Medical science is oppressive

“ILLNESS” IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT, defined solely (and in negative terms) against its antithesis: “wellness”. Society, in other words, has created the category of “illness” as a means to impose power on those who do not conform to cultural norms of what it means to be “well”. A person can only be said to be “ill” if one accepts societal expectations that “wellness” is the norm and that it is inherently a positive experience. Illness and wellness are mere taxonomies of power, inculcated by the hegemonic and oppressive discourses of “medical science”. Referring to someone as “ill” or “unwell” is simply the medicalisation of human diversity. The notion of a “treatment” or a “cure” is, therefore, a form of erasure, through which illness is othered and dehumanised. The hierarchical dichotomy…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2024

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