#rwtt

@hunterstieller (i'd assume you want to be on the taglist teehee)

I've discussed this topic several times but after the interview with Ricky Whittle (the video starts at min 54) I decided to talk about it again. I'm going to start with Ricky's comments and then work through Raven's story so far.

For starters-I do not blame Ricky for promoting the show, he has a career he's worked hard for and he would essentially throw that away if he took his interview to another level. He started out the interview by stating he would keep professional, which he did.

 I am more concerned with the comments he made regarding Raven's disability and Lindsey's physique. He stated that because Lindsey is fit, she shouldn't have to play a disabled character and that it was a waste. He also said the plot would've been better if she were “able-bodied” or if the disability was transferred to Clarke. 

No disabled person is a waste because of their disability.  That’s a harmful rhetoric that has been thrown at disabled people since the dawn of time. I'm tired of it and I know other disabled people are as well. Our stories, our experiences are worth hearing/watching. And not just the negative, which the majority of media seems to put forward.

Raven's season 3 arc has been a complete mess. She's been written into a dramatically reduced role compared to previous seasons and what we do see of her isn't impressive. In fact, to me at least, it's been incredibly offensive.

Her entire arc since she was shot by Murphy at the end of S1 essentially boils down to “i'm disabled, my life sucks and I need to be cured or I'm useless”. I don't blame the character or actress for this but I do blame the writers. I blame them because 99% of the time, this is what the world thinks the life of a disabled person is like. I don't like getting invested in representation only to have it reduced to horrible stereotypes. (ex: Lexa)

It is incredibly damaging for disabled people, of any age, to watch their only representation in a television show get “cured”.  I was so upset when Raven got her “magical cure” because, like a dead lesbian, its something I've seen so many times and something I am just tired of. 

Its also something the CW has done twice

I could probably write a lot more on this but I'm going to stop because this is lengthy, here are some resources for anyone interested.

The Trope of Curing Disability 

In Brightest Day: Characters Don’t Get to Stay Disabled