"Piss On Pity" is a
rallying cry for those in the
disability-inclusive circles of world politics. It has primarily been deployed in protest of charities that fundraise by portraying disabled people as burdensome and helpless. The phrase first appeared on T-shirts, alongside other confrontation slogans such as "Blinded and Crippled by Tragic Disease."
Etymology
The term was likely coined by folk musician, poet, and disabled rights' activist
Alan Holdsworth (stage name: Johnny Crescendo) who regularly relies on vulgarity and bold statements in his protest art.
History
"Piss On Pity" was first deployed during the 1990 and 1992 Block Telethon protests outside of
ITV Studios
ITV Studios Limited is a British multinational television media company owned by British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadcasters, and is ba ...
in the United Kingdom,
in which disabled rights activists attempted to prevent the fundraiser from being televised. The slogan was printed on t-shirts and thousands were sold.
The protest successfully platformed the activists and their critiques, which included the poor representation of disabled folks, as well as their removal from the conversation. Rather than donations to private charity, activists wanted to be seen and included in society on their own terms.
According to its proponents, the implication of the slogan is that
pity
Pity is a sympathetic sorrow evoked by the suffering of others. The word is comparable to ''compassion'', '' condolence'', or ''empathy''. It derives from the Latin (etymon also of ''piety''). Self-pity is pity directed towards oneself.
Two d ...
, while seeming to be a positive, helpful emotion, actually is derogatory. According to them, it is based in conscious or unconscious aversion to disabled people and the
ableism
Ableism (; also known as ablism, disablism (British English), anapirophobia, anapirism, and disability discrimination) is discrimination and social prejudice against physically or mentally disabled people. Ableism characterizes people as they a ...
that that aversion consciously or unconsciously represents. According to
Barbara Lisicki, an organizer of the Block Telethon protests, on the BBC show ''Network'' in 1989, "If you make a disabled person an object of charity, you're not going to see them as your equal."
Legacy
"Piss on Pity" was the title of an exhibition by disabled artists, that took place in Wakefield, UK, in 2019.
Their artwork reflected the antipathy of the disabled people's movement towards charity. The exhibition showed disabled artists challenging the widespread idea that charity is a force wholly for good.
"Piss on Pity" is the title of a 2013 album of the works of Johnny Crescendo and collaborator
Ian Stanton, who both have use music to platform critiques from their experience, as well as other disability activists.
See also
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Disabled People's Direct Action Network
The Disabled People's Direct Action Network (DAN) is a disability rights activist organisation in England and Wales that campaigned for civil rights with high-profile street demonstrations involving civil disobedience, rallies and protests.
Prio ...
*
Disability rights movement
The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people.
It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around ...
*
Independent living
Independent living (IL), as seen by its advocates, is a philosophy, a way of looking at society and disability, and a worldwide movement of disabled people working for Equal opportunity, equal opportunities, self-determination, and self-respect. ...
*
Kyriarchy
In feminist theory, kyriarchy () is a social system or set of connecting social systems built around domination, oppression, and submission. The word was coined by Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza in 1992 to describe her theory of interconnected, ...
References
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Disability rights
Political catchphrases
1990 quotations
Slogans
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