Friday 22 November 2019

Inspiration Porn

So-called "inspiration porn" seems to be a fraught subject that can make a number of my friends very unhappy. For some it's Children in Need, for others it's those posters with bright slogans, and for others it's the social media videos that go viral because they have a disabled person doing something "ordinary" (or someone treating a disabled person as "normal"). I find my feelings towards the genre to be mixed. Some times they really rile me up, others are "meh". And yet there are also others that do help. So, what gives? I was musing on this today while at work, and decided to write out my thoughts.

Who is it for?

I think the first aspect of Inspiration Porn which has the potential to be problematic is the question: Who is it created for?"

Is it aimed at "normal" people or the in-community? 

So many of the Inspiration Porn videos (in particular) that I see which annoy the ever living fuck out of me are the ones which have a subtext. They say "See, you can do it - I mean THEY can, so why the fuck can't you, eh?". These pieces are othering. They see the world as "normal" and "disabled", and we are there to provide inspiration for them. These works seem to inspire a lot of <3s, cutesy comments, and talks about our "bravery", but not a lot else. My reaction to them, however, is either mostly at the comment threads, or directed at the commentary or annotations.

The people who seem to be allegedly inspired by these videos are the type to mostly elicit little more than an eye roll from me - they mean well, but they just can't see beyond platitudes and our disabilities. 

But not only Normals can be inspired. For me, seeing or reading about someone like me who has achieved something I didn't think was possible, or that I could do, DOES still inspire me. 

Why was it made?

This question is directly related to the last, but comes from a slightly different angle. As is so often said - intention matters! The difference here is not whether it's aimed at "normal people", but what is they expectation on seeing it. 

If it's intentionally created or promoted to elicit that "aww, so BRAVE!!" reaction, then it can do one. 

Was it produced to teach? It can be easier for us to forget when we look at poor treatment today, just how bad the general attitude towards the disabled was. Yes, it can be utterly shit, and sometimes downright horrifying, but for all that, we as a society have made progress. We have a long way still to go, for sure, but our trajectory is no longer at the beginning. Inspiration Porn can be useful in showing the non-bigot that the non-verbal can think, that not all Deaf are stupid, and that those with physical disabilities or in chairs can still love and participate in dance. Those people are our parents, potential partners, relatives, and friends. They need to know that we can, because when they don't believe in us, believing in ourselves becomes that much harder.

What about if it was for the in-community? Was it made for us to demonstrate to ourselves what we can achieve, so that we're holding our a metaphorical hand to others like us to encourage them to follow. One person's Inspiration Porn may be for another that spur that provides them with the impetus to achieve their dreams.

How can something decried as Inspiration Porn be "important"?

What? Yes!

Inspiration Porn has two aspects which can make it important to us. Yes, even the most saccharine and demeaning Inspiration Porn can be useful if we get control of it.

What is porn after all, but something that varies depending on the eye of the beholder. Not all conventional porn is carefully crafted, or even intentional, and the same can be said for Inspiration Porn. 

So, is it Inspiration Porn? 
A short documentary about conjoined twins who are teachers?
A cartoon about a person with clinical depression celebrating the small achievements?
A short story about how a person with a disability achieved their dream despite being told said disability would stop them?
How about an article about how the mother of a non-verbal autistic learned to presume competence?
What do you feel? For me it boils down to two questions:

  1. Does it tell society "We can!"
  2. Does it tell us "You can!"
I feel that if the answer to either is Yes, then that which I am dismissing as Inspiration Porn, is just Not for Me, in the same way that horror novels or Fifty Shades of Grey are Not for Me. They're doing the job for someone else, and that's fine, but like 50 Shade, they may need to get some further information to get a more rounded view.

What about a poster with a trite phrase on it?

Even that is in the eye of the beholder! If it's the thing I see on the day I need to see it, then sod off, it's Inspiration not Inspiration Porn. Being trite isn't automatically Inspiration Porn, it's often just crap that is intended to help. Badly... :P

In short, it's down to purpose and gaze, just like traditional pornography.
  • Is it there to titillate and make the viewer feel good about themselves?
  • Is it being shared to make the sharer feel good / not guilty about themselves?
  • Is it there without the knowledge / understanding of the person being shown? (Compare some human child Inspiration Porn subjects with feel-good videos of animals) Consent is vital not only in sexual interactions!
  • Is it there for You to look at Us, with the subtext of being glad not to be me?
That's Inspiration Porn.