Stigma & Media Coverage

How Stigma is Perpetuated by Tragic Narratives, Inspiration P*rn, and other Nonsense


This is the third installment in our series,?Understanding Disability Pride


For better or worse, the entertainment industry?plays a significant role in shaping public perceptions. The media that we consume?has the power to reinforce stigmas, oropen our minds to new possibilities. Thus, in accurate portrayal of a disability in a popular TV show or a book can be much more harmful than it appears at first glance.


Before diving any deeper, let's define a few terms.?

? Stigma. A negative belief (or set of beliefs, that is not adequately supported by evidence. For example, saying that blind people cannot physically see is not a form of stigma; that's a fact. By contrast, saying that blind people cannot adequately get around due to a lack of eyesight is definitely a problem. Proper training and alternative techniques make travel quite doable, so the evidence contradicts the assumption.

? Inspiration p*rn. Generally, these are stories that distort our experience or accomplishments. Instead of acknowledging that people with disabilities achieve significant accomplishments every day, these publications and posts reinforce the misguided notion that our successes are flukes. Despite whatever good intentions may exist, this is extremely degrading.

? Tragic narratives. This category includes anything that furthers the myth that a life with a disability is not worth living. Sometime it is subtle, like the "Ineed to see the world before I go blind" stories. In other cases, narratives creating a Throughline between disability and despair are more direct in nature.?


Now that we are on the same page regarding word usage, let's explore a few reasons why this is happening.

? Lack of representation in the media. Despite Hollywood's overtures regarding diversifying the entertainment industry, those efforts have not extended to our community. It is exceedingly rare for a disabled character to be played by someone with lived experience, and placing a disabled actor/actress in a role that previously did not include a disability is unheard of. When advocacy groups inquire about this issue, we are told that a non-disabled candidate is more qualified to fill these roles. This is why it generallylooks ridiculous when alternative techniques are portrayed on TV or film.

? Lack of input from the community. It's honestly a little surreal sometimes, watching the media attempt to explain what it must be like to be in your shoes. Completely inaccurate would be putting it nicely. A popular slogan within the disabled community is, "nothing about us without us". Unfortunately, our first-hand knowledge and subject matter expertise is often excluded.

? Baked-in negative beliefs. Study after study have demonstrated that the general public views the presence of a disability as a tragedy. Sometimes, it is viewed as a fate worse than death. This is especially true for those who are unfamiliar with our lived experiences. Those biases shape what we watch, listen to, and read. They depict a universal realm of suffering that is completely detached from reality.?


Having said all that, I'm going to end on a hopeful note. Stigma thrives when fear is abundant and knowledge is scarce. Therefore, by creating even a measure of understanding, we can deprive stigma of its fuel. Here are a few ways we can get started:

? Support media sources that prioritize authentic portrayals of people with disabilities.?

? Follow disabled influencers who chronicle their lived experience and share their insights.

? Be willing to ask yourself the hard questions. Given the current media landscape on all topics, discernment is critically important. Questioning underlying assumptions and experiencing a little discomfort as you learn are signs of growth that are worth celebrating.


If you learned something new, please hit the like button, comment, or share with your net work. These simple gestures help us spread the light a little further.


Thank you


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