Does a private life in the public eye make a private person public property in the age of social media?
Is an individual with special needs born to educate?
Many people have answered “yes” to both, telling Tina and me and Mui that it is.
It isn’t.
In Hollywood, the Hays Code was a set of self-imposed, strict moral guidelines governing U.S. filmmaking from 1930 to 1966.
As a family we believe it is not a disabled persons’ role to educate others whatever their social position – doing otherwise would by “ableism” and “othering”. On stage in our talks, and in our book, we raise this point.
Tina and I strive for “how to think” not preach “what to think”. Because forcing opinions on others is illusory; or worse, it’s an imposition of strict moral guidelines that suppress opinions.
We are all individuals; opinions should be arrived at not imposed.
However uncomfortable, if you stop people thinking, they will.
Does a child’s undiagnosed neurodiversity impact that? Of course it does. But it is rarely, if ever, an excuse.
It is a challenging balance for that child, in this case Mui, to grow up as a private individual yet be seen, heard and remembered by people days, weeks and years later because of her appearance. Hong Kong, where we live, is a “village” of 8 million people.
Mui has grown up as a private individual in the “public eye”. Has she unwittingly become a “public figure” by wanting to be an ordinary girl and woman?
Mui is a woman; half the world is. She makes mistakes; all the world does.
Being born with an appearance others find strange is no excuse for having “strict moral guidelines” imposed upon you.
An Unexpected Adoption is now available.
Please leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.
Is an individual with special needs born to educate?
Many people have answered “yes” to both, telling Tina and me and Mui that it is.
It isn’t.
In Hollywood, the Hays Code was a set of self-imposed, strict moral guidelines governing U.S. filmmaking from 1930 to 1966.
As a family we believe it is not a disabled persons’ role to educate others whatever their social position – doing otherwise would by “ableism” and “othering”. On stage in our talks, and in our book, we raise this point.
Tina and I strive for “how to think” not preach “what to think”. Because forcing opinions on others is illusory; or worse, it’s an imposition of strict moral guidelines that suppress opinions.
We are all individuals; opinions should be arrived at not imposed.
However uncomfortable, if you stop people thinking, they will.
Does a child’s undiagnosed neurodiversity impact that? Of course it does. But it is rarely, if ever, an excuse.
It is a challenging balance for that child, in this case Mui, to grow up as a private individual yet be seen, heard and remembered by people days, weeks and years later because of her appearance. Hong Kong, where we live, is a “village” of 8 million people.
Mui has grown up as a private individual in the “public eye”. Has she unwittingly become a “public figure” by wanting to be an ordinary girl and woman?
Mui is a woman; half the world is. She makes mistakes; all the world does.
Being born with an appearance others find strange is no excuse for having “strict moral guidelines” imposed upon you.
An Unexpected Adoption is now available.
Please leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.
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