John Callahan, Provocative Cartoonist reads the obit in today’s NY Times. As soon as I saw the headline and illustration, I immediately remembered an article I had read in that newspaper’s magazine section in 1992 when he was featured. According to the Times, Callahan “made irreverent, impolitic sport of people with disabilities and diseases.” What made his work so provocative, yet acceptable, was that he himself suffered from quadriplegia.
The line I remember most from that article 18 years ago was about how we compare ourselves to others. He was referring to people who have been paralyzed from the neck down vs. from the waist down. (Forgive me if the quote is not exact. You’ll get the essence.)
“Quads want to be bi’s. Bi’s want to be normal. And normals want to be Jane Fonda.”
Greener grass, anyone?
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July 31, 2010 at 9:56 am
Elizabeth Cottrell
Jane, your memory of John Callahan…and your sharing of it…is a wonderful tribute to someone I didn’t know but who clearly deserves to be remembered for the truths he imparted through his craft. Thank you… BOTH of you!