Media Essay: Discuss different ways which groups of
people are represented by the media. You may refer to one group of people or
more in your answer.
In my essay I will be focusing on how disability is represented in the
media as a collective identity. Fact, the definition of disability refers to a
physical, cognitive, mental, sensory or emotional impairment. However,
throughout media platforms such as magazines, film and television in particular
where stereotypes of disability have been portrayed in in accurate and
negative. The disabled person is usually depicted repeatedly as pitiable, pathetic, they are often the
sinister or evil character, laughable, his or her own worst enemy, as a burden,
non-sexual or being unable to participate in daily life. Current
representations of disability in the media consist of professor X a comic book character
he is an essential character in the film adaptation of X Men. Even though he is
of course a fictional character this portrayal; of disability portrays a
positive image he is a telepathic mutant who is bound to a wheelchair, but
still manages to run a school. On the other hand in literature such as the
secret Garden written by Frances Hodgson Burnett in the novel the character
Colin falls into the category of stereotype as pitiable or pathetic because he
is sweet and innocent and miraculously at the end of the book he is cured and
can walk again. Also another stereotype of a disabled person is used in film,
consider Dr No a famous James Bond Villain has two false hands and is portrayed
as sinister
In the BBC hit show Waterloo Road. A young teenage
boy named Traick has got involved in a freak accident of the school bus crashing
those results in him being physically impaired and therefore bound to a
wheelchair. In a recent episode young Tarick has canoeing lessons and then
undoes the safety harnesses and seatbelts in attempt to drown him unfortunately
his plan fails an s he is saved by his head teacher. Traick claimed that he
should not have been saved and that he was better of being dead because he
thought that he was useless because he did not have the use of his legs.
Leading up to his attempted suicide Traick finds that he cannot cope with his disability
as in attempts to get out the bath he loses his balance and falls out at his
school lodging boarding house so he is left ashamed and embarrassed because his
teacher has to come to his aid and sees him naked. In addition to this when he
is running an errand for a teacher and attempts to lift something heavy he wets
himself so the show then depicts him as having no feeling or awareness of his disability
he is also portrayed as being cold and spiteful towards all his friends because
he feels isolated because of his disability and is ridiculed because of his disability
by a new boy who claims that Traick has no control of the sexual function of
his penis; when he is attempting to sweet talk a girl he likes. This television
programme is aimed at young people in particular form 11-19 years of again and
has high rating of an average of 5.1
million viewers per series and earlier on this year the show won a BAFTA and
NTA for best drama this just reveals how many young people are being given a
negative and ignorant perception of disability. The episode was aired on Thursday
the 6th of September this is ironic because this in a sense contradicted
the positive message of independence and strength conveyed by the Paralympic
athletes instead Tarcik’s character is portrayed in a stereotypical way of
being weak and pitiable. The juxtaposition between the Paralympics and the
character Tarick can therefore warp and distort young people’s perception of
disability and since so many people watch each week this could cause their
perception of disability to be predominantly based on the fiction that is
portrayed in the BBC drama. This is specifically evident amongst the 11 or 12
year olds to who this show is aimed at because at this stage they are
impressionable and do not particularly have a broadened awareness of the issues
facing disability unless it impacts them in some way in their own life.
The Paralympics was held in London this year from the 29th of
August-9th of September. A whooping 3.3million people in the UK
alone plus an additional 300, 00 of people were watching the Paralympic extra
channels for some live action bonus footage. Watching amazing athletes compete
in events like football, swimming and
hammer throw when they had disability was memorising since they were able to
overcome their impairment in muscle
coordination in some cases; the
Paralympics just proved that despite a disability you can still achieve and be
a very skilful and talented athlete and self-sufficient individual that is not
an invalid or bed ridden in many ways the Paralympics has demolished all the
stereotypes surrounding disability over a very short space of time. The Great
Britain Paralympic chief believes that London 2012 has changed public
perceptions because tickets had already been sold out within 20 days of the
Paralympics. This is perhaps due to the huge success that the Paralympic team
achieved this year they came 3rd and had a huge Olympic victory of
34gold medals which shattered 2008 Beijing of 29 medals. Their success generates
nationalism so people feel proud of their athletes and in this case
Paralympians. Perhaps it is possible that within 50 years or maybe less those ‘natural’
and able bodied athletes will be able to unit as one after all the Paralympics’ teams
victory was greater than the Olympic British athletes, the ‘able bodied’ since they achieved last year’s Beijing record
of 29 gold medals. This is ironic that the Paralympic athletes achieved more
than the Olympic athletes because perhaps may be 20 years ago this would have never
have been thought to be possible. Comments that were responses to an article by
the BBC based on the Paralympics were genuinely positive regarding the Paralympics
one comment stated’ ‘as a random viewer who
wasn't planning to watch - it changed my perception of disability enormously.
It was Equal to the other Opening Ceremony!’ A recent survey shows that
74% of people now have a positive view
of disability because they are now more knowledgeable and are aware so
depictions of disability
in the media is becoming based on fact rather ignorance which often generates
the work of fiction.
Recently in the media there was a surge of hype surrounding Oscar Pistoruis
a very talented Paralympic athlete that qualified to compete in both the
Olympics and Paralympics. He made the semi-final and came second in the heats
and voiced ‘that ‘it was the proudest days of [his] life’. Some ignorant
critics voiced through social networks such as twitter and told the media that
his blades automatically made him faster a recent study deduced that blade
runners only sue 20% of energy in comparison to able athletes. Ironically if
the blades give him such an advantage then how come other athletes who have
blades are not as fast as him? Technically he does not have any advantage to
able athletes because he has lost both of his legs and so therefore has less
blood running through them and does not have tendons in his ankles which would
make his strides when running more flexible and supple. Controversy ever
surround disability mainly due to the fact that ignorance seems to cloud people
judgements .Oscar Pistoruis defence during live coverage of the games said that
he is a successful athlete ’not because of the blades but because of dedication
and sacrifice’. One of his trainers spoke to the media during a press
conference stated that she did not realise Oscar was an amputee because he was
fully able to keep up with the training against able bided athlete without
complaints. In the media world famous illustrator named Hellovon teamed up with
Lloyds TB in order to make some inspirational posters that aided promoting the
Olympics. All of the posters had
inspirational and bold phrases on
them that promoted disability in a positive way that perhaps might make people
question whether they are ignorant or not . One of the posters featured Oscar Pistoruis and it said ’Don’t look at
the legs. Look at the records’. However, recently the media has been negatively
presenting Oscar Pistoruis as evil and bad this is a stereotype that has ironically
always been related to disability since allegations have been made that Oscar Pistoruis
has brutally shot his girlfriend dead. Headlines have been controversial and negative,
Slate magazine states:’ ‘If Oscar Pistoruis is telling the truth, he’s a reckless, dangerous killer’, The
Guardian say:’ Oscar Pistoruis
bail decision condemned’ and the Sun states: ‘Blade runner Pistoruis ‘murders lover’ in Valentine’s gun horror’. This has caused uproar and perhaps could
destroy the positive views people had towards disability the message conveyed during the Paralympics was achievement,
resilience and determination and is now instead
replaced with this evil and murderous image recently portaged of Oscar Pistoruis.
Throughout history the way the media has been presented to society has
evolved over many centuries. In the late 1400’s-1800’s mid 1900’s before
television was invented and the idea of viewing a moving image at the cinema
occurred people used to see productions at the theatre. The Phantom of the
Opera though that as only written 25
years ago reflects some ignorant clichés regarding disability that were thought of during Victorian society. The main
protagonist in the play is referred to as the ‘Phantom’ which is evidently an offensive
term referring to a person with a disfigurement. ’The phantom of the opera’ is
a west end musical that depicts the disfigured character as the villain what is
shunned by society and portrayed
negatively as a recluse who lots
and schemes. The story is set in Paris during 1870.The Phantom is in on hand
portrayed positively since he has taken the scorn and ridicule he has received
throughout his life and channelled this frustration into becoming a music
composer and classical trained singer. He secretly has been giving music
lessons to Christine a beautiful virtuous chorus singer; since she was a child
.Christine has only eve heard his voice and assumes that it is the ghost of her
dead father. This is the story of a tragically talented man that is tortured
because of his disability. The play depicts that he is unable to be loved
because of his disability by a beautiful young woman. However because the play
is very entering you gets wept along with the melodrama and
the amazing music composed by British world renowned composer Andrew Lloyd
Webber you forget about the serious underlying issues.
The play was synergized into a film in 2004 because of the world wide
proven success of the play. The film relented out to be a huge box office hot
and was awarded BAFTAS’s and Academy awards for Actors and Best Picture. The
film managed to gross $154 million world-wide and had huge commercial success.
However there were mixed reviews by the critics that faulted the directing and
writing but praising the acting and the visuals. The film also stars Gerard
Butler who is an actor that has gained a lot of commercial success himself this
helped the film to appeal to younger and new audience.
At the end of the film Christine kisses the ‘Phantom’ despite his
disability and then the audience is reminded he is human after all because
while watching it your mind is in tune with Victorian societies ignorance because
every time the Phantom enters a scene you are reminded that he is the villain
due to Loud melancholy music this played and the flickering light depicted. The
character’s in the play fear him and therefore so do the audience. Born
disfigured a flashback shows him as a child being horribly abused in a circus
freak show act and escaping to the sewers. The lyrics of the songs feature in
the musical re supposed to challenge the ignorant views of a Victorian society.
The director wants us to feel pathos for the ‘Phantom’ and wants us to compare
the way disability is perceived now so that we are able to distinguish that if
the ‘Phantom’ was not mocked by society that he would have been able to lead a
normal and healthy life like any human being deserves. However, the play
contradicts itself by including a scene that implies that the ‘Phantom’ is attempting
to rape Christine, the ‘Phantom’ wails that his face has denied [him] the joys
of the flesh’. Significantly since the ‘Phantom’ is disabled we feel sorry for
his character and completely ignore the fact that his is an evil villain the
characters portrayal; is very stereotypical and some could conceive offensive.
In American television the way disability is portrayed
is generally blatantly negative consider the hit American animated sitcom
Family Guy promotes Black comedy/twisted humour. The show is always surrounded
with controversy and underwent 5 lawsuits in
2007 alone. It has had critical acclaim
for the candid humour conveyed. Ironically despite this the show has won 17 prestigious
Emmey Awards and 11 Annie Awards, not to mention the fact that the show
generates millions of viewers world-wide. However disability is mocked in the show. One
of the main character’s Joe Swanson is a disabled police man whose main mode of
transport is his wheelchair. His portrayal is not stereotypical but positive
due to the fact that he is not portrayed bitter and helpless and fighting
to overcome obstacles inherent to his disability. Family Guy not only moves well beyond this stereotype but
actually goes on to have make fun of Joe’s
disability. Joe is supposed to be a character that breakthrough the barrier
between the disabled and the able bodied. However, the character’s disability
is mocked even the manner in which he became paralyzed isn’t exempt from humour:
On Christmas Eve in 1989, as Joe investigates a robbery at an orphanage, he
ends up battling a Grinch on the orphanage rooftop. During the fight, he slides
on a roller skate, falls off the roof, and injures his spine. Critics through
magazines and new readings have picked up on this and many do not see his
mocking the disabled as funny but rather they see his portrayal as crude and derogatory,
in a recent broadcast on E-news they reported that thousands of people were
complaining to show regarding the portrayal of disability. Many people even through
social networking sites such as Facebook have voiced their views. Consider this
comment:’ yes,
the Disabled character on Family guy is sometimes ridiculed but so are all the
other characters. It just means he is thought of as the same’ From this quote
it is evident that there is a lot of controversy surrounding the sow but if the
black and ethnic races, overweight and poor are being mocked on the show does
it not promote equality in a sense for the disabled character? Unfortunately,
there is a lot of twisted humour surrounding the Joe Swanson character his disability is
often portrayed as politically incorrect. In one episode in particular, while
marooned on a desert island for months, another Family Guy character eats Joe’s legs, claiming that Joe doesn’t
need them anyway. When the men are rescued, Joe gets leg transplants, but still
cannot walk because the donor was disabled. The animated comedy is certified as
a 15.Howver,beacsue it is animated young children may watch it and
parent s may allow their young children to watch it considering its offensive
jokes as harmless because it is presented in animated from where most things come across
as innocent.
A recent show aired
on Channel from Jnauary1st-February 20th 1023.The show ‘Undateables’ is a British Reality TV series about disability and dating. It is shown on Channel 4 and is
narrated by Sally Phillips. The series
follows single disabled people who sign up to a dating agency in order to find a partner. The first
series was shown in 2012. A second series began on 8 January 2013.The ‘Undateables’
challenges the competition that people with disabilities cannot have meaningful
romantic relationship like everyone else. In episode 4 serie2 it follows
the lives of three individuals trying to
find love with the disabilities: Heather has severe OCD, Gareth has brittle
bones and has broken his legs over 150 times and Matthew has autism.
Thirty-eight-year-old Heather's OCD means she cannot have any physical contact
due to her fear of contamination by people's germs and hasn't invited anyone
into her home for years. Heather also has Asperger's, making things such as
eye-contact very hard for her. Heather goes on her first date in three years,
with Peter. Twenty-eight-year-old Gareth has osteogenesis imperfect (OI) which
makes his bones extremely brittle. He has broken his legs more than 150 times
in his life, and uses a wheelchair. 'I just don't want to die a 40-year-old
virgin', he says. Gareth takes Beth a well-travelled student on a date to a seafront restaurant. Matthew
is 20 years old and is a student at a college in Milton Keynes. He is keen on
karate and indie music. Despite a busy and fulfilling life, Matthew has autism
and has never had a girlfriend .For his first ever date, Matthew takes Nicola
from St Albans, who also has autism, to an Indian restaurant. I found the show
very interesting and it made all the stereotypical things like disabled people
cannot have a romantic relationship seem stupid it just confirmed what I
personally knew which is that disabled or not we are all human and therefore
all deserve love. Moreover, what I personally did learn was an insight into how disability’s work since the general
public who personally don not have to face disability day to day can be
misinformed. Unfortunately ,according to the Guardian they consider the PEOPLE
who have disabilities to be nothing more than circus freaks displayed on
television for our amusement:’ Today is about a lot of crazy people doing something
that's really stupid, we love that sort of thing in this country."
The way in which Joe Swanson
character(Family Guy) is often referred to as a ‘spaz’, ’retarded’ and
‘handicapped’ perhaps promotes that this derogatory language is ok to use. It
makes you wonder if the media will ever entirely depict a healthy and factual portrayal
of disability but then again this may
not be considered entertaining or be
something that the general public are entirely used to or want to see. It is a
general fact that people find controversy entertaining .Oscar Pistoruis’ murder
allegation could potentially give ignorant people that excuse their ignorance
and Paralympic athletes could start to be generalized and then all the
positivity and the hard work of the Paralympic athletes like Elli Simmons would
be overlooked and replaced with negativity in the media. However, the media has
been supporting mental awareness which promotes the need to communicate and
support family and friends if they suffer from mental illness in attempt to
eliminate ignorance regarding mental health. Celebrities like Davina McCall
states ’that a mental illness is just like a physical illness where the
sympathy is and understanding, it is still an illness that needs to be
treated’. Contrastingly the media at times contradicts itself a s several appears
and magazines in1995 mocked Stephen
Fry walking off the stage as a
play he was working on received bad reviews after he had a relapse as a bipolar
suffer. Following this he was called ‘mad’ and ‘crazy’ It was only released this
year in an interview this year in the Observer that ‘Exhausted’ Stephen Fry
often ‘fears that he will kill himself one day’. So does the media really do
all it can to help support disability or does it influence the negative
perceptions that people often have in society today. The portrayal of disability
is a tender and sensitive subject so because of this controversy will always
surround it.
No comments:
Post a Comment