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Medical and social models of disability and how these influence practice
Disability is a social construct essay
Medical and social models of disability and how these influence practice
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Ava Wolf Professor Lukin English 802 27 April 2014 Disability Representation In Modern Cinema Employers within corporate cinema are expected to abide by established laws and regulations put in place to protect the rights of the disabled. However, representation of people with mental and physical disabilities remains highly problematic. Films frequently derive entertainment value from dramatizing the disability of the characters in order to elicit an emotional response within the audience. The unifying factor in most Hollywood narratives that present disabled people in either central or supporting roles is the utilization of their handicaps as a plot device. Regardless of perspective, Hollywood often spends more time misrepresenting people with disabilities than advocating for disability awareness. When critically examining commercial approach to disability representation, it can be determined that ableist themes are a recurring feature of Hollywood cinema. These narratives promote social Darwinism to their audiences. If Hollywood is a leading purveyor of negative social attitudes, then it must be held accountable for its flawed ethics and the destructive mindset it continues to foster. First, however, the following questions must be addressed: What is disability and why does it bear a negative connotation? The term “disability” is repeatedly used to engender shame and ostracism in society. It can be interpreted as derogatory due to the underlying implications of defectiveness. The word in itself dips into dangerous territory, given the undeniable fact that all members of the human species have boundaries and limitations. Nevertheless, those whom do not fit the confines of normalcy are bound to face oppression on a routine basi... ... middle of paper ... ...pe disabled persons as sick, dumb, repulsive, or even violent. Society's fears about disabilities are often just as handicapping to an individual as his or her actual disability. Social, educational, and economic opportunities are denied disabled individuals because of society's concerns, fears, embarrassments, and even pity. The concept of disability is a social construct. This is not dissimilar to concepts of race, gender, and nature, all developed through a binary logic that here takes the form of normal ability versus abnormal disability. In summary, “normal” does not exist; thus, there exists no purely “normal” person. Hence, normality is a sociopolitical construction, and the normal and abnormal ideologies are untrue. When established and reinforced in cinema, the concept of normalness yields a form of exploitation of those who do not fit the confines of such.