as the first anon to point out the ableism in Tomb Quest on here, and as far as I know the first person to bring it up on my personal blog too, its been both so good and so taxing to see it discoursed about on here. so i just have a few things to say
I agree with the discussions happening about Corey's casting as Ben and how it comes across as a bit insensitive. But also, it's not my call on how to fix it or deal with it or perceive it.
Regardless of casting, I cannot get behind this "you're judging a show that we know nothing about" argument. Like, maybe Ben is a really major part of the story, great, Corey gets to play a big role. Again, it's not my place to weigh in at all on that conversation. But, regardless of how it's written or how present Ben is in the story, it doesn't take away that the story's foundation is ableist.
I would have this complaint regardless of casting. This complaint only came out after Corey was cast because his casting reveal was also where Ben's disability was revealed. Jon is understudying the role, and that doesn't change anything.
You cannot write your way out of the inherent ableism of your story's basis being "after a young man dies from a lifelong chronic illness, his dying wish brings his friends together". Adding platitudes like "well he outlived his original life expectancy" does nothing but comfort ablebodied people, and wash away their rightful discomfort that the only dead person is disabled.
Saying things like "are disabled people not allowed to die anymore" and "do you want him to die from another cause" is ridiculous. Yes, I would love for disabled characters to stop dying to progress stories. The same way I want female characters, characters of colour and queer characters to stop dying to progress stories. I get the feeling you wouldn't be saying "are gay people not allowed to die anymore" or "are women not allowed to die anymore", why is it only black and disabled people that are expendable?
There is no way to make the trope non-ableist. That is the crux of the matter. It has been around for centuries in everything from Stephen King (Duddits from Dreamcatcher) to Charles Dickens (Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol). It sucks that this discourse has to happen around a black character, which there are already so few of, but it's not okay to let unchecked ableism go around in media.
I'm not saying they shouldn't perform Tomb Quest, or that they should rewrite it. It's too late. I just ask that the fandom please engage with it respectfully and understand that a group of ablebodied people trying to portray disability as a cheap writing trick to kill a character off at a younger age (when there are many reasons 30 year olds die that aren't disability, like car accidents or reckless behaviour) is not okay. They are fallible.
Listen to **physically** disabled people about the ableism in the script and listen to black people about racism in the casting. These are two separate conversations, but in both cases, you are not doing yourself any favours by forming opinions without listening to the people this impacts.
That's all I have to say on the matter. I'm sorry this is so long. Just, please, I beg all of you, see that no one is incapable of writing bigoted things, even if you respect them, even if they are talented writers. Listen to the people who have to see themselves die over and over again.
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