Although President Obama seeks to increase federal employment of disabled workers, critics have accused the president of discriminatory and ineffective policies. In particular, an editorial in The Washington Times claims that President Obama’s Executive Order 13548 and the Justice Department’s employment policies recruit disabled workers by excluding other qualified individuals. However, the editorial justifies this rationale with stereotypes of the disabled as inferior workers who enjoy special privileges. In her work “History of Segregation and Stereotype,” Jacqueline Vaughn Switzer elaborates on this rationale by arguing that the media perpetuates the inferiority of the disabled through various stereotypes that brand the disabled as criminal and pitiful. She deconstructs these stereotypes in order to show the reader the media’s unfounded criticisms. As a result, in “History of Segregation and Stereotype,” Switzer heightens a reader’s awareness of stereotypical portrayals of the disabled in the media. In particular, after reading the editorial in The Washington Times, a reader consequently feels skeptical and suspicious of the media’s depiction of the disabled and government disability policies. By deconstructing the media’s stereotypes of the disabled, Switzer compels a prospective skeptical and suspicious reader to identify the editorial’s faulty argument about the government’s disability policies. She claims that the media like The Washington Times perpetuates stereotypes of the disabled as unpredictable or dangerous villains who suffer from psychiatric illnesses. This stereotype brands the disabled as hazards to society who are “… sinister, evil and criminal” (“History of Segregation and Stereotypes”, 41-42). In addition,...
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...ile, unreasonable, and problematic initiative (Washington Times). Switzer’s deconstruction of stereotypical depictions of the disabled as criminal and pitiful individuals empowers a reader to assess the validity of the media’s claims. When reading the editorial by the Washington Times, a reader can immediately assess the faulty argument against President Obama’s initiative to employ more disabled workers, which primarily relies on stereotypes, hypotheticals, and assumptions. Thus, with a heightened awareness, a reader can gradually make an informed decision about the effectiveness of disability policies without a media bias.
References
Exec. Order No. 13548, 3 C.F.R. (2010).
Switzer, J. V. (2003). Disability rights. Washington D.C, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Washington Times. (n.d.). Holder's "severe mental deficiency". Washington Times, Editor's Picks.
Baynton, Douglas. "Disability and Justification of Inequality in American History." The New Disability History. New York: New York University Press, 2001. 285-294. Print.
As social scientists, we are intrigued on analyzing relationships within society that can help us understand individuals and surrounding issues. In “Feminist, Queer, Crip” Kafer challenges the issue and ideas of disability through the analysis and frameworks intersected with feminist, queer, and crip theories to argue how society has rendered disability towards people with disabilities not having a “future”. Kafer quotes, “disability is seen as a sign of no future” (p.3). In other words, people with disabilities are perceived and expected to not have a future because they are not capable of conducting things as to someone who is an ableist. Kafer states that disability needs to be addressed, and mentions that “The military complex causes illness,
Charles pleas to pathos is how much media is disrespecting disabled people, “It is important to know the full degree of damage wrecked by the demeaning and wildly inaccurate portrayal of people with disabilities, not it is altogether clear whether much current progress is being made” (531). This causes the readers to feel sympathy for people with disabilities and evokes readers to agree with author. This definitely supports what Charles said in the article because readers will now feel sympathetic for disabled people being portrayed in the media who needs
This tone is also used to establish an appeal to pathos which he hopes to convince the audience of the fact that handicapped people are still people and not less than anyone else. A very prominent example of Peace’s emotion is displayed when he says, “Like many disabled people, I embrace an identity that is tied to my body. I have been made to feel different, inferior, since I began using a wheelchair thirty years ago and by claiming that I am disabled and proud, I am empowered,” (para. 15). This declaration demonstrates to his audience that Peace is honored by who he is and what disabled people can do and that he is tired of being oppressed by the media. Peace also makes this claim to support his thesis in the first paragraph that states, “The negative portrayal of disabled people is not only oppressive but also confirms that nondisabled people set the terms of the debate about the meaning of disability,” (para. 1). This is Peace’s central argument for the whole article and explains his frustration with society’s generalization of handicapped people and the preconceived limitations set on them. Peace’s appeal to pathos and tone throughout are extremely effective in displaying to his audience (society) that those who have disabilities are fed up with the limits that have been placed in the
Segregation was a big deal in the United States. Most white people believed they were better than the blacks. Water fountains, seating sections, and the bus seats are examples of things that were segregated. Segregation had a major effect as our country was leaving the 1800’s and going into the 1900s. The Jim Crow laws, White Supremacy, and the Plessy v. Ferguson trial were crucial setbacks for blacks in the late 1800s and the early 1900s.
Society is quick to judge and label people different from themselves. Whether it is because of different ethnicities or any form of disability. Most of the time these labels are put forward with intention to hurt the recipient’s feelings. In the passage Nancy Mairs challenges and rebels against society’s discrimination and use of improper labels. She emphasizes that she should only be called crippled rather than handicapped or disabled because from her perspective the other labels make her seem weak and inferior. Mairs establishes her claim through the use of rhetorical devices such as tone, diction, and anaphora.
I decided to focus my plunge on adults with mental and physical disabilities, because I had no prior experience with this group. Coming from an able-bodied family where no one has significant handicaps, I was generally shielded from people with disabilities. Over the years, I grew to associate dangerous stigmas with these people, even though they have no control over their circumstance. The
Approximately twenty years ago there weren’t many improvements made to assist disabled people in the workforce. Ableism was recognized but not much was done. But that has changed significantly. People are much more aware of it and are trying to fix the mistakes of the past to create a better future. One major effect ableism has is that Canadians with disabilities are very likely to live in poverty. 56% of disabled people are unemployed (Council of Canadians with Disabilities , n.d.). Another effect of Ableism is that disabled Canadians are more susceptible to violence and abuse, and are even turning to suicide (Council of Canadians with Disabilities , n.d.). This topic effects cross culture communication because people with disabilities feel that they have only others (with similar disabilities) so turn to for guiding, comfort, and strength. They experience all the negativity towards them for something that they cannot control. One way we can change this is to get involved with the community is to volunteer our time and skills to the organizations who employ disabled people, or institutions that are dedicated to taking care of
O'Brien, Ruth. "Two Horns of a Dilemma: The Americans With Disabilities Act." Crippled justice: the history of modern disability policy in the workplace. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2001. 162-205. Print.
At the time of the African-American Civil Rights movement, segregation was abundant in all aspects of life. Separation, it seemed, was the new motto for all of America. But change was coming. In order to create a nation of true equality, segregation had to be eradicated throughout all of America. Although most people tend to think that it was only well-known, and popular figureheads such as Martin Luther King Junior or Rosa Parks, who were the sole launchers of the African-American Civil Rights movement, it is the rights and responsibilities involved in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision which have most greatly impacted the world we live in today, based upon how desegregation and busing plans have affected our public school systems and way of life, as well as the lives of countless African-Americans around America. The Brown v. Board of Education decision offered African-Americans a path away from common stereotypes and racism, by empowering many of the people of the United States to take action against conformity and discrimination throughout the movement.
District 9 is a film that takes us into a realm of a different world from the one that we know now. It combines extraterrestrial life with immense science fiction to illustrate a story we could only imagine to ever actually occur. Although it was created for entertainment purposes, the motion picture can be compared to many different types of individuals and situations. District 9 displays many underlying concepts throughout the movie about racism, prejudice and discrimination. While studying and analyzing the plot and characters, these concepts became more translucent to me, the viewer. This paper will discuss the treatment of District 9 residents and equate their treatment to people with disabilities.
Examining The Discrimination of the Disabled Through An Analysis of David J. Birnbaum’s article “The Catbird Seat”
In” Disabling Imagery in the media “Barnes asserts,“Disabled people are rarely shown as integral and productive members of the community; as students, as teachers, as part of the work-force or as parents. “(11). Popular culture excludes women with disabilities because they are different. Through Joanne’s character, Nussbaum demonstrates how women with disabilities operate in their daily lives.Nussbaum description of Joanne’s daily routine shows that women with Nussbaum 's character Joanne also demonstrates how women with disabilities are not burdens on
In the essay “Disability,” Nancy Mairs discusses the lack of media attention for the disabled, writing: “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anyone’s life.” An ordinary person has very little exposure to the disabled, and therefore can only draw conclusions from what is seen in the media. As soon as people can picture the disabled as regular people with a debilitating condition, they can begin to respect them and see to their needs without it seeming like an afterthought or a burden. As Mairs wrote: “The fact is that ours is the only minority you can join involuntarily, without warning, at any time.” Looking at the issue from this angle, it is easy to see that many disabled people were ordinary people prior to some sort of accident. Mairs develops this po...
Every day in America, a woman loses a job to a man, a homosexual high school student suffers from harassment, and someone with a physical or mental disability is looked down upon. People with disabilities make up the world’s largest and most disadvantaged minority, with about 56.7 million people living with disabilities in the United States today (Barlow). In every region of the country, people with disabilities often live on the margins of society, deprived from some of life’s fundamental experiences. They have little hope of inclusion within education, getting a job, or having their own home (Cox). Everyone deserves a fair chance to succeed in life, but discrimination is limiting opportunities and treating people badly because of their disability. Whether born from ignorance, fear, misunderstanding, or hate, society’s attitudes limit people from experiencing and appreciating the full potential a person with a disability can achieve. This treatment is unfair, unnecessary, and against the law (Purdie). Discrimination against people with disabilities is one of the greatest social injustices in the country today. Essential changes are needed in society’s basic outlook in order for people with disabilities to have an equal opportunity to succeed in life.