#ralph li

With our 6 ads, we tried to capture the essence of Disney magic while bringing into the picture (literally) how we feel disabilities could be better represented in Disney and media. Interpretation of the ads are definitely up for discussion and we have put in place a variety of avenues to do so.

First, we distributed the ads via tumblr. The ads have already been reblogged a few times and we hope to see it continue to be reblogged. In addition, we have tweeted links to the ads on the blog via Twitter and we hope to see people retweet the ads as well. Finally, we created a Facebook page for our blog under the category of Education/Community and titled it "Disnability" like our blog title. We hope to foster discussion about our ads as well as our blog as a whole on the Facebook page. Our hope is that through "wall sharing" and word-of-mouth sharing, we will be able to gain exposure for our blog and our ads.

Most importantly, we hope that the ads will challenge the mainstream perception of disabilities in media and that people will share their input with us.

Have you ever wondered why in Disney movies, many of the disabled characters tend to be the bad guys? In popular entertainment media today, why is it that many villains are portrayed as having disabilities? What is the connection there?

Is it the idea that physical disabilities sometimes incite fear and discomfort or appear to be "menacing" and threatening? Or rather, is our idea of disabilities as something appalling and negative brought on by the media we consume and as a result, perpetuate more of this notion in the media we produce?

To me, I see a never ending cycle in our portrayal of media. Our output of creation and ideas are entirely under the influence of the information we are fed.

So why disabilities? Some of my peers have already covered specific examples of disabilities being portrayed by villains, but my hope is to discuss why this trend even exists in the first place. In Why I Burned My Book and Other Essays on Disability, Paul K. Longomore states, “Giving disabilities to villainous characters reflects and reinforces, albeit in exaggerated fashion, three common prejudices against handicapped people: disability is a punishment for evil; disabled people are embittered by their ‘fate’: disabled people resent the nondisabled and would, if they could, destroy them” (Longmore 134). Take Captain Hook for example. He exemplifies all three of these "prejudices." First, his hand was eaten by the crocodile and can be inferred to symbolically represent punishment for being evil. Second, Captain Hook seems to be cognitively affected by the trauma of losing his hand and the handicap and disadvantage of having a hook is subtly hinted at when he fights with Peter Pan. Lastly, Captain Hook seeks to get revenge on Peter Pan and seems to be belligerent toward anyone in his way. It wouldn't be fair to say that Disney is insensitive to these depictions, but these false notions of people with disabilities are inevitably shaping how we view them. Another example of these villainous traits in Disney media is the depiction of pirates.

So what can be done about this? Although I don't see a direct solution to changing the way disabilities are represented in media, I do believe it begins with awareness. Longmore concludes with this:

The Beast character in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is often overlooked as a character with a disability. We often associate physical disabilities with the inability to perform basic motor functions essential to daily life. In the film, the Beast does not exemplify any lack of physical ability. In fact, he seems to possess supernatural strength which can be taken as an enhanced ability. Sure, we perceive him as an atrocious looking fellow with poor etiquette, but hardly as someone with a disability. When we delve a little deeper into the film's imagery and symbols though, we discover that the Beast is in fact a disabled character and Disney uses this fact to highlight its story of both external and internal transformation. 

The closest “disability” the Beast exemplifies is that of physical deformity. While not a disability that creates physical hardships, physical deformity, especially disfigurement of the face, does provoke public scrutiny and is accompanied by social limitations. The disability involved is not a lack of a necessary function, but the lack of socially acceptable appearance. This discourse brings to mind an episode of The Twilight Zone called "Eye of the Beholder" that touches upon the desire to "fit in" and the social acceptance of image.

There are real life examples of the Beast character. The Elephant Man of the 19th century, although set within the freak show context (infamous for its exploitation of disabilities), is a perfect example of an individual solely viewed as a spectacle and contrived as socially inept by societal standards. Likewise, the Beast is portrayed as a brute with a personality that matches his appearance. As a result, this physical abnormality is seen as a trait that is displeasing to the audience and something that needs to be changed. 

Here is a quote from Why I Burned My Book and Other Essays on Disability by Paul K. Longmore that I thought was appropriate in describing how Disney was portraying the Beast.

Disability has often been used as a melodramatic device not only in popular entertainments, but in literature as well. Among the most persistent is the association of disability with malevolence. Deformity of body symbolizes deformity of soul (Longmore 133).

Although greatly exaggerated, the feel and vibe of the parody accurately captures the lack of pragmatism depicted within many Disney films. Disney films often ditch realistic portrayals of particular situations and opt for an idealistic approach to it. Disney champions positivity and indoctrinates children with ideals such as to "never give up" and that "anything is possible." While I think it is important to instruct children in this manner, Disney's one-sided approach tends to cause more harm than do good. One example of this would be Disney's very own High School Musical. With lyrics that boast about how "there's not a star in heaven that we can't reach," to the younger demographic, HSM's music tends to do more brainwashing and instilling of false hope than to instruct in the importance of staying positive and looking on the bright-side.

Most prominently, we see here that disabilities are displayed as obstacles that need to be overcome. There are many other examples of this in media. In the TV show Glee, the character Artie is depicted as being withheld from his fullest potential by the wheelchair that holds him down.