History of Segregation and Stereotype,Jacqueline Vaughn Switzer

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.