October 22nd, 2018

Post date: February 9, 2019

5 of us met on Monday for our discussion of "Stuttering in the Media": Mike and Jane, Lauren, Natalie and I.  We missed the rest of you as always!   So glad too that we all did the "assignment" and watched the video clips.  We did not discuss them in order, but as our thoughts surfaced.  Talked about Mel Tillis a lot, and there were mixed emotions about him.  While on the one hand he seemed to accept his stuttering and use it "to his advantage",  we recognized that Glen C. always interrupted Mel, finished his sentences, etc.  Although, yes it was probably part "of the act", it was also sending the wrong message out into the world about it being okay to finish sentences for people that stutter.  We were sad and appalled at the early exploitation of people with disabilities, as in the early 1932 clip and we also recognized that most of the clips used the "stuttering trait" as a way to describe the "character" of the person... and most often of course in a negative light, perpetuating the stigma.  We all just loved the M.A.S.H. clip, and were grateful for such a poignant and honest portrayal, both of an example of bullying and of the good example of Major Winchester intervening and supporting the private who stuttered. 

We also talked a lot about the waitress (i.e. girl/female) who stuttered in "Laughing to the Bank".   And here's an example of our "lengthy discussions".... I will try to capture this one.  We thought she did a good job of realistically stuttering, and discussed that fact that most of the characters who stutter "in the media" were men!  We discussed a range of interpretations related to the men (her customers) at the counter.   Yes...first the men were floored and awed by her looks/appearance, --- but then as she began to stutter, of course, their reactions changed.  Of course we jumped to the conclusion that it was a "negative" reaction, but further discussion helped us to brainstorm other, less negative, interpretations of their behaviors.  For example, it's often just confusion, not understanding what's happening, or perhaps concern that she needed help.  And they could have been agreeing to "having the same thing", in order to "help her out".  Granted, when she left... they all looked at each other nervously and "with some humor/shock"... but those reactions also occur as a result of feelings of nervousness and of being unsure how one is "supposed to react".