I feel like every time I go on social media recently, there is another viral video of a person with a mental/neurological condition, a person who is physically disabled or whatever other labels we place on those who are ‘different’. They always seem to be doing something inspirational! Something that gives you goosebumps because they were - for a small moment - given the opportunity to be “normal” in the eyes of the dominant society. If you don’t know what I mean, have a look through these few links. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCOyhqKRrv4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ium0J7hXQLs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekLpn4zKiNU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYUbAwY2Yow&list=PLViB-jncJaxs0d1eLM35Q3XPEBwY6MnyH Now I’m not a monster! Many of these videos make me smile. But the question that I wish I could ask the hundreds of thousands who contribute to these videos trending is... Did you “like” the video because it was an fantastic example of the humankind or because that person is disabled and they did something AWESOME like a “normal person”? Society has grown addicted to labelling and that has somehow given us a social obligation to like memes, videos and posts that we feel we morally should even if we don’t understand why. Rhodes (1977) elaborates “that we use our assumed sense of normality as a defense mechanism against our deepest fears” - the fear of diversity and coping with an “encounter with alien ‘otherness’" (Smith, Danforth & Nice, 2005). I know that it seems extreme but this discourse society has runs covertly and subtly deep within the stitching of the wider community, that we may not even realise. Why share a video and then say “wow...this retarded person is great” (#truestory). Now, many of you may not know that I’m deeply passionate about the Deaf community. I have many friends who are deaf/Deaf and I’ve even taught students who are deaf/Deaf. They do inspire me and I think they are the greatest! Not because they are “disabled” or “different to me” but because they are amazing people who do not see themselves lacking in any way. They are proud of their language, history and culture, as they see their individuality as a strength. In fact, there have been many times that I feel like I am the one lacking in something; that I am the one missing out. For this unit’s first assignment, I wrote about how popular culture could be the platform for the hearing and Deaf community who are finally being heard and seen in a true and positive depiction. It is there, I stumbled along this TedTalk. I couldn’t believe it. A person who is seen by the greater population to be speaking FOR the Deaf and yet concludes with an uplifting video of a boy who is deaf cooking, playing, running, writing and being depicted as a normal child. But hold up! He is! There we have it, ladies and gentlemen! The general consensus saying those living with a disability are automatically qualified to be inspirational. I feel like, at this stage, some people could be still be quite closed to this notion, so I strongly encourage you to watch this other TedTalk I happened to stumble across. Now, I could go on with this quite a lot and I’m happy to discuss it in the comments section. But, what I’d really like to explore is how valuable of an opportunity we have in exploring media literacies as the changing face of exclusionary practices and being critical of the motive and representation of marginalised groups. New media has allowed the ability for groups of people, whom were previously unheard of or oppressed, to now have a forum where they can represent themselves as they see true. But, it needs to be recognised that a “like” or “share” does not constitute for you accepting differences in society or changing your outlook towards those that are seen to have a deficit. My understanding of the combination of digital and media literacy is the ability to understand and evaluate the use and development of technology formats, as well as interpreting these sources in how the information is portrayed and delivered (Digital Literacy, 2010). Even in my own schooling, I remember discussing how we were targeted, positioned and manipulated by the media through techniques, the modes of representation of females and understanding different digital formats. If we look at these schematic diagrams of digital literacy, there is a profound reasoning and space for students to be given the opportunity to explore this socially intertwined discourse of power, identity and undue acceptance of status quo ideologies. For example, the language used within and when discussing those with a disability (seriously - you should read the comments!) and the underlying messages and motives of representation. New media allows the critical analysis of deeply engrained intolerance, unless it is under our controlled terms (Smith, Danforth & Nice, 2005). There will be many ambiguous examples and sources that can not simply be viewed without higher order thinking and reflections upon values and beliefs for both staff and students. For example, there is this Facebook page that I’m still unsure of. It is a “special ed teacher” from the US that uploads videos of his students. Parts of me like that they are educational and uplifting for the students, who seem quite happy. But other parts of me dislike like how they often reinforce this deficit style view, especially the video descriptions of suffocating medical terms. There are questions of benefits yet authenticity of actors who portray characters who are disabled, morality/ethics or Paul Hunt’s 1991 study about the 10 stereotypes of people who are disabled (Leeds University, 1991; Regina Weiss, 2014). There is the debate between identity first language, person first language and medical deficit language. Many avenues for open ended discussions. There is a fine line between inspirational, empowerment and pity parties and the criteria that differentiates each. With popular culture, technology and social media allowing the opportunity for so many more voices to be expressed, we also fall for the trap of our own misunderstanding and misguided naivety. Media literacies allow us the chance to explore this. It won’t be easy, but if we ever want equality (although I prefer equity) within our schooling systems and community, we need our youth to lead the change that is so desperately overdue. REFERENCES:
Digital Literacy. (2010). What Is Digital Literacy?. Retrieved from https://cleach.wordpress.com/what-is-digital-literacy/ Leeds University. (1991). Discrimination: Disabled people and the media. Retrieved from http://disability-studies.leeds.ac.uk/files/library/Barnes-Media.pdf Regina Weiss, D. (2014). People with Disabilities in Pop Culture - A Work in Progress - Independence Care System. Independence Care System. Retrieved from http://www.icsny.org/people-with-disabilities-in-pop-culture-a-work-in-progress/ Rhodes, W. (1977). The illusion of normality. Behavioural Disorder, 2(2), 6 - 11. Smith, T., Danforth, S., & Nice, S. (2005). Chapter 10: Considering inclusive education. In S. Danforth & T. Smith, Engaging trouble studens: A constructivist approach (1st ed., pp. 57 - 92). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.
1 Comment
Jen
10/25/2015 07:05:38 pm
Great peice. I had the honor of seeing Stella talk a few times, most recently at the Jobs Australia Conferenece. She's an amazing comedian and advocate. She talked about not being able to find work as a teacher due to perceptions about her disability, what a loss to the hundreds of students she would have taught! Her talk on inspiration porn opened my eyes to something that has always made me uncomfortable, but I was never quite sure why (apart from the obvious condescension).
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