disability

Question 1

social constructionist approach

Answer 1

rarely do media treat disability as a normal part of life

Cumberbatch and Negrine - 3 categories
- criminal, subhuman, powerless or pathetic

Barnes - 10 stereotypes : pathetic, element of atmosphere, object of violence, evil, super-cripple (brave), own enemy burden, non-sexual, unable to participate in daily life

Tom Shakespeare - use of disability as character trait - lazy shortcut for audience sympathy - not providing fair pictures of actual experience

Undateables - range of disabilities

Question 2

negative representations in newspapers

Answer 2

Briant et al - study comparing media coverage of disability in 5 newspapers - 2010-11 and 2004-05

• reduction in proportion of articles describing disabled people in sympathetic and deserving terms

proportion of articles linking disability to benefit fraud had more than doubled in last five years and nearly 1 in 5 articles - discussed disability eg cheat - life on benefits is lifestyle choice

Question 3

symbolic annihilation of disability in media

Answer 3

8 million of working age covered by disability discrimination act’s definition of disability but still under-represented

Cumberbatch et al - 80% of impairments related to mobility, sensory impairments, disfigurements or physical or mental illness - over 1/3rd seen having disability aids
Sancho - wheelchair used as icon to represent disability

2/3rds of cases - impairment central to character

Question 4

the Paralympics and disabled athletes

Answer 4

increasing coverage of Paralympics - promoting positive images of disability

Oscar Pistorius - famous worldwide for murder trial

Portrayed as athletes first - cyborg stereotype less prevalent - athletes success is owed to adaptive technologies eg running blades rather than athletic ability

Question 5

changing representations on TV

Answer 5

Charity - Time to Change - soaps, dramas and sitcoms were starting to move towards more authentic portrayals
eg bodyguard - personal bodyguard with PTSD

Question 6

changing representations in TV evaluation

Answer 6

mad, bad psycho stereotypes are still common, especially in horror films

still cases of disability being depicted as a tragedy eg in the soap waterloo road - teacher diagnosed with MS quickly commits suicide

Question 7

more diversity of disabled characters in films

Answer 7

eg Dory in Finding Nemo - alzheimer’s, theory of everything

Question 8

more diversity of disabled characters in films - evaluation

Answer 8

lots of criticism of such films that depict a disabled character, but feature an able-bodied actor

BBC - criticised over its decision to cast a non-disabled person in its remake of the elephant man - man with the disability wasnt given opportunity to audition

• systemic problem - industry-wide

Question 9

pluralist views

Answer 9

it is dysfunctional for society and individual if media representations reflect dominant medical view

media representations realistically mirror social anxieties about impairment

media representations also reflect society’s admiration of the courage shown by some disabled individuals especially if they are young

portray reality of everyday situations

Question 10

interactionists

Answer 10

sociologists who themselves have experienced disability could be considered interactionists

• study social reactions to people with impairments

disability is socially constructed

Barnes and Shakespeare - impaired people are disabled by society - mass media representations play a significant part in the process

• media professionals set the agenda for media portrayal of disability - top of hierarchy of credibility - view disabled as unhealthy, unfortunate and tragic
• media representations reflect prejudice that able-bodied people feel towards the disabled - prejudice is result of fear that disabled represent everything that the normal world most dread - personal tragedy, loss and unknown
• disabled rarely consulted by journalists because agree with media view that disabled people incapable of living a normal life

Question 11

postmodernists

Answer 11

dominant medical course (which has shaped the societal and media treatment of disabled) is fragmenting in 21st C

disabled politically organised themselves, find their voice and construct their own identities

the medical metanarrative is in decline

reflect in more positive media representations, especially in the coverage of sport