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From: Chris Roach
Date: 10/22/01
Time: 7:28:48 PM
Remote Name: 64.12.104.42
Susan, thanks for the supportive observations.
I experienced a very interesting and enlightening incident at our recent support meeting. It was a great reminder of how everybody, regardless of fluency or disfluency, feels. When I described to a chapter member's elderly father at length how the most motivating factor in my life was the fear of being humiliated (as it relates to stuttering), he stopped me and reminded me that "everyone fears being humiliated."
That made me stop and think what a wonderful bridge that fear could serve in helping others understand those interiorized feelings -- it's something everybody can relate to. As your friend senses "the look" based on ethnicicity, all she wants and all everybody wants (particularly, we as stutterers) is to be viewed as "normal." Normal in our capability, our intellect, our interactive skills with other humans. Sadly, "the look" tells us the viewer/listener has taken pause to think otherwise -- hopefully only momentarily as we're given (or must aggressively take hold of) an opportunity to prove otherwise.
Thanks again and best of luck with your clients. Remember: "shame and humiliation" are powerful human instincts, not exclusively granted to PWS!
Chris