So last night we turned on the TV and saw that Speed 2: Cruise Control was on. So we decided to give it a go. First of all, just looking at the cover tells you it's a crappy movie. Secondly, IMDB gives it 3.4 out of 10 stars haha. We got through maybe 45 minutes of it, then Doug couldn't handle it anymore.
Anyway, one of the secondary characters is a young girl (about 10) who is deaf. (Just so you know: Deaf people don't see their deafness as a disability but rather as a culture which has its own, fully developed and independent language: ASL. Still, under the law, deafness is considered a disability.) I was hoping that Drew's character would either be a normal person or whose abilities were crucial to the movie. Doug even said, "I bet her deafness is going to help her somehow." Alas, we expected too much. She ended up being the girl who was stranded due to her deafness and whose rescue almost spoiled the mission. Great. 
On the other hand (almost), in the first 15 minutes of Percy Jackson & the Olympians 3 characters with different disabilities were introduced. I was really impressed. They were main characters who had "flaws" but were portrayed in a positive light AND their strengths were emphasized. As it turns out, their "disabilities" were actually super-human powers. So the movie didn't actually accomplish what I'd hoped in that regard. I bet I'm one of few people who actually look and hope for these things in movies... idk, maybe I'm wrong.
My point is, I wish that people with disabilities were portrayed in movies, books, magazines, etc. as people who contribute. I don't think it helps their cause to only see them as people who need "us." Even in the church's magazine, the Ensign, most articles about people with disabilities discuss how people serve and help those with disabilities. How we learn charity from them. Yes, those are important things to discuss and to recognize, but imagine my joy when I read this article ("One Heart and One Mind", Ensign, Dec. 2010, 36–40). (You should read the physical article, here's a PDF, then you can see the pictures :) .) It shares three stories demonstrating how "meaningful service can be received or extended by members with disabilities." Or extended. Thank you! I was so happy to read about ward members who were inspired to let their peers (who had disabilities) serve and uplift others. Please, in your own communities, have confidence (in all senses of the word) in people with disabilities. Allow them to benefit from the blessings of giving service and love too.
3 comments:
What I'm curious to know is to what extent classes who are protected by law "need" protection in the media. Also, to what extent would media's special treatment of them as a class further entrench society with resentment? I know that affirmative action programs have made the lines between races more divisive. So to what extent would a surreal treatment of people with both physical and mental disabilities bring about negative results?
Perhaps it would not at all. Recently, we have seen an explosion of "disability as gift" themes in entertainment media. Monk, psych, sherlock holmes, daredevil, rainman, and I could go on for a while. While hollywood has exhausted this clever twist, I think we see the more positive portrayal through company advocacy than media itself. It has become a popular PR move to show a company helping or contributing to making life better for these individuals.
Adding to your list of below par shows, lie to me has become a guilty pleasure of mine (I still cant figure out why i like it) but they have recently incorporated a hearing impaired character to the show. While they dont attempt to make it seem as though she is just like everyone else (her speech is slurred, and sometimes she doesn't quite understand) she brings a lot of positive things to the table, and makes substantial contributions to the work they do on the show. I advocate this type of depiction, because it doesn't try to make these legally defined and protected classes into something they are not, while not giving special treatment and not elevating them above the rest of society.
I will end by saying that disabilities (or you could replace the word with weaknesses or obstacles as it applies) are the premise of almost all stories, as the protagonist works to overcome them. This makes disabilities an easy target when coming up with a plot. and that's why you and doug both predicted that there would be a moment (for example when no one could hear, or see, or comprehend) where their ability to deal with their specific obstacle renders them more powerful over those who have not learned to cope with such an impediment. I salute those who have been strong in dealing with such natural obstacles, and hope I can be as successful with dealing with my own.
-Brian
love this.
I was waiting for that as well in the Lightning Thief. I'm glad that there are more people with disabilities in the media, and I hope it dispells some of the stigmas that surround them.
I LOVED the Ensign article. It really portrayed people with disabilities as valued contributors and not just service projects. And that adorable little boy with red hair and glasses is SO cute! And his name is Joshua! Coincidence? I think not!
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