Critical analysis of media representations of disability

Danielle Melville Tutor: Steve Prowse

Student No:0264512 Module No: SN3004

Critical and social Issues

As a society many will say that we have travelled great lengths to achieve the barriers that we have overcome. We now live in a multicultural society were all races can sit, work, drink and live with others from any race, creed, religion or sex that we choose. However, there is still so much that we have not conquered as a society. But who is to blame for this huge weakness within civilisation is anyone to blame or are we all looking for a get out clause because we are ashamed of our own ignorance?

From the moment we are born we begin to take in Knowledge, information all the time whether through sight, touch, smell, tasting or hearing. Day to day we receive snippets of information that we must filter into fact or fiction with the guidance of others. Newspapers, magazines and television are all feeding the world with thoughts, feelings and opinions on life. What we relate to we can challenge but areas we have little or no experience of we grasp and their opinions then become ours and from there on it spreads, creating a virus of inaccuracies. An area that is greatly affected by this is disability a term created by non-other than society itself. Many people have impairments physical, mental and sensory however it is only when they step out into the world does it become a disability and we the disabler.

‘Massumi argues that each person has a limited range of characteristic that he or she broadcasts through his or her body which then is either visually or aurally received by others. These aural or visual images are filtered through the receiver’s preconceived categories of identity. Thus the body is a medium that helps people define each others identity.’ (James Overboe.1999).

This assignment seeks to understand what is being presented about disability in the Media through critical analysis of the contradictory messages and reflection’s being created and socially constructed.

The mainstream film industry plays an enormous role in the ‘exotic mode of presentation were the performer is presented in a way that would appeal to the spectators interest in the culturally strange, the primitive, the bestial, the exotic.’(Whittington-Walsh 2002). These roles are often played by actors that do not have the impairment of the character, rather than employing an actor who meets the needs of the character so that the emphasis is on that of the exotic mode as well as the aggrandised mode of presentation which ‘despite particular physical, mental, or behavioural conditions, the performer was an upstanding, high status person with talents of a conventional and socially prestigious nature.’ (Bogdan.1988).

‘We are a culture of mass media consumers. As such, authorities believe that the messages of newspapers, television, and feature-length films have a substantial impact on public attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. While film is often considered a reflection of society, it also serves a critical educational function. Movies can potentially inform the public about the nature of exceptionalities and help shape attitudes required for successful community and educational integration.’ (Stephen P. Safran.1998).

Mainstream film examples of these are Dustin Hoffman as an autistic savant in ‘Rain Man’ or Holly Hunter who plays a person without speech in ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Mainstream film examples of these are Dustin Hoffman as an autistic savant in ‘Rain Man’ or Holly Hunter who plays a person without speech in ‘The Piano’. The list of actors that have portrayed someone with a physical or behavioural disability is remarkable with other actors like Daniel Day-Lewis in ‘My Left Foot’, Tom Hanks in ‘Forrest Gump’, Russell Crowe in ‘A Beautiful Mind’ and Gary Sinise who played a soldier who loses his legs in the war in the infamous ‘Forrest Gump’. There are very few disabled actors and actresses that are given a role of someone with their own disability or a role that does not focus on their disability, even more so if their disability is physical. However it is not unheard of actor Chris Burke is best known for a character known as Corky, in a television series called ‘Life Goes On’ which he played for four years. Chris Burke was the first person with Down syndrome that starred in a weekly television series this role saw him through to becoming one of America’s favourite personalities. Tom Cruise a very well known and talented actor for which he has received many nominations and awards for best actor has Dyslexia. Patty Duke is an actress that has won three Emmy Awards for made-for-television movies and has manic-depressive disorder.

Mainstream film has amazing influence over society, and therefore have a duty to portray disability as it really is. However most films that show disability have a record of depicting characters that have a disability of having a special gift of some kind, which is in some way put there so that the viewer does not feel too disheartened about the characters misfortune of living life with a disability Whittington (2002) states ‘ as she talks about a well known film with a violent act were a woman becomes disabled that it is ‘a punishment worse than death’. However, people with impairments as with all people, ‘some have talents that could be considered gifts while the rest of the population quietly lives day to day in what would be considered ordinary ways.’ (Whittington.2002).

For the benefit of this assignment I took it upon myself to familiarise myself with the media representation starting with film so I viewed film’s such as Forrest Gump- the main character has mental and physical disability. Rain man- the main character has autism. Along for the ride- the main character has a mental disability. Bubble boy the main character has no immunities and a single germ could kill him. Fifty first dates - the main character has short-term memory loss. The others- two main characters have a mental disability. To kill a Mockingbird, which is constantly referred to throughout but only appears briefly he is portrayed as artistic and is locked away at home due to a violent outburst as a child. Gothika- the main character is a psychiatrist who becomes mentally disabled and colours of night also has a main character who suffers from multiple personalities.

All the films that I viewed have characters with a mental or a behavioural disability, every character faces isolation at some point during the film whether it is within a hospital or at home. Able-bodied actors or actresses played all characters and most contained very well known famous actors and actresses. I had heard of all of these films apart from colours of night and so the films were a success.

All the films focused on the negative side of disability as someone he cared very much about, portraying his character as naïve, used Forrest in Forrest Gump throughout the film. Raymond in Rain Man has been living for years in an institution as the family feared for his brothers safety when Raymond scolded him in the bath. The film then takes you on a journey were Raymond’s brother puts him in every situation that Raymond’s character is unfamiliar with creating a panicked portrayal of autism. Dustin Hoffman who plays Raymond becomes a life like Ken doll for his brother as though he has no thoughts or control over himself not a real life perspective of a person with autism. Every area of this film over exaggerates autism to become a freak like performance. At the time this film was released society still knew very little about autism and still today many people still believe that people with autism have a special gift of some kind but have a disability that does not allow them to live for themselves. This film creates many barriers for people with autism that live normal everyday lives. Alan Stanbrook (1989) states ‘There is something distasteful about Hollywood’s pursuit of disabilities as a means of winning academy award’s take Rain Man. Am I alone, then, in finding it the most deplorable picture currently playing in Britain? The only Oscar I would award Dustin Hoffman would be for bad taste. It’s an exploitation movie in a long line of exploitation movies, in which physical and mental handicaps are milked for pecuniary gain.’

Along for the ride is a film with a character named Lulu she parted from her loved one when she became unwell and began self harming, her then boyfriend played by Patrick Swayze puts her into an institution and then never returns it is only many years later that Lulu disappears from the institution and contacts Patrick to find a son that they had many years ago which he Knew nothing about. This film creates a character that is unpredictable and creates many issues for her loved one who is now married. Lulu is often aggressive and threatening however in the end shows that Lulu has conquered all when she finally begins a life outside of the institution. Bubble boy focuses on a boy born with no immunities but develops them when he is four. His parents bring him home from the hospital but continue to raise him within a bubble that is germ free to keep him away from society. He eventually falls in love with a girl from next door who visits daily but loses her to another who can have a relationship. When he realises that she is to go off and marry he decides to venture out to tell her his true feelings. Throughout his journey he meets and affects the lives of many who feel this need to protect the boy that travels in a bubble suit. He even meets some physically disabled people on a train who he then finds out are owned by a disabled man known as Dr Phreak who has restricted growth. They travel around in a train as the circus of freaks. But when bubble boy realises who he is, he decides that he won’t be known as a freak and nor will the rest of them any longer and frees them all. The character’s in this film are portrayed as having no life skills only circus as they don’t know what to do when they are set free by bubble boy, they then begin to call bubble boy the Doctor and promptly follow him when he tells them again they are free to do as they wish as he is off to get the love of his life. They begin to say that that is what they will do also. He has to tell them that he is to do this on his own and even then without him knowing they follow his trail. Dr Phreak is then left trying to find them to continue with his circus. On his travels he finds bubble boys parents and bubble boys mum treats him as though he is her little boy as he has limited growth. He is even put into a baby’s highchair as they travel. Although many of the roles are played by people with disabilities these roles be-little them and continually use them in order to humour the audience. These characters roles were written to highlight the very negative views that cause the stigma’s within society. Eventually bubble boy gets the love of his life but not before risking his life to kiss her falling on the floor believing that he is dyeing before his mother tells him that he has been cured since he was four. Making his character naïve enough to think that he was dyeing when there was nothing wrong with him.

The analyses of these films all perpetuate negative views of people with disabilities. It becomes clear from these films that the disabled character portrayals are written with belief that they are aggrandised but to many the end result is exotic. Sharon Knolle (2004) states ‘There are two operative stereotypes in movies, the angry, bitter, villainous disabled person and the hero who overcomes adversity and there’s very little middle ground. The only time there is middle ground is when it’s being handled by very sensitive and intelligent writers who are either very aware of disabilities, like Waldo Salt was with coming home or they are disabled people themselves like Neal Jiminez the water dance. To this day, coming home and the water dance are probably the only two films that get being paraplegic right.’

However the Media portray disability it is not something that will change anytime soon although it is up to us to begin to steer them in the right direction. As Whittington (2002) states ‘there is a link between the invisibility of people with disabilities in our society and the oppression they experience. Since the world of science and medicine took over the freak shows and the mainstream film industry created replacement images, performers with disabilities have virtually become invisible, while images of disability have been appropriated into negative stereotypes. However, people with disabilities remain commodities because as Charlton (1998) argues their disabling condition acquires an exchange value that a few people profit from. The mainstream film industry continues to manufacture disability representation from an analysis of deviance and stigma and has profited greatly from it.’ We as a society know that Denzel Washington could never play Elvis and Brad Pitt could never play Malcolm X. But until we as a society stand up to what is truly right, what is fair and is the right for all disabled people to be made equal the media will continue to profit from the stereotypes of under-represented groups and actors and actresses will continue to do what they do best and that is to imitate the role they are given.

Reference:

Bogdan, R. (1988) Freak show: presenting human oddities for amusement and profit. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Overboe, J. (1999) Body and Society. 4th ed., London: Sage Publication.

Safran, S. (1998) The journal of special education. 4th ed., Ohio university

Stanbrook, A. (1989) exploiting the disabled: The Times.

Whittington-Walsh. (2002) Disability and society. 6th ed., Carfax: Taylor & Fancis Ltd.

Articles:

Voters lean on disability Crutch (2004) [online]. Award Central: Reed Elsevier Inc. 2005 – [cited 6 December 2004]. Available from Internet: http://www.variety.com/ac2005_article/VR1117914540?nav=talent&categoryid=1819.