Hello, my name is Zoey Thrift. My topic is how people with disabilities are portrayed in film and media. In my podcast, I will go into detail about how these individuals are portrayed, and how it can effect these people in real life. My group's overall idea was how people with disabilities are portrayed in media, how it juxtaposes to real life, and how this can effect ableism and stereotypes in society. In this podcast, I will address how film has a history of making disabled people a joke, mocking them, and reinforcing harmful stereotypes. In researching this, I have found that the history of this practice has been going on for years. Disabled individuals were, and still often are, ostracized by society because of these harmful stereotypes. Before film, it was books as well, which I will also address. I will also address how this is compared to how disabled individuals see themselves, and how there are changes being made. I will also provide ideas on how these practices can be changed, and how education can stop the spread of this misinformation. I hope to be able to help educate people on these harmful practices, why they are wrong, and how they can be changed.
Sources:
Baker, Emma. “Cinema's Systemic Ableism.” The Catalyst, 1 Apr. 2021, https://millardwestcatalyst.com/15171/opinion/cinemas-systemic-ableism/.
Garcia, Sarah. “Villainizing Bodies and Minds: Ableism in Horror Movies.” FEM Newsmagazine, FEM Newsmagazine, 30 Oct. 2018, https://femmagazine.com/villainizing-bodies-and-minds-ableism-in-horror-movies/.
Jackson, Kerrera. “Ableism in Pop-Culture and a Focus on Sia's Film ‘Music.’” Minnetonka Breezes, 19 Mar. 2021, https://www.minnetonkabreezes.com/top-stories/2021/03/19/ableism-in-pop-culture-and-a-focus-on-sias-film-music/.
Kasch, Courtney, et al. “Ableism in James Whale's Frankenstein (1931).” 19c Today, 30 Oct. 2019, https://19ctoday.wordpress.com/2019/10/30/ableism-in-james-whales-frankenstein-1931/.
Matta, Natasha. “How Star Wars Reinforces Harmful Stereotypes about the Disabled Community.” Medium, The Neuro, 17 Apr. 2021, https://medium.com/the-neuro/how-star-wars-reinforces-harmful-stereotypes-about-the-disabled-community-dae24af05701.
Rosenberg, Sarah, et al. “Cosplaying Oppression: Hollywood's History of Excluding Autistic People from Their Own Stories.” Ms. Magazine, 28 July 2021, https://msmagazine.com/2021/07/28/hollywood-autism-disability-media-representation-film-tv/.