In this week’s lecture we discussed the topic of what a Death Café is. Death cafes are salon style conversations about death conversations often muted in secular, wester/ized cultures, ructred conversations are typically guided with experience. Guest speakers Ester Ignai and Eliza Chandler spoke about the idea of death and how theirs many conversations revolving around the idea.
Ester and Eliza spoke about the topic relating it to their article “Strange Beauty: Aesthetic Possibilities for Desiring Disability Into the Future”, that allowed me to get a more inside of what the idea of death is in the eyes of someone who is disabled. She discussed the insight of the differences in ways the idea of death can be challenging to some with a disability, as well as the thoughts that might be running through their head. She explained that a disability is entangled with representation of “Death”. It is marked for containment and elimination, that is assisted to the idea of death for someone who is disabled.
This allowed me to reflect on my own individual thoughts of what a Death Café would mean to me. Imagine running words in you head suggesting it’s easier to end your life instead of facing the troubles ahead. It allowed to me reflect on how someone with a disability feels when having nothing to give to the world because they are “Different”.
The experience I got out of this was different than someone who might be older than me. As a university student and because of the age we live in now, the idea of death can have a different or similar meaning to some. Stress, anxiety, love, friends etc are all factors that can affect us in some sort of way. Knowing this, many of us have the idea of how we perceive the idea of death.
Through the segment they separated us into groups, giving us different questions to ask one another. Answers to questions like “What do you think about death?” or “What happens when after when you die?” allowed us to have an open discussion in the topic to make others feel or how we should be feeling. I grasp from this conversation that it is something that is common in our everyday life, but allowed me to open my eyes to understand that it is also very common with disabled people. This allowed us to have more open discussions, receiving opinions and perspectives. While the topic was extremly uncomfortable for me, many of my fellow classmates discussed how the idea of Death Café is very therapeutic. It was in a way to help others explore their emotions further. Ester and Eliza also took the time to explain in depth of their own personal experiences. Ester Ignagni and Eliza are trying to create a space where people can openly talk about the idea of death and the especially the culture around people who have a disability. They don’t want people to see death as a negative topic, they want to encourage others to have a better understand of how we all need to change out attitude towards the idea of death, and open our eyes to those who are struggling with a disability.