Disability Representation

Disability - "A physical or mental condition that limits a persons movements, senses or activities."

Is the word "disability" limiting because of the emphasis on what disabled people cannot do?
The term 'dif-abled' is frequently used to show people are differently abled.

There are around 11.9 million disabled people in the UK; this is roughly 19% of the population



Hegemony

"Currently the BBC’s staff profile and targets around disability are:

Disabled - all staff is currently at 3.7 per cent - target for 2017 is 5.3 per cent.

Disabled Leadership is currently at 3.1 per cent - target for 2017 is 5 per cent."

"We have set a target to quadruple on-air representation and/or portrayal from 1.2 per cent to 5 per cent by 2017."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2014/representation-disabled-people

Branston and Stafford (2001) - Soaps rely on archetypal characters and stereotypes - ensure ready accessibility because stories have universal appeal about families and communities

Dyer (1979) - "Stereotypes are always about power: those with power stereotype those without power"

Paul Hunt (1966) - "We are tired of being statistics, cases, wonderfully courageous examples to the world, pitiable objects to stimulate funding"

Stereotypes:

- Pitiable and pathetic - (A Christmas Carol 1883) Bob Cratchit carries Tiny Tim in a scene from the 2009 Disney version of a Christmas Carol

From the representations of Children in Need and other Charities: 

FULL METAL JACKET

How are the disabled mediated?  Is this representation detrimental or beneficial? 

I feel that this representation is mostly useful as it allows the general public an insight into a disabled person's life, using facts to convey this in order to raise awareness. However, this is mediated as it only conveys information that would make the audience sympathise, rather than focussing on the ability of the girl. Furthermore, this may create the impression that all disabled people are disabled to this extent.

• Presents the disabled as unable to look after themselves and therefore a burden
• Presents the disabled as dependant on charity
• Can engender sympathy/pity which can be patronising

- As an object of violence -  Survival of the Fittest - Set of beliefs and practices that aims at improving the genetic quality of the human population

- Eugenicists reiterated ancient traditional fears that disabled people were a serious threat to society. They set out to safeguard humanity's future by preventing the reproduction of 'defectives' by sterilisation and segregation. - HITLER

(Blazing Saddles) - Shows a disabled man chained up

- As sinister and Evil 

- Silva's reunion with M (Skyfall)

- Using facial disfigurement to provoke revulsion and promote the stereotype that disfigurement makes a person morally abnormal. 

- The Bible - 'cripple' is connected to sin and sinners

- Folk Tales - Disabled usually considered outsiders/source of trouble - Cohen/Folk Devils

As an Atmosphere or Curio/Curiosity - Disabled people are sometimes included in the story lines of films and TV dramas to enhance a certain atmosphere, usually one of menace, mystery or deprivation, or to add character to the visual impact of the production. This dilutes the humanity of disabled people by reducing them to objects of curiosity. - Freakshows/Circus - Objects of amusement. 

In the film 300, an atmosphere is created when a disabled and disfigured character is presented in a room with a man of power. In this scene, the disabled is manipulated and seduced with the opportunity of sex. This not only shows that they can be taken advantage of but also that they are so inferior that sex is their greatest desire. A dark and sombre atmosphere is created in this scene, as the audience is made feel uncomfortable through the use of all of the characters with disfigurements.

Many exhibitions represent little more than disability voyeurism because they encourage lewd fascination with impairment.

The non-disabled public's morbid preoccupation with physical difference is kept alive in horror and science fiction films. 

As a super cripple - Super Powers - enhanced senses etc

As a Object of Ridicule - 'Life's Too Short' - Warwick Davis/Ricky Gervais

- Being mocked publicly is only acceptable if the negative images which ensue can be offset against positive ones, or if those being ridiculed are able to defend themselves should they choose to.

- At the present there are virtually no positive images of disabled people in the media

- Disabled people to not have the resources/legal documentation to fight this discrimination 

- As sexually abnormal

- As a Burden

- Their own worst enemy

- Disabled people are more likely to be introverted and sensitive than violent and aggressive

- They are more likely to avoid than attack others

Does british society undervalue disabled people? in what way?

Positives and negatives:

+ Paralympics

+ The Theory of Everything

+ Financial support

+ Legislation 

+ Disabled MPs

+/- Parking Spaces 

- Underrepresented in the media

- More likely to be abandoned than able-bodied

- Less chance of being adopted

- More prone to physical and sexual abuse

5 Roles where disabled people featured in films/dramas/the news:

Breaking Bad - Walter Jr. Flynn 

Bran Stark - Game of Thrones - Lord with Power - Heir to Power

Artie - Glee

Timmy/Jimmy - South Park

Gender Collective Identity

• The average percentage of female reporters was 22.6% - compared to 77.4% of males.
• Representation of women in news media is 22% according to a 2011 survey in The Guardian. 

• Patriarchy is a social system in which males hold primary power, predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property; in the domain of the family, fathers or father-figures hold authority over women and children. - women less likely to be the source of leading news stories.
• Male Gaze - Audiences are positioned to view characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male, such as through the extensive use of focussing particularly on the curvature of the female body. - Leads to the objectification of women. Women viewers are made to view the product SECONDARILY, from the point of view of a male.   - gender power asymmetry in film (Laura Mulvey)
  
  
  
• Hegemony - Those in power want to keep the order. - Gramsci
• Scopophilia - deriving pleasure from looking. As an expression of sexuality, it refers to sexual pleasure derived from looking at erotic objects: erotic photographs, pornography, naked bodies, etc.
• Hypodermic Needle Theory - Passive Acceptance of Media vs. Gauntlett - Negotiated acceptance of the media, influenced but not overwhelmed.
• Female Gaze - Hanson (1984) Women are also able to view male characters as erotic objects of desire
• Genderfuck - Refers to the self-conscious effort to play with traditional of gender roles.
• Jonathan Schroader - the gaze is more than just a look, it implies a psychological relationship where the gaze is superior to the object.

Examples:

Historical Text - 1966 Fairy Liquid Ad - Presents a woman in a typical domestic and maternal role who is insisting on staying beautiful (soft hands etc.) , female child learning about cleaning - expected in the future.

Historical Text - 1960's Ovaltine - Wake up Perky in the morning 

Contemporary Ad - BOSCH 125 Years of Evolution - showing imagery of women from 1886 to 2011 using washing machines. SUGGESTS SOCIETY HASNT CHANGED

Contemporary Ad - Ariel Washing Powder Ad - Shows a man doing the washing, but shows ignorance about it - just chuck a washing tablet in. CHANGED TO SOME EXTENT

Contemporary Ad - LYNX Shower Gel. Get Dirty. Image of dirty woman with 'Wash Me' written on her. Her face is cut out. Her boobs are out, she is beginning to take off her underwear. Male Gaze Theory. Objectification.

Contemporary Ad - LYNX Can She Make You Lose Control - picture of woman putting food in the oven, bent over wearing underwear. Shows objectified woman in a domestic role. Male Gaze. -

Contemporary Example - Kill Bill/Kickass - Women used as protagonists in films (not in normal domestic roles) HOWEVER, still sexualised to some extent - use of costume etc. - Post Feminism 

Contemporary Example - Coca Cola - Diet Coke Advert  January 2013 - Group of women staring at man taking top off. Suggests Female Gaze - Female stare at men as much as men stare at females. 

Explanation/Analysis/Argument (20 Marks)

Examples (20 Marks)

Terminology (10 Marks)

only 1 example = marks capped, no historical context = marks capped

1. Define collective identity

2. Discuss how media influences collective ID - Use a quote

3. Comment on the role of patriarchy in media representation and link to hegemony.

4. Comment on the social and political factors that have influenced media representation - i.e. Feminism

5. Comment on whether media representations have changed and whether Mulvey's theory applied to contemporary examples.

6. Summarise your views based on the media text examples and theories that you have discussed.

"Given that collective identity means individuals sense of belonging to a group who share a set of traditions and values, media have a significant role to play in the representation of gender through patriarchy." etc etc.

Essay: "Discuss your views on "media representations of youth reflect society's concerns and fears"

Essay: "Discuss your views on "media representations of youth reflect society's concerns and fears"

Media representation refers to the way in which the media portrays particular groups, communities, experiences, ideas or topics from a particular ideological or value perspective. Due to the media's power and influence, it has the ability to create perceptions of groups among spectatorial viewers. Saussure (1983) suggests that "Audiences can look at a media texts from a syntactic point of view, just describing what they see, or from a representational or symbolic point of view where they attribute meaning to what they see", whilst the Uses and Gratifications theory suggests that "Audiences are active individuals rather than passive ones. They will select what they watch, will consume in different ways and believe different things." This illustrates how the content that is presented by the media can have the ability to significantly affect a viewers viewpoint on a matter. Sometimes these perceptions that are created are considered wholly representative of the group, and sometimes media representations are considered false or contrived. The youth are a social group that are considered often misrepresented in the media, causing controversy.

Generally, the activities of the youth in the media are portrayed negatively. Statistics complied by the Youth Media Agency propose that 76% of the reporting of young people in the media is negative, 39% of adults are unaware of the positive things that the youth do,  80% believed that negative portrayals in the media led to strained relationships between the youth and older generations. Whilst the media has created this stigma upon the youth and forced them to be victims of negative stereotyping (often portraying them as having criminal tendencies and unfavourable attitudes), it was found that only 12% of crime is actually carried out by the youth (http://www.ukyouth.org/resources/youth-statistics/item/379-young_people_in_the_media#.VokhsFvOWf8).

In my opinion, I agree with the above statement that media representations of youth reflect society's concerns and fears due to the aforementioned statistics that show that whilst the youth are represented negatively so frequently, they are not responsible for much of the crime that is carried out in the UK. The representations that are so frequently portrayed in the media would be an example of society's concerns and fears, as they create the impression that the youth are 'Folk Devils', which is a group of people that are seen as a threat to society. Furthermore, a process of Deviancy Amplification Spiralling can occur. This is when a cycle of increasing numbers of reports on a category of undesirable behaviour (in this case the negative activities of youth) can lead to a moral panic. This will often lead to an increase in media reporting around the group, further marginalising them whilst increase their detachment from society. This was theorised by Stan Cohen in 2011.  The youth then becomes an empty category in representation and reflects adult concerns (Giroux).

An example of a media text that portrays the youth in this light is the feature film 'Bullet Boy' (2004), directed by Saul Dibb. In this film set in an urban London location, a young black male serves time in prison for stabbing, before being released and planning to turn his life around. Upon his release and then throughout the entire film, we are presented with a group of violent natured black youths who appear to only have drugs and crime on their agenda. Throughout the film, we see numerous examples of anti-social and impudent behaviour, vulgar language and sexual activity. The story ends with the main character being involved in another murder, suggesting that he is incapable of staying away from criminal behaviour, reinforcing many of the negative stereotypes of the demographic. To a spectatorial viewer consuming this media text, it may be presumed that the characters involved in the film may be representative of the demographic as a whole, which would then reinforce societal fears and lead to further marginalisation and moral panic.

In conclusion, although there are many examples of media texts that portray the youth positively, there is strong evidence to suggest that the youth are being discriminated against strongly in the media to reinforce societal fears and concerns - such as that 76% of the media reporting of the youth is negative. Bullet Boy is an example of a media text that fortifies this. Although generally fictional pieces such as this realism film take the most negative aspects in society for entertainment purposes, they can still be influential and morph the ideologies of active viewers, as Saussure suggests, in order to correlate with social fears.