Thank you for posting this! It's something I noticed when watching Avatar and Korra, but it's very interesting to see spelled out like that. It also shows how poorly a lot of other shows handle...
Thank you for posting this! It's something I noticed when watching Avatar and Korra, but it's very interesting to see spelled out like that. It also shows how poorly a lot of other shows handle disability...
There are a lot of potential pitfalls, and I think he covered a large number of them (as things that both series didn't do.) I feel like there's this tendency to either use a disabled character as just a plot point or to almost completely ignore their disability. The former ignores that disabled people (obviously) have complex lives, while the latter ignores that being disabled does affect your life. The fact that some of Toph's personality like her fierce need for independence comes from her experiences with disability and how her parents reacted to it is a great detail. It doesn't define her, but how could being blind not impact her in some way?
There's also this common theme of either disability as a tragedy or as inspiration (or both). Films like "Me Before You" come to mind. When the most prominent examples of disability in media portray it as a tragedy (and not worth living with), it's actually kind of dangerous. There are still parents and caretakers out there who kill people under their care to spare them suffering.
Finally, I don't think that the need for representation can be separated from casting or writing. If disabled actors aren't getting cast in roles, and disabled writers aren't writing scripts, you lose a lot of the experiences that make performances meaningful and authentic.
Agreed. In fact, related to my last point about casting, you see a kind of similar thing with trans characters being played cis actors (although that may be slowly changing).
Agreed. In fact, related to my last point about casting, you see a kind of similar thing with trans characters being played cis actors (although that may be slowly changing).
Thank you for posting this! It's something I noticed when watching Avatar and Korra, but it's very interesting to see spelled out like that. It also shows how poorly a lot of other shows handle disability...
There are a lot of potential pitfalls, and I think he covered a large number of them (as things that both series didn't do.) I feel like there's this tendency to either use a disabled character as just a plot point or to almost completely ignore their disability. The former ignores that disabled people (obviously) have complex lives, while the latter ignores that being disabled does affect your life. The fact that some of Toph's personality like her fierce need for independence comes from her experiences with disability and how her parents reacted to it is a great detail. It doesn't define her, but how could being blind not impact her in some way?
There's also this common theme of either disability as a tragedy or as inspiration (or both). Films like "Me Before You" come to mind. When the most prominent examples of disability in media portray it as a tragedy (and not worth living with), it's actually kind of dangerous. There are still parents and caretakers out there who kill people under their care to spare them suffering.
Finally, I don't think that the need for representation can be separated from casting or writing. If disabled actors aren't getting cast in roles, and disabled writers aren't writing scripts, you lose a lot of the experiences that make performances meaningful and authentic.
Such a thoughtful reply. And I don't believe it's limited to disabilities. I find minority roles and gay roles are often portryed poorly similarly.
Agreed. In fact, related to my last point about casting, you see a kind of similar thing with trans characters being played cis actors (although that may be slowly changing).
I posted this in ~talk since I wanted to see what others think about how disabilities, and perhaps other minorities, are handled in media in general.