Disability In The Media Essay
Disability in the Media
The Inaccurate Representation of the Disabled Population
“1 in 4 people that will hit their 20s will become disabled before they get the chance to retire.” (DoSomething.org) This startling fact emphasises the significance of disability in today’s society and how it can potentially impact a person’s life. However, the media portrays people with disabilities as outcasts; vulnerable, depressed individuals that are inferior to the normal society. By outlining such individuals as the stereotypical damsels in distress, the media represents disabled people inaccurately.
One important factor that highlights how the media does not justify the representation of a disabled person, is how they are shown to have another outcasting feature. For …show more content…
This is displayed in the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, when the character Christopher is judged and outcasted for his autism disability; he is looked down upon for being mentally incompetent despite the fact that he is actually very intelligent. He knows every prime number up to 7057 and is aware of all the countries in the world and their capitals.(Haddon) By neglecting the vast potential in the mentality and personality of disabled people and only focusing on their physical formation, the media wrongly portrays them. Another poor representation of disabled people in the media is how their life is depressing or incomplete. But in reality, disabled people go through the same problems and conflicts. This stereotype is portrayed in movie At First Sights, when the main character Masseur Virgil, is blind and shown as extremely depressed. However, majority of the blind population enjoys the benefits of life and experiences a healthy, happy lifestyle just like any other
The Inaccurate Representation of the Disabled Population
“1 in 4 people that will hit their 20s will become disabled before they get the chance to retire.” (DoSomething.org) This startling fact emphasises the significance of disability in today’s society and how it can potentially impact a person’s life. However, the media portrays people with disabilities as outcasts; vulnerable, depressed individuals that are inferior to the normal society. By outlining such individuals as the stereotypical damsels in distress, the media represents disabled people inaccurately.
One important factor that highlights how the media does not justify the representation of a disabled person, is how they are shown to have another outcasting feature. For …show more content…
This is displayed in the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, when the character Christopher is judged and outcasted for his autism disability; he is looked down upon for being mentally incompetent despite the fact that he is actually very intelligent. He knows every prime number up to 7057 and is aware of all the countries in the world and their capitals.(Haddon) By neglecting the vast potential in the mentality and personality of disabled people and only focusing on their physical formation, the media wrongly portrays them. Another poor representation of disabled people in the media is how their life is depressing or incomplete. But in reality, disabled people go through the same problems and conflicts. This stereotype is portrayed in movie At First Sights, when the main character Masseur Virgil, is blind and shown as extremely depressed. However, majority of the blind population enjoys the benefits of life and experiences a healthy, happy lifestyle just like any other