Salazar 1

Armando A. Salazar
English 114B
Stephen Flores
20 February 2015
Ask Before Telling
Unspeakable Conversations by Harriet McBryde Johnson, goes over various
controversial topics as she also guides us through her clash with Peter Singer at Princeton
University. They first exchange words at Not Dead Yet, a national organization attempting to
keep assisted suicide and disability killing illegal, when one of her colleagues officially introduce
one another. Obviously Johnson is part of the opposing side, Singer on the other hand is for
assisted suicide, and Johnson knows it calling him the Evil One. After a few emails the two
decide to meet over dinner. From there another debate is set up for the two to present their
arguments at Princeton. Both bring very valid points for their argument, all while being
respectful to one another. Nearing the end of the paper Johnson shows that although she might
not agree with Singers ideas for disabled persons, she shows respect for who he is as a
philosopher and as a person. Also that in the end he's just another human being with his own
ideology and agenda. The entirety of the article can enlighten almost anyone, it even begins just
with the cover she choose to have.
My initial reaction to Johnsons Unspeakable Conversations cover was more of a
question then an opinion. My question being, If she had a choice to change her appearance, or
remove her illness, would she?, and after reading a few paragraphs into the intriguing article, the
answer was already laid out for me. Although there was no sure cure to what she had, their where

Salazar 2
ways to make sure her appearance followed cultural norms. Yet she choose to let nature take its
course, all while painting her own unique form of beauty Both my views and those of Johnsons
run parallel to one another, in the aspect that although one may be handicap, it does not mean
they live a sad, depress life. Even too assume so can be quite offensive, imagine if someone
where walk up to you and blatantly say, If I had to live like you, I think Id kill myself
believing they have said nothing wrong. The assumption again leads to the idea of handicapped
people living unhappy lives, when in reality they are just as happy as any normal human being.
Due to these assumptions, based of no evidence, society has now learned to treat the
handicapped like children.
Some handicapped people, through a few years of experience, are able to manage and
live happy lives without the needs of others. For some reason, when handicapped people are out
in public, everyone wants to be a good citizen and try to help, even though none is asked.
Johnson, before she arrives to Princeton, gets ready with the necessary aid of Carmen, her
assistant, but she begins to try to cover her padded seat, even though she was not instructed to.
People seem to believe handicap citizens are in constant need of help and require assistance
when an obstacle presents itself. When in reality handicap people have already learned and
adapted to their bodies. Thus when normal people ask to assist, or begin assisting without
permission, disabled persons it can be taken to offense rather then as an act of kindness. All
these assumptions dont only affect crippled persons, everyday people are presumed to be an
identity they are not.
The same way disabled persons want to be presumed as equal to those who have fully
functional bodies, we have our own ideas of the way we want to be viewed as. For example, I

Salazar 3
wish to be seen as smart, young and very talented individual, who has potential to exceed others.
Whether people see that upon laying eyes on me, I can not answer for I am not a mind reader.
But in reality I do not wish to know, because I know who I am and what I am not, people don't
define me. My actions and thoughts of topics shape the person people view me as, whether I'm in
sweats or slack. The person within the clothes does not change, ones identity does not lie with
taste and preference but rather in character. One should never assume anything, only be polite
and ask the question you wish to know.
Take into deep consideration how you would feel if everyday you had at least one person
ask to either help you, or how you deal with living, being born the way you are. Although it may
seem as if you wish to compliment, in actuality you are offending the culture their lives have
been built upon. In an African tribe, the people extend their necks and they believe it to be
beautiful, when in the United States we might view as an outlandish thing done by third-world
nations. To assume someones culture being identical to our own, causes friction between the two
and can lead to something dangerous. Before assuming what, or who, someone is, one should
instead see what they are not and base the following questions, or discourse, accordingly to each
individual. Maybe try not assume or wonder about anything of an individual at all, start the
discourse with a clean slate and begin adding on as you gather more and more knowledge on the
person.