A media study by Paul Hunt identified 10 stereotypes that
the media use to portray disabled people:
- The disabled person as a pitiable or pathetic
- An object of curiosity
- Sinister or evil
- The super cripple
- As atmosphere
- Laughable
- His/her own worst enemy
- As a burden
- As non-sexual
- Being able to participate in daily life
Disability in TV Drama is heavily stereotyped. Wheelchairs
tend to predominate here, since they are an iconic sigh of disability. Most
actors playing disabled characters are, however not disabled. The wheelchair
allows the character to be obviously disabled, whilst still looking 'normal'
and does not therefore present any major challenged for the audience
identification.
Characters with disabilities are often portrayed in TV Dramas as being outsiders, strange, unable to do everyday activities, immature, weaker than “able bodied, able minded” characters, less attractive etc. Traditionally in films, villains were often given a disability or deformity to make them seem scarier or more evil. Although our association of disability with “evil” has since declined, society often still links disability to weakness and makes disabled characters’ objects to pity. The disabled girl is being represented as innocent and valuable to other members of society as we see when she is upset by being hit with the Frisbee. The girl can also be seen to have no control which is expressed in her emotions as she begins to cry and has her career to stick up for her in situations which upset her.
We are not supposed to laugh at a disabled person because in our society it is wrong to do so and can lead to a specific person being judged and seen in a negative light for laughing at an individual who is slightly different and might not have the same advantages as other people. Also, disabled citizens can be seen as vulnerable and weaker than the rest of us because of their difficulties and specialities. However, in this clip we see it is comical and can’t help to laugh at the situation even though when we giggle at this it’s not necessarily to be mean.
Characters with disabilities are often portrayed in TV Dramas as being outsiders, strange, unable to do everyday activities, immature, weaker than “able bodied, able minded” characters, less attractive etc. Traditionally in films, villains were often given a disability or deformity to make them seem scarier or more evil. Although our association of disability with “evil” has since declined, society often still links disability to weakness and makes disabled characters’ objects to pity. The disabled girl is being represented as innocent and valuable to other members of society as we see when she is upset by being hit with the Frisbee. The girl can also be seen to have no control which is expressed in her emotions as she begins to cry and has her career to stick up for her in situations which upset her.
We are not supposed to laugh at a disabled person because in our society it is wrong to do so and can lead to a specific person being judged and seen in a negative light for laughing at an individual who is slightly different and might not have the same advantages as other people. Also, disabled citizens can be seen as vulnerable and weaker than the rest of us because of their difficulties and specialities. However, in this clip we see it is comical and can’t help to laugh at the situation even though when we giggle at this it’s not necessarily to be mean.
Daredevil:
On the list of the 10 stereotypes which represent disabled people this falls in with the super cripple. This is because throughout the series this character is shown to be disabled however now in this scene he is shown as a super hero which is why Paul Hunt references him to being the super cripple. The director would of want this to happen because it shows a different point of view for disabled people it's shown a disabled person as a super hero here as non-stereotypical because when people watch TV dramas they think of disabled people there as stereotypically unable to do daily life especially for what the character had just done.
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