Being made fun of
What do you do if people laugh or make fun of your stutter? Especially because it can be a challenge to verbally defend yourself.
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What do you do if people laugh or make fun of your stutter? Especially because it can be a challenge to verbally defend yourself.
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Hi!
Being made fun of is not a good experience, regardless if you stutter or not. It might be a chance that you would receive more relevant responses if you ask the same questions within the section Talk to a PWS?
I assume that we have different roles (profesionally (clinician/researcher/lecturer) and personally (wife, daughter, sister)). I don’t stutter, but as a person with word finding difficulties (for example), I am sometimes struggling with finding the words – even simple words. Then it might be a challenge to verbally defend myself, and sometimes it is hard to keep myself clear (enough) in communication settings. Sometimes I share information about this specifically, and sometimes not – depending on the situation. Usually I find it effectful to let people know. If I am in a situation where somebody is trying to reduce my influence or make fun of me (without my ‘permission’), I usually tell them that I don’t find it funny.
I assume that almost all of us are trying to verbally stand up for ourselves – some of us every day – and also possibly many times during the same day. Most of us are in settings where we try to influence in one way or another. Then it is really hard if people don’t take us seriously. What is important for me, is to be honest and authentic. Sometimes I just tell them how I consider the specific response, and sometimes I like to use humour in communication myself (depending on the context), and I find sometimes this very effectful too. Of course, in those situations I need to know that I am in control of the setting.
I know this response may sound a bit superficial, but these aspects were currently in my mind.
Best wishes, from
Hilda
Thank you for your question. 🙂 I can answer this question from a couple of view points. I do agree with Hilda that your question may be better answer in the “Talk to a PWS” section of the conference, however, as a sibling of a PWS and now a PWS myself I can answer from my personal journey.
As a sibling of a person who stutters, my brother has stuttered since he was the age of 6. He wasn’t really bullied or made fun of by peers that I know of or witness as he is 5 1/2 year older than I am but I did witness him to be talked about behind his back by our family. I defended him like a mama bear in those moments because he did not defend himself, he simply walked away. He never defended himself in those moments because I am not sure that he knew what to say. As a sibling, I don’t feel that people who stutter are obligated to educate the world…. I think it’s the worlds obligation to be sensitive and do better..
As a person who stutters, my journey is different than most. I have not stuttered since I was a child as my brother has. I am 37, and started stuttering at the age of 36 due to a brain injury. So, I don’t have stories of being bullied or made fun of as some do. I do, however, have already experienced being interrupted, and have been accused of faking my stutter. Yes, I have only stuttered for about four months of my life, and I have already ben accused of faking it. My response to this person was, “I am not faking it, I stutter because of a brain injury.” I order to be able to respond like that I had to be comfortable in the moment to be able to say that. I had to be accepting of the brain injury in that very moment… to say that. For me, personally, acceptance is a daily change. Some days I accept my condition, and other days I just don’t. So some days, you may accept stuttering… and feel like you can defend yourself to the people that make fun and boldly say something like, “I stutter, so what are you good at?” for example, while other days it may be difficult and you feel the need to simply just leave it and walk away. What does acceptance look like for you? That’s what it looks like foe me…. Thanks for your question. 🙂 Be well!