Mute/Nonverbal Alters
Let's talk about this, because it's one of the more controversial debates I've come across in syscourse. Please keep conversation civil and kind! This is meant to be in-good-faith.
One of the weirder but medically documented symptoms of having a CDD is that different alters/parts can experience different disabilities/range of a disability. In CDD systems, it is occasionally documented that one part might need a different prescription eyeglass or have a very particular allergy that isn't seen in the rest of the system. Weird, right? But it's true! This has been documented and studied. It's not super common, but it DOES happen.
So why is there such a pushback with labeling an alter that doesn't have the ability to speak as "mute" or "nonverbal"?
To be clear, my brother was nonverbal until he was 8, so I have been involved in the community in the past. The thing is, this pushback on labeling a part as mute or nonverbal is only something I've seen on tumblr. I've never seen it on another site or in the offline community. The reasons for being nonverbal range vastly, even when the body is capable of verbal communication and the person, for whatever reason, just does not speak. So why can't the same be said for alters without the ability to do so? If we acknowledge that different parts can have different disabilities, why can't one alter be nonverbal? Why is that so offensive?
This isn't really something I particularly care THAT much about, I care more about neurotypical people appropriating terms, but I wanna ramble anyway
As someone who was nonverbal for a large portion of my life, then semi verbal for another large portion: it is offensive to call them nonverbal. BUT! I am fine with calling them mute, nonspeaking, or any other synonyms. It is the same to me as someone who is not a system and a speaking person calling their nonspeaking episodes "going nonverbal" it's offensive.
The reason I find it offensive is if the majority of your alters (or those who front the most) can speak, you are a speaking system. I also have never seen the debate outside of online spaces- but the reason I've seen is because none of the people I met were ever nonverbal at any point of their life. I've always felt icky about it, it makes me uncomfortable.
Why just nonverbal? The system as a whole may be able to speak but that specific alter does not. Would it then be offensive to say that an alter has a specific food allergy the system doesn't have? Or that an alter needs prescription glasses to see when the rest of the system doesn't?
I am the type of person who isn't too keen on alters being treated differently, I've never experienced having that for myself so I cant imagine using a disability word that doesnt apply to the whole system. I could see myself maybe being fine with it if I was that kind of person? But otherwise, allergies and glasses prescriptions are different from this. Saying nonverbal is like calling an alter deaf if they have trouble processing audio compared to the other alters, in my eyes.
Friend, I have some bad news for you: That is documented as well.
Not to mention it's Capital D Deaf like it's Capital B Black. I'd advise not speaking for communities you aren't apart of. Especially as a culturally Deaf hearing person lol
I am partially deaf, please do not assume or be hostile towards me. You wanted a discussion.
Can the rest of the system still hear? Then no, you are not deaf.
I am not being hostile whatsoever. Again, it's capital D Deaf and yes, it has been medically documented and tested. This isn't my personal opinion, this is literally medical documentation. That's my whole point: these alters truly do experience and grow up with these disabilities and that does shape their world-view and pretty much everything about them.
So if these parts do actually experience these disabilities (and it's been proven that they do), how is it offensive to describe themselves with that disability? It's not like anyone is saying that if a system has a Deaf alter that they're a Deaf system or that if one part is nonverbal, the whole system is mute. I'm happy to put up sources.
I did not deny that the alter experiences this. I know what sensory dissociation is. You are still your body. You are still your body's experiences. An alter can experience a disability but they are still the body.
I suppose I was not making my point clear and we got slightly off topic, my point is simply that the alter still needs to be mindful of their body and its experiences. And in all honesty, saying "this alter cannot speak" has the same effect as saying nonverbal. They do not need terminology from communities their body is not part of.
I also agree that my view on this could be strange, especially to the larger system community (particularly the part about me prioritizing the body over individual alters)
Also the use of "friend" and your typing style changing to something accusatory was showing your frustration, so yes your tone did come off as frustrated/hostile/any other synonym. But I do appreciate you continuing this conversation as I have not had an indepth one with someone in quite sometime
Hey, so I'm autistic. I can't really predict how my tone is going to come off, I just type bluntly. I'm happy to clarify tone if you need to ask, but I'd appreciate not being accused of a specific tone because it's usually not accurate to what I'm actually feeling. Not mad, just a note!
I guess here's where I'm not really understanding. If an alter has histamine markers just the same as a singlet does, but the rest of the body does not, why would it not be referred to as an allergy? Because it literally is by medical testing. And it's especially confusing because there are disorders that come and go. I have something called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome where my body just randomly decides one day that something I've never had problems with to fuck around. So I'm not allergic to peppermint, but one time I had a near anaphylactic reaction to peppermint tea (home grown and dried, no chemicals).
Does that make sense?