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Feisty

Jill

Harriet McBryde Johnson, a disability and civil rights advocate, died last week. Read Kay’s post for some background on this extraordinary woman’s life.

One thing you won’t find in Kay’s post is the ableist language coloring the obits in other publications. For example:

Harriet McBryde Johnson, a feisty champion of the rights of the disabled who came to prominence after she challenged a Princeton professor’s contention that severely disabled newborns could ethically be euthanized, died Wednesday at her home in Charleston, S.C. She was 50.

Disabled people who advocate for themselves are routinely labeled two things: “Feisty” and “brave.”

Also “feisty”: Uppity young women and small dogs.

19 thoughts on Feisty

  1. Can we just remove the word “fiesty” from the English language, please?

    Or at least change the official definition to what it actually means: that the person using it is a condescending asshole.

  3. I dunno; I see how in this context it’s not great, but when I (and my group of friends) use feisty it’s a compliment. Same with fierce. I think this, like all things, relies on context, not an entire removal from the language.

  4. “Fierce” has a gravity to it that “feisty” lacks entirely. I would totally have been down with describing her as “fierce.”

  6. Also “feisty”: Uppity young women and small dogs.

    And particularly uppity small women. You know, the spunky ones.

  8. This is such sad news for me. Although I did not know Harriet McBryde Johnson personally I followed her advocacy for disabled individuals. This is truly a loss for the advocacy of disable people. She really brought alot of issues to the forefront and was really inspiring in her achievements in law and advocacy. This is really a loss.

  9. If we could move away from the linguistics for a second. One thing that she opened my eyes to was the way prenatal care/prevention could easily turn into Gattica or Brave New World. If there were tests for every genetic disease or disorder would parents choose to abort. This is a very touchy subject, but some groups like the hearing impaired have brought these issues to the forefront with cochlear implants. If medical technology got to the point where we could predict every outcome would those born with disabilities in this environment be further polarized. I dealt with this when I was pregnant and had to decide to do amniocentisis. The push to dispose of any child with a medically labeled defect is shocking. This is too huge a topic to discuss in a reply. But thank you Harriet McBryde Johnson for widening my perspective.

  10. The proper word to describe HMJ, in my opinion, is: motherf***ing fierce (okay, that’s two words). And not in a Tyra/Siriano way, either. If you ever read the NYTimes article that she wrote about her encounter with Peter Singer, one of my favorite parts was where she tells a colleague about the upcoming debate, and the colleague looks at her and starts laughing and says, “That poor sorry sap. He doesn’t know what he’s in for!”

    Thank you for covering this, Jill.

  11. I am so sorry to hear about her death. I first came across Johnson a few years ago through her memoir, after which I went on to read her excellent young adult book, Accidents of Nature. She’ll be seriously missed. And add me to the list of people who hate words like “feisty” and “spunky” when not used to describe small dogs or something.

  12. f you ever read the NYTimes article that she wrote about her encounter with Peter Singer, one of my favorite parts was where she tells a colleague about the upcoming debate, and the colleague looks at her and starts laughing and says, “That poor sorry sap. He doesn’t know what he’s in for!”

    I *love* that article. It’s one of my favorite pieces, and I made my students read it when I was teaching a bioethics survey course. She was such a gifted writer. This is such a loss.

  14. I dunno; I see how in this context it’s not great, but when I (and my group of friends) use feisty it’s a compliment.

    So is “articulate” for a black man.

  16. Evil Fizz — I also use that article in teaching, it’s just an amazing piece. It is very sad to hear she is gone.

  17. So glad you covered this Jill. She’s one of the most important figures ever in the U.S. disability rights movement, I think, along with Ed Roberts and Justin Dart. I never read where either of those men were ever called “feisty” btw.

    On the ableist coverage: The obit in her hometown Charleston paper, which must have covered her annual protests of the MDA for the past 20 years, says she “suffered from” her impairment and notes she was a mentor to other lawyers “despite her disability.” The mayor says she was “courageous” because she didn’t let her disability keep her from using her intellect. I hope she didn’t let the mayor get in her way much either.

    Also, it’s hilarious and irritating that they included a quote from the MDA about how Jerry Lewis and the org offer their condolences. Lewis is a prick whose views on disability Johnson spent her life fighting. Gah.

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