Coined by poet and author Kenny Fries, the deceptively simple test asks us to name a work with more the one disabled person in it, in which they have conversations that don't relate to cures.(It is sad how little writing I can think of comes close to this test.A longer version of the test is availablehere as well as why this test still matters when we face so many great threats. Off the top of my head, I can only think of The Other Side of The Mountain and its sequel, Jesus' Son, by Denis Johnson, and Nick Flynn's memoir "Another Bullshit Night In Suck City"(one of my favorite titles, ever, btw.)
Considering I've been reading for forty years, I hope there are more that just kind of slipped my memory, since I only just learned about the test, but it probably wouldn't have occurred to me to beat my breast about this as a young person since I wasn't very comfortable in environments with many disabled people. Being the "only crip in the room" felt like more of a distinction than an injustice so it would not have occurred to me to notice that pop culture thought so, too.
I've discovered solidarity more with midlife, as well as a gradual realization that life offers few gold stars, and no A+., and since I'm not getting money, power, or women like Scarface, I need another measuring stick.
Does your favorite bit of crip culture pass the test? Let me know in the comments.
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