Summary:
In the piece, “Unspeakable Conversations” author Harriet McBryde Johnson recounts her experience with meeting infamous philosopher and professor at Princeton University, Peter Singer. Johnson is a disabled rights activist a part of the organization Not Dead Yet and lives with a neuromuscular disease herself. Familiar with his ideologies relating to infanticide and mirroring beliefs in modern-day eugenics, Johnson was intrigued yet reluctant to meet Singer. Their first interaction is intriguing because Johnson sees some of her own peers chatting with Singer, the man that believes anyone with a disability should not be born/be able to live. They get introduced and suddenly start exchanging emails for a while until Johnson is invited to speak at his university to a group of students with a follow-up Q and A. Upon arrival Johnson notes the attentive audience nodding along to the illogical, quite frankly horrid arguments Singer presents to them. He is professional, respectful, and calm. When Johnson speaks, she adds more of a personal touch while keeping the same professionalism. Afterwards, the two end up going on a walk as they also say their goodbyes and it seems Johnson’s opinion of his character has changed a bit. The chapter closes with thoughts running through Johnson’s head about Singer, about how ignorant people can be when it comes to disability in general. She feels content with concluding that Singer is extremely misguided but truly believes he is doing something helpful. She cannot hate him or violently argue because the world is filled with Singer’s unfortunately, but she was able to make some important dialogue with him that could alter others’ minds.
Quotes:
“But I have trouble with basing life-and-death decisions on market considerations when the market is structured by prejudice” (Pg. 10)
“Within the strange limits of this strange assignment, it seems Singer is doing all he can to make me comfortable” (Pg. 18)
“If I define Singer’s kind of disability prejudice as an ultimate evil, and him as a monster, then I must so define all who believe disabled lives are inherently worse off or that a life without a certain kind of consciousness lacks value.” (Pg. 26)
Reflection:
This reading wasn’t one of my favorites, but I think the writing got away from me towards the end. The theme that stuck out to me the most and seemed one of the most important was the power of rhetoric here. Since Singer had a professional, calm tone about him he would/will always have an attentive audience. Not to mention his status as a professor and famous philosopher. Singer has the privilege of painting his atrocious beliefs as something admirable because not only does he believe he is coming up with a real solution, but his status and demeanor demand interest and respect. If Johnson or anyone with Not Dead Yet were to speak out against Singer in a “aggressive” way that would be completely rational, an audience would see it as irrational depleting the other sides view immediately. Johnson knew for that reason she must remain calm but still added her personal touches in and also was professional. As we are all aware, many people similar to Singer exist in our world and they exist through their usage of rhetoric.