.  Our town has a population of 24,000 and I’m sure during the peak time of day there is not enough spaces to accommodate multiple disabled persons from our community.

Ableism in America – Sarah Lindsay

     I am an able-bodied person who admittedly doesn’t think much about the barriers a disabled person might face on a daily basis.  On any given day, I am up and down several flights of stairs.  I squeeze through tight corners with little effort, and being a rather tall woman (5′11″), I never have to wonder if I’ll be able to reach the items that I need at the grocery store.  Because I can do all of these things with little thought, it would be quite easy for me to forget about our “ableist” society in America…  but I am choosing not to.

     Let’s take the BGSU campus for example.  I have to transverse stairs in order to get into almost every building.  Because I don’t have a disability, I’m not even entirely sure what buildings are or are not “handicap” accessible.  I would venture to guess that not all of the buildings that I enter on a daily basis are properly equipped to serve the disabled.  Countertops and shelving units are too high for those bound to a wheelchair.  The bathrooms in many buildings are barely manueverable by the able-bodied students, much less those who need some sort of mobility assistance.  The student union is relatively easy to get in and out of, but the Starbucks counter that I visit several times a week would be far too high for me to reach if I were in a wheelchair.  It is clear that our university, like many others around the country, was built on the premise that all college students were non-disabled and that simply isn’t the case.

     I also have the privilege of walking through campus, a grocery store, or my home town without people staring at me as if I were some sort of exotic animal.  Children do not come up to me and ask about my medical equipment, my mobility aids or my assistance animal.  In fact, little thought is put into my daily routine.  If I need to go to the store and pick up a gallon of milk, I do not have to ask someone to drive me.  I don’t have to worry about navigating the store once I’m there or how I will maneuver that gallon of milk once it is finally purchased.  For the able-bodied, life means not having to think about what it would be like to live with a disability because it is so far from our current understanding.

     People who have this privilege of a fully-functioning, non-disabled body should really think about their daily tasks and how they would be different had life handed them another set of circumstances.  America is diverse, not just in race and religion, but in ability as well.  Until the able-bodied take a moment to think about what life would be like if the shoe were on another foot, the situation of disabled discrimination will never change.

Blog 5 – Non-disabled

Josh Teegardin

ACS 250

Blog 5

Dr. Joelle Ryan

4/21/2008

Non-Disabled Privelege

     I must say that it non-disabled privelege is something that non-disabled persons take for granted and things are ignored because we don’t encounter them.  They are simple everyday things that go unnoticed and are things that we are priveleged to be able to do.  It is unreal, the amount of things that we do, and don’t notice when considering being disabled.  I took a whole day into account and tried to find the things that would be difficult.  From the minute that I awoke, I started finding things that would be a nuisance for a disable person.  The first thing was simply getting out of bed.  My bed sits awfully high , and when I considered this it made me think about the problems that a person in a wheelchair might encounter when trying to get into bed.  Next, The whole deal of getting ready in the morning.  For instance, taking a shower would be a difficult task in itself.  Of course it is easy for someone to say that things such as this can be fixed, but then think about the financial strains that this could put on a family.  Not to mention the difficulty of standing and washing yourself.  It would be very difficult and timely to do a simple task such as taking a shower.  Next the simple task of walking down my steps to get out of my house would be a difficult task as well.  Again, there are ramps that could fix this, but again, it puts a financial strain on a family.

     Next, it was off to work.  When entering my car I realized that this would also be a hard thing to do.  How would I drive if I were in a wheelchair…I couldn’t!  For that matter, how would I even get into the car?  Things like turning on the radio, the air conditioner, and other functions would be a hassle.  Finally, when I got to work, I realized how tall the counters were that I help customers.  I would not be able to face the customers because it would be difficult to see over the counters.  Also, there is a lot of typing involved in my job, and that would be another difficulty.  This would also be a nuisance for school as I am an online student that requires use of my hands to type.  The door in our office would also be something that I would have to overcome, as it would be difficult to open and try to manuever a chair around at the same time.  This is something t hat I have witnessed people in wheelcahirs struggle with before in our office, so I know it would be a nuisance, for I have seen it firsthand.  I feel a sif people would feel sorry for me if I couldn’t do these things.  they may also get mad because it would take me longer to do some of these things.  I feel like people might look down on me or think they are better than me if I were in a wheelchair.

Through my experiences I have come to the conclusion that ableist oppression needs to stop.  people with disabilities need to be treated more fairly.  The world needs to accomodate more for these people that have such a difficult everday life.  It is to my knowledge that there are not many groups that support disabled individuals.  As a society, we need to step up fo rthese people and make an effort to educate people about the hardships that they face everyday.  There are many other groups and organizations that support different causes, we need a disabled organization to help educate the public on getting the world more adaptable for disabled persons.  Advertising on the television wtih some strong and touching advertisements would be a huge start.  Education would be  the first step to lessen ableism and promote equality in our society.

Blog Entry #5 Samantha Walter

Blog Entry #5

There are many advantages that able-bodied people have over disabled people. During the week, I have work 3 days, and college 2 days, but im usually studying or doing homework everyday. But on the weekend, I do activities that require to be mentally and physically fit. So I will pick a weekend day like Saturday, and run through my day. I get up, and get ready to go to my uncle’s house in Wellington, OH to ride horses. When I get there I have to get the horses ready to ride. There is a system or plan to getting them brushed and saddled up to go. We may either ride behind his house or haul somewhere to go trail riding, which involves more preparing and planning. But on this day we will start by working the horses in the arena, to get them ready for barrel racing. So there is a certain way of training these thoroughbred quarterhorses for barrel racing. So we trott and canter and run the barrel pattern, to get them to flex and bend around the barrels. So all of this requires control, balance, and patience. It also involved knowing how to steer the horse, apply and release pressure with the reigns to control their head. Then after that, we usually go trail riding in the woods for 4-5 hours behind his house, which relaxes the horses and rewards them. Then if I get home at 7 or 8, I will go coon hunting with my other uncle, near where I live. Coon hunting involved many hours of long walks through woods that are unfamiliar, crossing rivers and up and down hills and over disced fields. Along with carrying all the paraphanelia that goes with it. The hunting jacket with a game bag full of coon, chaps, boots, a hunting light and carrying the gun. And when we catch the coon dogs, they drag us back through the woods! It required a lot of stamina to walk for 6-8 hours or sometimes all night, if it is a good night and the coon are running.

So there are a lot of structural barriers that a disabled person may face, if they were to have a day like this. It would definitely be very difficult to ride a crazy racing horse like the one’s my uncle has. Although a nice, sweet horse would be great for someone with a disability. And they do use horses as therapy for disabled people. My gut feeling is that people shun people with disabilities if they were to try hunting or outdoor sports. They would face prejudices, because it is not the norm to see a disabled person out coon hunting or riding or attending barrel racing shows. There needs to be more activities for disabled people to attend. Like walks, horse therapy sessions, fishing on canoes, etc. For them to be more accepted into society and for it all to be okay.

Blog #5

 

Marissa Kittel

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Joelle Ruby Ryan

ACS 250

Blog #5  Disabilities

“A Day In the Life”

            Can you image not being a part of the majority? I know for m y this class and semester has really opened my eyes to the minorities and under represented people within our society. In this last and final blog entry, we have been asked to examine our life as an disabled person continuing our everyday activities. For me, I did not have to imagine to hard. Recently, I was on crutches due to ripping tendons in my ankle from a sporting activity. To make the situation worse, I had to manage classes and three jobs and juggling all different situations.

            One of the first things that I discovered was that there are a lot of buildings around campus that are not really suitable for disabled people. For instance, I took the elevator instead of the stairs for many classes, however, the elevator always seemed to be at the clear other end of the hallway that I need to be. Or there were not ramps accessible to the building therefore, many students saw me hobbling up and down stairs in order to get inside.  On campus, it was not only the building that I battled with while on crutches, it was also the sitting assignments in many of the classroom. For me, which I know it would be different for other disabled people, I had to put my foot up on a chair during my sixty minute classes. However, numerous times, there were not enough chairs for me to do so. Therefore, it made me think of people in wheel chairs, many of my classes the desks were packed in like sardines and could not afford to fit another desk that was capable of fitting a wheel chair underneath it let alone have wide enough alleys for a wheelchair to get through.

            In addition for it to be a struggle to make it around campus, I felt like the community was welcoming to help me with the crutches. Although I was struggling to hop up numerous stairs, strangers who normally would hurry past me held up doors and even offered to carry my books. However, surprisingly, teachers did not understand, for one of my classes I had to manage to walk from East Hall to the Math Science Building within a time span of ten minutes. On of my teacher got so mad at me for showing up late that she actually talked to me after class. She could not understand why I thought it was not important to come to her class on time. However, the struggle to carry book, not fall on my crutches and make it across campus in ten minutes was too hard. After explaining my situation she became more relax about the situation. But I could not help by wonder how disabled people that always are in a wheel chair manage to schedule their classes. I feel as though they would be forced to schedule huge gaps in their schedule in order to make it to class on time. But it made me think of the way people would have looked at me if I was prementaly in a wheel chair. How would they look at me? Would they judge me? Or take me for less of a person because of a physical disability? All these questions surrounded my head almost making me dizzy.

            However, these were not the only issues I had. Not only did I have to deal with the social pressure of being on crutches but I also had to explain my situation to my jobs.  All of them were not accepting to the fact that I would be unable to be on my feet, like it was expected of me to be. They forced me to beg other employees to cover my shifts because I was unable to work them. I can only imagine how disabled people feel trying to be as normal as possible yet not even being able to find a normal job because of the inaccessibility that they are limited to.

            Throughout my experience I think more people need to become more educated with able-bodied privilege and ableist oppression. I think if more books are written in regards to this oppression then more people will be able to respond and educate themselves with the harmful situation that is current impact many Americans today.  In order to educate people, disabled people need to talk our just like the author of our last book and showcase the problems that are present in everyday life and politics. More people need to become aware of their own situations and appreciate their lives in order to see the oppression that is currently being enforced. Just like other factors of oppression, we need to create a more equal, impartial nation, where all people are treated evenhandedly.

 

Robert LaCrosse Blog Entry #4, Sexuality

Robert LaCrosse

Instructor Joelle Ruby Ryan

ACS 250 #26449

Blog Entry #4: Sexuality

Brokeback Mountain begins with two men looking for work in 1963.  They end up working as sheepherders at on Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming.  Enis and Jack are the two main characters.  Enis is a loner type with a father that hated homosexuals.  This hatred went so deep that he took his children to see a homosexual man that was beaten to death.  Enis even thinks his father could have done this horrible crime.  Jack is an amateur rodeo performer.  The two main characters spend what appears to be an eternity, probably several months, working on this mountain.  As the weather gets colder it gets unbearable one night and Jack invites Enis into the tent for the evening.  Enis and Jack have a sexual encounter that appears to be a one-time event, but it ends up lasting throughout their lives. 

 

After the job ends they go their separate ways.  Jack comes back to get a job and the employer tells him he is wasting his time, he has no work for him.  His comments make it quite clear that he does not want a homosexual man to work for him.  He then tells him to leave the office.  Both men end up getting married with children.  Enis is eventually contacted by via a post card.  Jack comes to visit so they may go on a “fishing trip”.  These trips are how the main characters continue their intimate relationship.  During this visit Enis’ wife sees the two men kissing and doesn’t confront them for quite some time. 

 

Jack has dreams of the two men moving to a place that we later find out is close to his parents’ house and living together.  Enis has reservations about living life with Jack and chooses not to take this step.  He is worried about the consequences of this action and most likely he is haunted by the sight of the murdered homosexual man his dad showed him when he was a child. 

 

Later in the movie Enis ends up living alone in a small trailer with little furnishings.  He sends a postcard to Jack and it is returned and marked “deceased” by the post office.  Enis calls Jacks widow and she tells him of the accident that killed Jack.  There is a flachback showing a beaten man, it is not clear if this is Jack or just a thought going back to the murdered man his father showed him many years ago.  She tells Enis that Jack was cremated and she split the ashes with his parents.  She also tells him that Jack wanted his ashes spread on Brokeback Mountain, but she is not sure if this is an imaginary place.  Enis tells her about their working in 1963 at Brokeback Mountain and she tells him to contact Jack’s parents.  Enis visits jacks parents.  Jacks mother is very accommodating, but his father is a different issue.  He makes it clear that they have a family plot and they intend on putting him in their plot.  His reasons for making sure this happens are because he doesn’t agree with his son’s choice of lifestyle.  Jacks mother allows Enis to take one of Jacks personal effects with him.  It is shown in another scene hanging in Enis’ closet.  I like to believe that Enis eventually takes this item to Brokeback Mountain and leaves it there to fulfill Jacks last wish. 

 

Brokeback Mountainchallenged my opinions of LGBT people by presenting two “manly” men, cowboys, who fall in love with each other.  They do not represent the stereotypical homosexual male image, a more feminine man.  Both men struggle with their day-to-day activities due to their preoccupation with each other while they are in love with one another.  I feel this presented LGBT people in a positive light.  The story could have been any two people and it would not change.  This shows a similarity between relationships and not necessarily based on sex.  I also thought the images and description of the murdered homosexual male was appalling and the public would see this when viewing the film.  This is a positive step in making the public aware that this is an ugly crime and we should be outraged.  This is yet another way the film has a positive impact on the public.

 

I personally found this film to be entertaining and shocking at the same time.  The entertainment came through the love story that is presented throughout the movie.  I had a difficult time understanding why we needed to see the level of graphic detail presented when Enis and Jack had their fist sexual encounter.  The struggles that each of these men go through are rough and personal.  They each make attempts at living in a “strait” world, but both cannot get away from their personal feelings.  Again, this story could be replaced by people of different sexes and still have the same impact.  This plays a positive role in the presentation of this story.

 

For a different look at this story you should read Edna Anne Proulx book by the same name.  I found it interesting that the book Brokeback Mountain was contained a character who is killed in a Wyoming gay-bashing incident and was published a year before Matthew Shepard was beaten in Wyoming.  The author was also called to but not selected for jury duty on Matthew Shepard’s trial.  Other sources for information regarding GLBT people are National Gay and Lesbian Task Force at http://www.ngltf.org/,  Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation GLADD at http://www.gladdand the Gay Lesbian and Strait Education Network GLSEN at http://glsen.org.

Beil Blog # 4

Brokeback Mountain is a recent film that brought to light the question of sexuality between two men in the 1960’s-1980’s.  The plot is very simple, but the emotions of the story are very complex.  Two men go to a place called Brokeback Mountain looking for ranch work.  These two men end up working closely together over a long period of time.  They became friends and learned to help each other get through the day’s work.  Eventually one of the men made a sexual pass at the other and it was initially rejected.  That same night both men gave in to their desire and became intimate.  Both men knew that their relationship couldn’t be anything of substance due to the negative stigma about the gay community during that time.  After their time together was cut short, the two men had a physical argument and left Brokeback Mountain.  Both men went on to marry women and one of them even had a child.  Eventually they reunited multiple times at Brokeback Mountain and continued their relationship in secret.  One of the men proposed a life together on a small ranch and the other rejected it for fear of what the homophobic community around them would do.  They stopped meeting after that argument.  Both marriages came to an end, one due to the homosexual relationship the other due to incompatibility.  After some time in the future when one of the men tried to contact the other he got a returned postcard with “deceased” stamped on it.  He contacted the man’s family and found out her got killed while changing a tire.  In the background you see images of men beating the man to death for being homosexual.  Overall it is a very disturbing and emotional movie.  I liked the movie because it shows life as a gray area.  Both men married women and lead “normal” lives while still giving in to their homosexuality, they weren’t really gay nor were they straight.  The movie portrayed homosexuals as normal people who are confused and who go through relationship problems just like everyone else.  It was sad to see how people who are afraid of different will react to the situations at hand.  In our lifetimes we have heard of hate crimes committed against people who are different and it is so scary to think of how people can be so hurtful an evil towards one another.  Personally, I don’t have a problem with homosexuals because I feel like it’s out of their hands.  Some people are strong enough to resist the urge to give in to their homosexual tendencies, which protects them from being judged and hurt.  I know religiously that homosexuality is looked down upon, but I can’t say I am God and that I know what is in people’s hearts, that it why I can’t judge them.  This movie is definitely one to watch, to observe how hard it is for people to cope with what life has thrown at them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokeback_Mountain

http://www.brokebackmountainmovie.com/splash.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388795/