Article: Cripface
Have students access Cripface in the Student Material read it and answer questions. Please note that there are four questions at the end of the article for students to respond to.
Cripface Article Questions and Answers
How was Glee seen differently by people with and without disabilities?
The portrayal of Artie Abrams on Glee was viewed differently by people with and without disabilities due to contrasting perspectives on representation and stereotypes:
-
- Non-disabled viewers often saw Artie as a positive portrayal of a person with a disability. They appreciated his resilience and talents, leading Glee to receive an award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for exemplifying “television with a conscience.”
- Disabled viewers, on the other hand, criticized Artie as an inaccurate and stereotyped character. They pointed out that his portrayal reinforced harmful tropes, such as:
- The idea that individuals with disabilities are only admirable if they “overcome” their disability.
- The notion that people with disabilities are automatically social outcasts.
- The assumption that their strongest emotion revolves around wishing they didn’t have their disability.
In what ways is the character of Artie a stereotyped portrayal of persons with disabilities?
The character of Artie Abrams in Glee embodies several stereotypes commonly associated with persons with disabilities, including:
-
- Inspiration through “Overcoming” Disability: Artie is portrayed as admirable primarily because he doesn’t “let his wheelchair hold him back.” This reflects the stereotype that people with disabilities are only valuable when they show extraordinary resilience or “overcome” their limitations.
- Social Outcast Trope: Artie is depicted as being automatically set apart and targeted by bullies because of his disability, reinforcing the notion that people with disabilities are inherently isolated or marginalized in social settings.
- Physical Activity Exclusion: His dream of becoming a dancer is presented as impossible, even though real-world wheelchair dancers exist. This perpetuates the stereotype that individuals with disabilities cannot participate in physical activities like dancing or sports.
- Desire to “Fix” the Disability: The storyline suggests that Artie’s strongest aspiration is to no longer have his disability, promoting the idea that disability inherently diminishes a person’s happiness or potential.
These stereotypes simplify the complex experiences of people with disabilities, reducing them to clichéd narratives rather than portraying them as fully realized individuals with diverse lives and aspirations.
Why does the article suggest that the character of Artie might be less stereotyped if persons with disabilities were involved in the production of the show?
The article suggests that the character of Artie might have been less stereotyped if persons with disabilities had been involved in the production of Glee because their lived experiences and perspectives could have provided more authentic insights into disability. Specifically:
-
- Awareness of Real-Life Opportunities: A person with a disability or someone familiar with the disabled community might have been aware of traditions like wheelchair dancing (e.g., integrated dance or wheelchair ballroom). They could have influenced the writers to portray Artie’s dream of being a dancer as achievable, challenging the stereotype that physical activities are impossible for people with disabilities.
- Avoidance of Harmful Tropes: Disabled actors or crew members are more likely to recognize and push back against common stereotypes, such as the “overcoming” narrative or the notion that disability defines a person’s entire identity.
- Cultural and Experiential Nuance: As Siân Heder, director of the 2021 film CODA, explained, experiences like disability or Deafness involve cultural and social nuances that cannot be convincingly performed or written without lived experience. Including disabled individuals in the creative process would ensure these nuances are authentically represented.
- Advocacy for Better Representation: Disabled actors and production staff could advocate for more multidimensional, realistic characters that reflect the full range of experiences of people with disabilities, rather than perpetuating one-dimensional portrayals.
Thus, involving persons with disabilities in media production helps challenge stereotypes and create richer, more inclusive stories.
What reasons are given for why producers are reluctant to hire actors with disabilities?
According to the article, there are several reasons why producers may be reluctant to hire actors with disabilities:
-
- Fear of Litigation: Producers worry that hiring actors with disabilities might expose them to legal challenges or complications related to accommodations and accessibility.
- Production: There is a perception that actors with disabilities might “slow a production down,” potentially affecting tight filming schedules.
- Viewer Comfort: Some producers believe audiences might feel uncomfortable seeing actors with visible disabilities, leading them to avoid casting them in key roles.
- Bias Against Disabled Actors: There is evidence of overt prejudice within the industry. For example, some casting agents and producers have openly stated they are unwilling to hire people with disabilities for acting or broadcasting roles.
- Stereotypes About Talent Availability: Producers often claim there aren’t enough talented performers with disabilities to fill roles, despite organizations like the Media Access Office advocating that there are many skilled disabled actors available.
Take up the questions with the class and then ask students:
- How important do you think it is that disabled characters be played by actors with disabilities? Why?
- How important do you think it is that disabled actors be cast to play characters that do not necessarily have disabilities? Why? Is the answer different in different situations?
- Think back to the different examples we saw in the slideshow. Do you think some kinds of cross-casting are better or worse than others? Why or why not?
- A growing trend is towards aggressively colour-blind casting. This can occur either in shows that simply pretend that race and ethnicity are no longer relevant to young people’s lives, like the CW’s Riverdale, or ones that imagine alternate worlds where the concepts are meaningless such as Prime’s Wheel of Time. While this does lead to more roles for actors from under-represented groups, some critics argue that it lets viewers ignore the reality of racism and the other disadvantages these groups face. What do you think?
- Is it more important that writers and producers, rather than actors, come from the community being represented? For example, today Black characters are always played by Black actors, but usually in roles written, directed and produced by White people. How often are Black characters stereotyped? Is it more important that all the actors on a show like Ms. Marvel be Muslim, or that the actors on Reservation Dogs are Indigenous, or that a significant number of the writers and producers are?