representations: disability Flashcards
how disability is represented in mass media (24 cards)
define what disability is
a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term effect on a persons ability to carry out everyday activities
ofcom found that in ___% of appearances disabled people were in programmes about issues of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination
42%
how many people in TV shows in 2013/2014 were portrayed as disabled?
2.5%
describe the medical model of disability
disabled people are disabled by their physical or mental impairments (medical conditions) which suggest they need constant care from medical practitioners and families - the disabled are dependent on the able bodied
define the social model of disability with examples
disabled are disabled from society, particularly from prejudicial stereotypes and attitudes (e.g. no ramps, inaccessible public transport, less job opportunities)
describe the “super cripple” stereotype by Barnes
the disabled person is seen as brave and courageous living with their disability or as a superhuman
name 3 of barnes’ stereotypes for disabled people
1) object of curiousity
2) object of violence
3) unable to participate in daily life
4)pitiable/pathetic
5) sinister/evil
6) super cripple
7) laughable
8) burden
9) non-sexual
10) their own worst enemy
give an example of someone in media presented as “pitiable or pathetic”
children in need
give an example of the “super cripple stereotype”
channel 4’s coverage of the paralympics where they used the tag line “meet the superhuman”
Ross: for a disability issue to be reported,they have to be unexpected or heroic
what is a negative representation of disability that GUMG reported on?
“number of articles linking disability to benefit fraud has doubled in 5 years, nearly 1 in 5 articles describe disabled as “scroungers”
what is a negative stereotype that watson reported on?
articles in disability benefit and fraud increased negative media attention, leading society to believe many disabled people were fraudulently claiming benefits
what is an example of the “sinister/evil” stereotype?
criminals in films such as James bond films and Frankenstein
what is an example of the “laughable” stereotype?
fakes a disability and secretly does things behind his carer’s back when he isn’t looking - the joke rests on mocking disability and fooling the carer
what does the stereotype “their own worst enemy” mean?
individuals who are disabled could overcome their difficulties if they weren’t so full of self pity
how are disabled people seen as a “burden”?
they are helpless and rely on the able bodied to be cared for and looked after
give an example of someone in the media portrayed as a “benefit scrounger”
andy from little britain
what are the statistics of symbolic annihilation in the media?
1) around 25% of all adults (16+) in the Uk were classed as disabled in 2011, according to definitions in Uk law
2) 2.5% of people in the most popular TV programmes between 2013-2014 were portrayed as disabled
how are disabled people presented as unable to participate in daily life?
they’re rarely shown as anything other than disabled, their personalities and scenes centre around them being disabled. they’re seldom represented as a perfectly normal part of everyday life such as workers
what is a further statistics of symbolic annihilation of disability in the media?
1) in the majority of cases the impairment was the main aspect of their character, rather than them simply playing a character who happened to be disabled
give an example of “an object of violence”
auggie from wonder
how are the disabled presented as non-sexual?
they’re shown as sexually dead and so their lives aren’t worth living as they can’t have children
what impact does symbolic annihilation and representation have on society’s view on disability?
encourages stereotypes and creates division
what is an example of someone seen in the media as an “object of curiousity”
sloth from the goonies
what is an example of the stereotype “the victim/object of violence”
“me before you” - the protagonist is a man with a spinal chord injury who chooses assisted suicide, reinforcing the idea that life with a disability is unbearable
