Kottke is amazed by this Paralympics race:
Nicole Gelinas chews out NBC for not broadcasting the competition:
Thanks in part to NBC’s conviction that American viewers aren’t interested in the event, most of us likely don’t know that the Paralympics are not the Special Olympics. The Special Olympics represent a worthy cause: supporting intellectually challenged people and their families by boosting capabilities and self-esteem through sports. The Paralympics are neither a charity nor a cause. Like their Olympian counterparts, Paralympians aren’t interested in anything but medaling. Athletes win or lose gold, silver, and bronze—and are thus exhilarated or disappointed—according to their own work, talent, equipment, and luck. Nobody "wins" here just because he or she is missing a limb or two.
S.E. Smith worries that Paralympians are often celebrated for the wrong reasons:
Robert Jones, writing for The Guardian, says that there is a bit of a circus mentality to the Paralympics. It’s a showcase of exceptional people doing exceptional things, but he questions whether it really advances the position of disabled people in society, and what kinds of benefits it offers to ordinary people with disabilities. Indeed, he argues, it may actually harm people with disabilities by setting exceptionality as the norm to which all disabled people must adhere.
I recently argued that the Paralympics also reinforce dangerous narratives about disability-as-inspiration, which also serve to devalue people with disabilities and undermine our role in society. Many people don’t seem to understand the difference between being inspired by accomplishments that take dedication, drive, and a lot of hard work, and saying that it’s inspiring to see someone doing something simply because that person is disabled.
The Dish 