Mumble Report post Posted June 25, 2010 There's a documentary (?) on BBC 2 tonight that might be interesting given some of the discussion on here about how Autism and disability generally is portrayed on TV. It looks at the history of the portrayal of disabled people on TV. Not sure what it's going to be like; could be good, could be using 'having a laugh' to have a laugh and still not get to the issues, but I think it'll be worth a watch. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trekster Report post Posted June 25, 2010 Put on my sky + box to record, thanks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KezT Report post Posted June 25, 2010 not even a suggestion of a mention of mental or neurological disabilities disabled people on TV MUST have a visable disability -preferably with visable aids to help them and define the extent of their disability Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted June 25, 2010 not even a suggestion of a mention of mental or neurological disabilities disabled people on TV MUST have a visible disability -preferably with visible aids to help them and define the extent of their disability *nods* Yes, disability is apparently wheelchair or exaggerated limp... The thing with the disabled toilet and getting annoyed about non-disabled users (i.e. people who don't limp... ) using them exemplified that nicely. A shame really, because it was actually quite a good programme though I think they did think things were better than they actually are (may be they are for physically disabled? ). It was also all about acted shows (or stuff like BB) rather than documentaries, and it's the latter that we seem to have most issues with in terms of portrayal. Can someone explain Ben Miller's 'joke' about borderline Asperger's - I have a feeling it wasn't too nice, but didn't really get what he was on about. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trekster Report post Posted June 25, 2010 Did anyone see the program many years ago called "ha ###### ha" (literally)? It included folk with hidden disabilities like Joe brand explaining how others teased her due to dyslexia. Maybe Channel 4 should repeat it again? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted June 25, 2010 (edited) I agree it was a very interesting programme tracing the history of public attitudes towards disability, and portrayals of disability in the entertainment industry. I urge people to catch it again onluine as it's well worth a watch - if only to see the classic David Brent gaffes and the cringey scene where he leaves an employee in a wheelchair stuck in a stairwell during a fire drill. Hugely disappointing, as others have said, that they did not include less outwardly visible disabilities. Can someone explain Ben Miller's 'joke' about borderline Asperger's - I have a feeling it wasn't too nice, but didn't really get what he was on about. This bit sent my daughter racing to her 'puter to write a letter of complaint to the BBC. It was after the Armstrong/Miller sketch where two men fail to acknowledge the impact of being left with only one leg. Commenting on it, Miller said that it was an Asperger way of seeing the world - not connecting to people (paraphrasing but that was the gist). In a programme exposing and ridiculing stereotypical views of disability it was an unfortunate remark. Depressing too - because although the programme showed that we live in a more enlightened world, we don't seem to have moved on in accepting "hidden " disabilities. K x Edited June 26, 2010 by Kathryn Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bluesbreaker Report post Posted June 25, 2010 i wish i could be on a TV programme just to show this goddamn hole of a country what hidden disabilities are out there (particularly mentally around Autism) and i would love a camera crew to interview me/film me/ follow me live sleep whatever, just to prove that we are not all the same, we do have disabilities in this world and how it affects different people, in particular, my care and support needs are different from the next aspergers guy who may be sitting next to me, y'know what i mean? hope some goof for the bbc sees this, contact me, im interested, just to show the world how wrong it is. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted June 26, 2010 Whoooo there neddy! Got to say i'm not getting all this 'pity no mention of autism/neurological disabilities on TV' stuff, given the amount of programmes broadcast recently that were completely autism specific. In real terms, autism - the 'asperger's / HFA' end specifically - tends to get more exposure than all other areas of disability put together! And that's without even looking at the apsi-rational, geek chic trendy stuff like 'IT Crowd' or 'Big Bang'. I don't watch any soaps, but just by WOM know both Hollyoaks and Skins feature 'autistic' (in inverted stereotype commas) characters, and Roy and Haley in corrie aren't exactly 'NT thinkers' are they? TBH I was quite pleased to see some other areas of disability getting a look in at last... Put it into context, peeps - and if anyone wants to do a count up I'm sure they'll find I'm right. Not a programme without flaws, but good to see many of the issues I tend to rant about (like non-disabled actors playing disabled roles - no names, no pack drill, Kathryn ) being raised. Just a pity I got the impression with some that they were 'talking the talk' after a great deal of prodding in the right direction rather than from personal philosophy, if you get my meaning. Ben Miller's comment annoyed me too, but more for the fact it was Ben Miller saying it and the casual way he said it rather than the concept at the core of the observation. I genuinely believe that many great comedians have aspie 'traits' and an off-key way of looking at the world that offers alternative perspectives on the everyday... It's certainly the case for all other areas of 'art' (and I do think good comedy is an art) - think Mozart, Van Gogh, Shakespeare, etc, all of whom feature regularly on lists of those who 'might be' - and most other areas of 'genius' like science or maths, so why should comedy be any different? The fact that some autistic people struggle massively with 'humour' doesn't preclude all autistic people, in the same way that my son being lousy at maths (he isn't, but I'm offering that as an example) doesn't preclude other autistic people from being gifted in that area, does it? As I say, though, not something I want to hear from the mouth of Ben Miller, who is to comedy what John Prescott is to disco dancing... One thing that made oi larf while we were watching: the first time they showed the Australian girl there was just a head shot. I knew she was a 'small person' (please, god, that is the worst 'PC' renaming EVER!) from castoffs, but Ben had never seen her before, so i asked him, working just from the close up, if he could see her disability. He thought for a minute and then said 'She's got something wrong with her voice'! I'm not sure rising dipthong disorder and irritable vowel syndrome (both key features of the aussie accent) are officially designated as 'disabilities' but maybe speech therapy could help? Anyhoo, more positives than negatives, I'd say. L&P BD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bluesbreaker Report post Posted June 26, 2010 yeah? well they seem to put us in a bad light, id rather have representation which shows both sides of the fence, those who have it bad and the others who need less help.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted June 26, 2010 yeah? well they seem to put us in a bad light, id rather have representation which shows both sides of the fence, those who have it bad and the others who need less help.... Sorry, bluesbreaker, if you thought my post was a response to yours in some way. It wasn't. I'm a slow typist anyway, and had to stop halfway to recue my cat from a possible fox, so your post wasn't even there when I began typing. I don't know whether you mean this show put autistic people in a bad light or the other shows I mentioned - but I would agree that some of the recent TV didn't do anyone any favours regarding stereotypes. 'Those who have it bad' though, is a subjective judgement, and TBH I think with the programmes I'm thinking of it was generally the most able - and the parents of the most able - that gave the worst impression. I think there were far too many people using autism as an excuse at that end of the spectrum, and believe, sadly, that this was an accurate reflection of the reality. L&P BD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted June 26, 2010 Whoooo there neddy! Got to say i'm not getting all this 'pity no mention of autism/neurological disabilities on TV' stuff, given the amount of programmes broadcast recently that were completely autism specific. OK, must be tired, had to read that three times as I read it as 'Nelly' the first two times, thought "who's he calling an elephant?" (then looked at the 'little' pile of choccy bars I bought today and agreed with the assessment). Maybe I wasn't too clear in my original post (can I claim tiredness again or is that excuse only permissible once per post? if not, it was the raccoons, honest, they came in and typed when I wasn't looking) but I think there has been a lot of coverage of non-NTness on TV, I just felt less obvious hidden disabilities were missing from this particular show, they featured blindness/non-sighted people, whatever PC term loved the bits about using correct terms! ) but, IMO less of issues that are stereotyped (but that may be because I'm too close to them). yeah? well they seem to put us in a bad light, id rather have representation which shows both sides of the fence, those who have it bad and the others who need less help.... 'us' being whom? I'm not an 'us' as that singles me out from not 'us'-ers and I don't agree that there's a dichotomy of having it bad/needing less help. Many people, myself included, have very variable conditions and may need very intense specialist support at some times, yet at other times appear to need very little support. I'm a slow typist anyway, and had to stop halfway to rescue my cat from a possible fox You might be able to get DLA for that... (the typing bit, not the fox chasing, although if it was only a 'possible' fox we could word it that you're having delusions of foxes... ) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted June 26, 2010 You might be able to get DLA for that... (the typing bit, not the fox chasing, although if it was only a 'possible' fox we could word it that you're having delusions of foxes... ) Well at least you didn't read it as 'I'm slow, too pist' - which on a Friday night is a distinct pissibolity! As for 'possible foxes' - I know they're out there but never know when I've tried wearing a baco-foil hat in the hope of picking up their thought patterns , but so far no good. . More seriously, I take on board what you're saying about autism etc, but coming back to my original point when did you last hear the issue of disabled ramps/access being raised on national tv, or thalidomide or cerebral palsy? Autism does get far more media attention, and even if that is sometimes sensationalist, 'rainman' nonsense or less than representative/tokenistic it is, as the comedienne with CB observed, better than nothing. As the parent of an autistic child I can see why you think more and better media attention to autism would be a good thing, but as someone with a wider experience of disability care can appreciate the 'dual marginalisation' that that might represent for other disabled minorities which aren't quite so 'sexy' or fascinating, or (sorry, but it's true) fashionable.... Anyhoo - best sign off now as my fox-radar (baco-foil hat) is picking up signs of an enemy advance.... must be those chicken bones in the recycling bin... I've got a squadron of Kamikazee geese lined up that'll take care of them, but Roger the control tower ferret is off sick at the mo and i'll have to guide them in personally... L&P BD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
