Approximately fourteen percent of the Canada’s population have a physical or cognitive disability, (Employment and Social Development Canada) yet ideologies of ableism (i.e. the oppression of disabled people) are continuously formed and perpetuated through mainstream media. A number of scholars have studied the link between media’s stereotypes of disabled people and the beliefs and practices of ableism; Stuart Hall focuses on the media as a “central part of ideological production,” (82) while Merril Harris and Chelsea Jones examine media’s misrepresentation of people with disabilities. The three scholars collectively agree that media is the main site through which oppressive ideologies are produced, reproduced, and transformed. Hall begins by defining ideologies as “images, concepts, and premises which provide the frameworks through which we represent, interpret, and understand … some aspect of social existence.” He explains that language is “the principal medium in which we find different ideological discourses elaborated.” (81). Jones identifies language as a “site of struggle” for disabled people, and links media labelling practices to “issues of identity” (102). Expanding upon Jones’ claim, Harris illustrates how our perceptions of disabled people (i.e. our ideologies surrounding disability) are “shaped and reinforced through our language patterns.” For example, terminology related to disability is commonly used to insult able-bodied people. Sayings like “get it yourself, you’re not a cripple” and “what’s the matter with you? Are you blind? It’s right over there” not only reinforce the stereotype that disabled people are helpless, but suggest that disabilities are something inherently “wrong” (Harris 9). Moreover, the person ... ... middle of paper ... ...ed by Canadian Hip Hop artist Drake, who does not have any physical disabilities. Jones criticizes these falsifications of disabled people’s experiences by explaining that when “media narratives … ignore, devalue, or misrepresent disability issues, they reflect the ableism of society” (103). With so many people experiencing life with physical and cognitive disabilities, it is disturbing that media’s representation of disability is so distorted. Media plays a central role in how people understand disabilities, and only through critical analysis can the “chain of meanings” that constitute ableist ideologies be “broken” (Hall 81). Hall, Harris, and Jones challenge readers to reflect upon the oppressive ideologies that may have previously seemed “normal,” however it can be argued that a true destruction of ableism must first come from the eradication of ableist language.
The two essays “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs and “A Plague of Tics” by David Sedaris are excellent pieces of work that share many similarities. This paper would reflect on these similarities particularly in terms of the author, message and the targeted audience. On an everyday basis, people view those with disabilities in a different light and make them conscious at every step. This may be done without a conscious realisation but then it is probably human nature to observe and notice things that deviate from the normal in a society. In a way people are conditioned to look negatively at those individuals who are different in the conventional
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,
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 as a whole needs to be addressed, and mentions that “ The military complex causes illness,disability, and death on global scale, and there is much more work to be done in theorizing how to oppose war violence and its effects without denigrating disability and disabled people in the process(168)”.
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
The Special Olympics date back all the way to the year 1968. Many see these Games as a time to honor someone who is able to “overcome” a task, but author William Peace sees this as an insulting portrayal of people with disabilities. Peace is a multidisciplinary school teacher and scholar that uses a wheel chair and writes about the science behind disabilities and handicaps. As a physically handicapped individual, Peace is able to observe a negative portrayal of disabled persons. In his article titled, “Slippery Slopes: Media, Disability, and Adaptive Sports,” William Peace offers his own personal insight, utilizes several statistics regarding handicaps, as well as numerous rhetorical appeals in order to communicate to the “common man”
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.
“There's nothing more debilitating about a disability than the way people treat you over it.” (Solange Nicole). In the film ‘Radio’, a football coach named Jones befriends a disabled student nicknamed Radio despite the outrage of other people, who ended up showing that the social issue of ‘Radio’ is discriminating against people who have disabilities. “Radio” is a hard-hitting film that effectively demonstrated people’s prejudices, due to the fact that the main character Radio is locked in a shed, manipulated into going into the girl’s locker room, and arrested for no explanation other than the fact that he’s disabled.
"Disability the facts." New Internationalist Nov. 2013: 20+. Advanced Placement Government and Social Studies Collection. Web. 27 May 2014.
In Garland Thomson’s text, “Disability, Identity and Representation,” she argues that people with disabilities in the media are generally represented unrealistically, which harms society’s view and ability to understand real people with disabilities. The term normate is used to describe those who negatively depict people with disabilities and that descriptions of people with disabilities are generally exaggerated, and defective (Garland Thompson, 1996, p. 11). The people in this advertisement is displayed as the normate figures. Erving Goffman describes that the normate figure as white, heterosexual, educated, fully employed, of good complexion, weight and height, and a recent record in sports (Garland Thompson, 1996, p. 8). However, the normate figure is in actuality a very narrow category that only a small fraction of the world could adequately embody (Garland Thomson, 1996, p. 8). Yet, it is the foundational structuring of the world we live in today. In other words, very few people can truly fit the mold of the normate that many in our society uphold as the ideal individual. One example that Garland Thomson brought up was that the one testimony to the power of the normate subject position is that people often try to fit its description in the same way that Cinderella's stepsisters attempted to squeeze their feet into her glass slipper (Garland Thompson, 1996, p. 8). In addition, people with disabilities have been described as, “exotic aliens whose bodily configurations operate as spectacles” (Garland Thomson, 1996, p. 9). Garland Thomson also states that “these bodies deemed inferior become spectacles of otherness while the unmarked are sheltered in the neutral space of normalcy” (Garland Thomson, 1996, p. 8). The label of the normate grants people, in their minds, to be authoritative and gain the power. Since the normates believe they are the powerful, and proper people in
Nancy Mairs, born in 1943, described herself as a radical feminist, pacifist, and cripple. She is crippled because she has multiple sclerosis (MS), which is a chronic disease involving damage to the nerve cells and spinal cord. In her essay Disability, Mairs’ focus is on how disabled people are portrayed, or rather un-portrayed in the media. There is more than one audience that Mairs could have been trying to reach out to with this piece. The less-obvious audience would be disabled people who can connect to her writing because they can relate to it. The more obvious audience would be physically-able people who have yet to notice the lack of disabled people being portrayed by the media. Her purpose is to persuade the audience that disabled people should be shown in the media more often, to help society better cope with and realize the presence of handicapped people. Mairs starts off by saying “For months now I’ve been consciously searching for representation of myself in the media, especially television. I know I’d recognize this self becaus...
The first article I read was about disability portrayal and the media today. He talks about a show where the actor with a disability plays a character with a disability. That is great because it makes more sense to have someone disabled play a disabled part. A disabled person can not play a auto bodied role, so where is the fairness in that? He also talks about how disney made a movie about someone with a mental disability. Although it was played by a auto body actor, the story was authentic because it was told by the actually twin sister. I actually did see that movie a couple years ago. I enjoyed the movie and the storyline was good. He also said disability roles are the easiest way to a oscar. One of those movies if Forrest Gump. It is kinda sad that having to play being disabled is a way to get an oscar. Most disabled roles have sad stories, so it seems like them make you feel bad in order to win an oscar.
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
As a result of a desensitized society, ableist language is present everywhere from online articles to family conversations. “common
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.