I am Spa*ticus

What is it about a song that makes it so offensive it is banned by a major broadcasting company such as the BBC!  In 1977 the lyrics and artwork of the Sex Pistols ‘God Save the Queen’ was enough to do it, and yet it reached number 1 in the UK chart; a song which, now, would not be out of place on Steve Wright’s ‘Non-Stop Oldies’.  Fast forward 4 years to 1981 ‘International Year of Disabled Persons’ and Ian Dury’s, now infamous, song ‘Spasticus Autisticus’.  The BBC deemed it offensive to polite sensibilities and denied it airplay.  Why?  Can we assume the use of the ‘spastic’ may have something to do with it?  A medical term used to describe a sufferer of Cerebal Palsy which, thanks to a Blue Peter appeal, became a playground taunt and soon seeped into mainstream use.  Despite attempts in the mid 80’s to reclaim the term, The Spastics Society had to change its name to Scope in 1994.  In 2003 a national survey found that it was the 2^nd most offensive term in the UK related to disability.  It is also an interesting coincidence that 1981 was the year the Dr. Lorna Wing published a paper about Hans Asperger and his study of children who displayed unusual behaviour.  It wasn’t until 1994 that Asperger Syndrome was officially recognised as an Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Anyway, I digress.  Why, at a time when the word was still in common usage as a legitimate medical term and only just establishing itself as derogatory, was a song which used a deviated form of it banned?  The cynical part of me is inclined to believe that the sensitive middle classes had their egos severely bashed by such a battle cry of a song.  Anyone familiar with Ian Dury’s work will know what a wordsmith he was, and this song is years ahead of it’s time asking not for the charity and pity of people in ‘Normal Land’ but for equality and understanding. 

By 1981, the western world had seen massive movements for equal rights for women and black people.  Perhaps the United Nations felt that some emphasis should be put on promoting equality for disabled people.  I can’t really argue with that, but the major downfall of this is that the Civil Rights Movement and Women’s Rights movement were both instigated and lead, passionately and credibly, by the very people for whom it was imperative that positive change was made.  That is the reason for their success.  I am not saying complete success, but a marked improvement on a pretty diabolical situation in both cases.  And that brings me neatly back to the song that imbued me to write this.  The song’s refrain ‘I’m Spasticus Autistus’ was inspired by the response of the rebellious Roman gladiators in the film Spartacus who, when instructed to identify their leader, all answered ‘I am Spartacus’ to protect him.  Now, maybe I am reading too much into this, but it would seem that on this basis Mr Dury shared my view.  Spartacus may be little more than a folk hero, but the fact that his legacy is that of a struggle to lead an oppressed people to freedom, to me, shows an intellectual undertone to the blunt and graphic lyrics.  I don’t know why I was surprised by this.  The man was a genius and gained legions of fans because of his very clever use of language and turns of phrase.

Perhaps another reason for the corporate knee jerk reaction was that Dury could well have been a poster boy for the campaign if he had only played ball.  Biography time:  Ian Dury was born on 12^th May 1942 in North West London.  He contracted Polio as a child during the 1949 epidemic and was physically disabled as a result.  After attending both a school for disabled children which taught trades and self reliance and a main stream grammar school, he went on to study at the Royal College of Art under Peter Blake and then went on to teach.  A self made success story like that could have catapulted the cause into mainstream consciousness and given it the publicity needed to make effective change.  However, the particular song under discussion was written as a direct attack of the IYDP which he felt was patronising and counter productive.  Retrospectively, I think he was right.

It seems to me that the reason that this particular song sticks in our collective throats is that disability is one of the last taboos.  In a society that can now talk openly about Sex & Drugs & Rock’n’Roll, we struggle with the barriers that separate ‘us’ and ‘them’

So what does all this boil down to?  Maybe that the general public seem unphased by the constant barrage of sexist language and imagery used in the music and media industry for the sake of entertainment but are quite willing to forget about a well crafted and frank song by one of Britain’s most talented artists.  Perhaps that 20 years after the IYDP we don’t seem that much closer to achieving equality through empowerment for people with disabilities.  Apart from a few more easily accessible buildings and constantly worrying about the politically correct terminology what has really been achieved?  We live in an incredibly diverse society and yet when was the last time a disabled person was given, or felt they could take, the spotlight?