Disablity and Media - tropes and the need to move beyond them.

 

Disability and media

Need to move beyond tropes, - How do we do this?  I have watched some actors I respect because they have an awareness of what needs to happen to shift the media landscape and that it’s a long-term shift because of the way projects are pitched and developed, and I agree with them that it starts in the writers’ rooms, the writers, producers, and showrunners are opening up to more honest storytelling as responses change around storytelling.  

They are starting to have an awareness of the shifting media landscapes and how we are consuming different media, so not only competing with streaming services that have saved several shows because they aren’t so reliant on media ratings. Also, there is a growing awareness of the shift to smaller formats like YouTube and live streaming, so they aren’t competing they are joining them, giving more access to actors and behind-the-scenes access, to how they make the shows. Which shows not only the actors but the crew.

Understanding it is a long-term goal that will take a generational change to achieve - like seeing diverse casting decisions.  – moving beyond documentaries yet being able to respond to them – Shut up and take your pills, Dope sick: and moving to tell stories that will reach a wider audience; movies, TV, streaming services, and even YouTube creators have wider voices being able to understand the different markets for them and the cross over.  

The difficulty in moving beyond the tropes of disability is the ongoing way others see people with disabilities, there is more awareness, yet people seem to not know how to create more inclusivity, they want to but don’t know how. So, this is where moving beyond the tropes of the overcame it, and I am not saying that this isn’t a bad thing, but it can reinforce societal attitude’s that we are to be pitied and that we are a burden on others, this then removes their autonomy in decision making. I am aware of movies that unfortunately I haven’t had access to because of my location that are starting to have the conversations that need to be had.

 Movies like a White frog, Penguin bloom, and one that has generated some interesting discussions online such as the last hunt.  These reflect difficult decisions that have to be made about the wider impact of disability on family and friends and don’t focus on the life of the person with a disability but more on the story of the wider impact on family and friends especially when the disability happens later in life, through an accident or illness.

Some people are actively mining for stories and are seeking out what exists to support the production companies and actors that are actively seeking projects that have a focus on diverse storytelling and this does include, things like discussing disability, the complexity of relationships when things get difficult, as well as respecting the skills of people both in front and behind the camera so stunt doubles and special effects workers, actors like Harry Shum jr. Matt Daddario,  being people I can think of easily however I am aware of others.  Having these people on board is the start of a shift in the media as they understand the media landscape as they have had to navigate the world of social media and balance having a presence and some sort of privacy. 

They are also aware that there are some very complex issues around disabled actors playing disabled roles, however, as Dom Sherwood said, well that is like asking for a vampire to only play a vampire and it seems that this is the very real argument that people with disabilities might not be able to do the 11hour days but having disabled writers on board and producers is a very different conversation that we need to have, as having a producer that understands disability and can instruct the actor on say how a person would react is a massive issue and we need to be aware of this and how people can react to this and what people want from TV and media is changing as a lot of people are turning off their phones and TV and jumping back into hobbies and spending time with friends and families.

  As for the last couple of years, they have been isolated and that is not great for anyone.  Due to Covid and having to socially isolate has led to being unable to sometimes produce new content and having to move towards new policies and procedures to keep cast and crew safe and well, and this is not only for covid and other transmissible illnesses but for emotional safety as well so having intimacy coordinators as a safe space to discuss both physical and emotional safety. 

I have some community groups I work with for this very reason, and it is complex but needs to be talked about the culture that we live in needs to change I see that there are some things from the 50s and 60s that we need to bring back. Let me be very clear here that some things need to stay in the 50s and 60s like domestic violence not being a crime and women being reliant on their husbands or fathers isn't OK.  Or a person with a disability being put in a care facility and treated like a child, they started out Ok, but they aren't great in the long run, and getting people out of care is a great thing but we see that this isn't an option all the time. 

However, the things I want to bring back are more complex so things like having home economics in schools so life skills like cooking, cleaning, sewing, and budgeting, and having a parent stay at home be normalized and not just for the rich and I know that for some families that this is the only way they can afford to buy a family home. But renting for some and investing where they would buy a house is another option, but the tropes around disability are still stuck in the 50s where everything else has moved on as well but the care we receive hasn't and this is an issue in and of its self as it is perceived that only two groups of people need care and this is children and older people, but people with disabilities need care as well, and it might not look like care but care looks different in lots of areas, and in some countries, you might not be able to access care or have to accept care from a religious charity and accept the ignorant comments that they make about disability as well. 

However, this isn't OK and needs to change and it will change with time as well as education and that education needs to come from the people with disabilities themselves.  As we see that service providers are still dictating what happens in this area and this isn't ok people are still punished if they speak up and the abuse that people with disabilities face is primarily from a caregiver and we aren't trained on how to spot abuse as we are told to accept what we get and to be grateful. 

I can't be grateful when someone is pushing me into bed early when I want to stay up because I look tired, I always look tired, and I have a condition that causes fatigue.