Since London 2012, the Paralympic games have markedly become not simply an afterthought of The Olympics but an event in their own right. This year, Rio reintroduced international sport’s “Superhumans,” the disabled athletes who help denounce the notion that disability leads to a dissatisfying life.
In London, the Games became so competitive that competitors were willing to dope and/or abuse the official classification of their disabilities to get ahead. Screaming crowds and record ticket sales instigated a reintegration of Paralympics into the fabric athleticism and prompted a shift within some of the core values of our culture.
Essentially, what really came into focus after London was that the public became more interested in the Paralympians’ back stories, their astonishing resilience and elegance within their sport. Their skill and competence eclipsed any prejudices associated with disability and resulted in a total attitude shift across the country. Paralympians inspired all types of people to feel they can participate in both the athletic and social arena.
However, leading up to this year’s Games, there was a palpable sense that Rio lowered the bar. Reduced facilities, financial cuts, poor marketing and a shortage of volunteers prompted embarrassingly poor ticket sales. Despite all advancements that took place four years ago, the previously poisonous attitude that disabled people are merely malfunctioning bodies, even second-class citizens, began to rear its head.
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All of this has suggested that despite Rio providing a stage for an incredible exhibition of human sportsmanship and achievement, the positive stereotypes associated with Paralympians can also leave a bitter taste in one’s mouth.
By definition, what Olympians as a whole are capable of do not match the everyman. What Ellie Simmonds can do in the 400m freestyle is no mark of what other disabled bodies can do. She is a specially trained, a uniquely built and distinctively minded individual. She is, by the mere nature of her contending in a highly selective competition, not a standard of which other disabled people should aspire to be.
Therefore, it bothers me when the term “Superhero” is tossed around when discussing the Paralympians. While recognition of talent is important, we don’t describe able-bodied people as somehow lesser people just because they can’t serve like Andy Murray.
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Social evolution comes when the marginalized are no longer seen as a symbol. As with feminism, which becomes increasingly distanced from the burning bra and hairy armpit, real headway will come when the disabled are neither viewed as emblems of herculean virtue or entities to be ignored.
Rather than positive or negative stereotyping, which leads to gross social polarization and regression, we ought to abandon the plugging of disabled athletes as somehow sub-human simply because it diverts from what is truly important.
To be accepted, one need not be “super”. All humans, both able and disabled, deserve equal recognition of their importance as social bodies.