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Film Relatability vs Inspiration

Relatability Is The Bigger Impact Here

The film Door to Door (2002) ends with a newspaper writing a piece on Bill Porter being a positive part of people’s lives and an inspiration. 

Of course, Bill was against being highlighted. The context of why someone is inspirational matters to the disability community because it is not a given right to anyone. 

Bill Porter’s story is not inspirational but relatable. 

It’s relatable because he gets in his own way and advocates for himself. He knows how his disability impacts how people treat him. He does everything to prove he’s independent.

Partners, Parents And Disability

Photo by Annette Sousa from Unsplash

The film also portrays his mother with Altimeters. That mental decline allows the film to show Bill as capable and independent. Taking care of his aging mother like any other adult would. 

Another realistic element to the film is its hints at a client of Bill’s being romantically interested in him and Bill not recognizing the signs.

In their first meeting, she offers him spiked orange juice. She sees him as a romantic interest, which is often not addressed in the media, contributing to stereotypes of being asexual or simply undesirable partners. 

The Upside (2019) also based on a true story addresses the same assumptions.

This salesman’s romantic storyline has a much smaller part in the film but subverts a stereotype unlike The Upside. Bill not reading the signs feels accurate from my own experience.

Assumptions

Given he has internalized ableism, he may assume the woman can’t be interested in him because of that stereotype of not being desirable. 

He might think he has to prove he can have romantic feelings first. He hints at those feelings to Shelly, but she does not share them. 

She does view him as part of the family. She cares for him not just as a job but as a friend. 

Dating can be difficult under the pressure of disability-related assumptions. It is possible to have romantic relationships without these assumptions. 

Some are more open-minded than others. Internalized ableism assumes those assumptions always apply and have to be disproven. 

Internalized ableism affects everyday life, increasing struggles with universal human experiences. 

In the case of Bill’s mother, his independence and empathy took care of her. 

He was flawed in the case of his job and friends in his personal life. 

However, internalized ableism stems from societal expectations and the need people in the disability community have to advocate for themselves. for basic inclusion 

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Disabled Through The Decades

Persistent, determined, and independent. These three adjectives have been used to describe many people in the disability community. Society makes and assumes life is an uphill battle, no matter the condition.

Independence is essential for maturing and freedom. In my opinion, there is more pressure on disabled people to be less reliant on others, even if it is healthy to receive support from friends and family.

Portraying the Fight Against Stereotypes

Door to Door (2002) illustrates the stress and strained relationships that can occur because a person is pushing away people because they don't want to be treated like a child or a charity case because of a disability. In reality, help can be offered just because people care for friends. 

In the film, Shelly, an assistant to Bill Porter (a salesman with cerebral palsy), calls him emotionally crippled because of how stubborn he is. 

There is a stereotype in movies for abled-bodied characters needing to teach disabled characters to see past their limitations and their condition. This trope is paired with a self-pitying protagonist, which Bill Porter is not. 

Impact of Stereotypes

That's what makes this scene more potent because it's reality. There are smaller moments, such as when it's raining, and Bill is walking to the bus stop when a friend runs into him and offers to drive him there. When Bill says no, the man pushes, saying, "Don't be stupid. Get in" This angers Bill. I would react the same if a series like this had happened to me. Even though anyone would easily be offered the same kindness by a friend in these circumstances, disability or not. It is an example of internalized ableism. 

Internal ableism once again hinders Bill when he is accidentally hit by a bus and breaks a leg. He refuses to sue the bus company to pay medical bills after insurance doesn't cover them, claiming his cerebral palsy as a preexisting condition.

In this case, Bill does not want to be treated differently by opposing the insurance company's ruling. He is adamant that it was his fault for crossing the middle of the block. The self-imposed pressure comes from a view that a disability is a personal problem to overcome. Getting hit by a bus has no connection to having cerebral palsy. 

For many decades, however, pre existing conditions systemically made it harder for disabled people to get good healthcare. Door to Door portrays life with a disability through multiple decades. Starting in the 1960s, Bill fights receiving disability and announces he has a job and does not need assistance. Cerebral palsy typically does not affect mental capacity.

Being on disability today has many regulations that sustain economic inequality, and those who need the money have a maximum amount of income they can earn before they become ineligible.

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13 The Musical Movie Missing Essential “Offensive” Songs

Evan Goldman is becoming a man in the Big Apple, or so he thought. After his parents divorce, he is forced to have his Bar Mitzvah in Indiana. 

Photo by Sudan Ouyang from  Unsplash

Musical Conventions

13 is unique with no adults in the cast; it is easier to suspend disbelief for the immature choices driven by dating. 13 has a song, 

Terminal Illness, which focuses on Archie, a character with muscular dystrophy. A progressive neuromuscular condition. Terminal Illness is about Evan using Archie's disability to secure R-rated movie tickets for a date. 

Authentic Teenagers

Archie is hormone-crazed for Kendra, the most popular girl in school, and Brett, the most popular guy. 

Evan purposefully tells Archie he can date Kendra if he uses the pity he receives from his muscular dystrophy to his advantage and gets Evan's mother to pay for the tickets to the Bloodmaster. 

While Evan is more focused on his Bar Mitzvah than Archie, the song and Archie are self-aware of disability. Evan: 

"Listen, I'm not making fun. Of your terminal Illness. But you hold the secret to getting my mom to say yes. No one says no to a boy with a terminal illness.  Who could refuse when you shuffle your shoes and say please? Use all the tricks that you learned in your cradle. You don't need to lay it on thick with a ladle. 'Cause no one says no to a boy with a fatal disease!”

Self Awareness

Archie is a charismatic character and, earlier in the musical, has a number of Get Me What I Need; he tells Evan that having a date with Kendra is his dying wish. Terminal Illness is a musical number that shows Evan views a disability as an advantage he can use, partly because Archie also uses it that way. 

 Nuances in "Offensive" Songs

During the number of Terminal Illnesses, the question "who could complain?" refers to this plan. Evan responds, "Except for you because you're dying. In the next stanza, Archie responds, "Except for you because you're Jewish and you always complain." Evan says, "It's true." Both responses are played for laughs. 

This song shows both boys are willing to use what they can to get a date. Throughout the musical, Archie makes jokes about his disability. It is played for laughs as self-deprecating humor. "No one makes fun of me on the special needs bus. That would be ironic.” 

The movie adaptation omits all of these small details about Archie and songs such as Terminal Illness most likely to modernize the musical to be less offensive. However these songs drive the musical plot forward that has a more realistic depictions of a person's early teenage years.

References

Hessenger, J. (2022). 13: The Musical Follows Broadway Tradition by Becoming a Terrible Movie. Paste Magazine. https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/13-the-musical-review

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Bar/Bat Mitzvah Parties and Teenage Brains

I am not Jewish. Therefore, I cannot pretend to know how antisemitic  rhetoric and and violence feel.I am not part of that community that has a long history of discrimination and systemic barriers different from those of disability rights or racism that affect me more personally.

Popular media has shown non Jews for decades that Hanukkah and Bar/Bat Mitzvah must be the most  important celebrations for Jewish Americans.

Photo by Samantha Grades from Unsplash

This Americanization of Bar/Bat Mitzvahs has caused there to be a drop off of  Jewish children continuing their education in Jewish traditions and faith after the age of thirteen. 

Many bar mitzvahs in pop culture are viewed through the lens of a Christian protagonist. For example, 

The Wonder Years depicts Kevin and Paul's birthdays as only a day apart. When Paul needs his Bar Mitzvah on Kevin's birthday because a Bar Mitzvah happens on the Saturday after turning thirteen, they argue over whose party is more important. 

Kevin disregards Jewish traditions and is instead focused on money  and extravagance. In reality, this sets up 7th graders with unrealistic  expectations.

While working at Youth Education at Temple Beth Shalom, Amy Bernson  noticed a "sharp drop-off" of students after they had a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. 

"I had  parents tell me that their parents made them stay until their Bar Mitzvah, and  they still remained Jewish…

Other parents would leave messages on my  voicemail explaining that religious school had been the priority for years. 

Still, now  that their daughter has become a Bat Mitzvah, it was time for non-religious  activities—dance or cheerleading—to take priority so Sara wouldn't resent being Jewish. (Bernson 1-2)

The adolescent brain goes through a growth spurt of connections, making teens  distantly different from children. For all the strength and size gained, there are conflicting opportunities for recklessness in adolescence. 

"Adolescence is strongly associated with an increase in risk-taking, sensation-seeking, and  reckless behavior. In most measurable ways, adolescents have developed better reasoning and decision-making skills than children" (Dahl, 3).

Culture and religions have marked ages from thirteen through eighteen as significant in society, often featuring a celebration to mark the start to adulthood. 

Bar/Bat Mitzvah is one of these occasions that can be  tied to adolescents' need for social acceptance, with high expectations leading  to emotional behavior patterns.

 13 the Musical focuses on Evan Goldman. "My name is Evan Goldman, I live at 224 West 92nd Street in the heart of Manhattan, and my life just went to  hell." 

In the opening number of 13, Evan's parents are going through a divorce. Evan is forced to have his Bar Mitzvah in Indiana, away from all his friends. 

Throughout the Musical, he goes to extremes to receive validation from the popular kids in school who he invites to his ceremony, which  he calls his Jewish Super Bowl.

References Berenson, A. (n.d.). Bar Mitzvah phenomenon. History of Jewish Education: From Talmud Torah’s to Learning Communities, 1-6. http://tartak.huc.edu/guide/docs/08/Final%20CTF%20Berenson%20Amy.pdf Dahl, R. E. (2004). Adolescent brain development a period of vulnerabilities and opportunities. Annals New York Academy of Science, 1-22. https://edisciplinas.usp.br/pluginfile.php/5740503/mod_resource/content/1/Dahl_Adolescent_brain_development.pdf

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Remember, it takes people a wee bit longer to warm up to you.

Irene Porter, Door to Door 

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Bill Porter, a salesman who had to sell people the idea of disabled employees

Living with cerebral palsy, I had difficulty seeing myself as an ambiguous  disabled character. Cerebral palsy is a spectrum, and I’m in the middle as an  ambulatory wheelchair user. I acknowledge there is a privilege in my ability to be  independent.

I was born after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed and never faced the possibility of being institutionalized. I also have access to multiple types of therapy to improve my quality of life. “A patient with cerebral palsy is not a single isolated person conditioned by his situation; rather, he is  part of a family and society which will have an influence on him and vice versa. Disabilities and the handicapped are topics and characters in many movies,  cerebral palsy and those afflicted, among them” (Marco, 66).  

That is a very clinical acknowledgment that multiple factors contribute to a  disabled person’s success and level of integration in society. Numerous movies  portray cerebral palsy. The most accurate depictions of disabled people are  often true individual stories. 

This is precisely what the TNT television movie Door to Door (2002) accomplishes. The film focuses on Bill Porter, a salesman  born with cerebral palsy. The film is about his career. It characterizes Bill as a persistent person that perseveres through prejudice. “The film shows the discrimination suffered by the disabled when finding work and how they can  triumph in doing so. Those with cerebral palsy are not always affected mentally, and the physical limitations, which could limit their capacities for work, can be  overcome with adequate jobs and using systems and procedures adapted to their deficiencies.” (Marco, 70)

Bill Porter entered the workforce in the early 60s as a door-to-door salesman,  despite the physical labor of walking miles every day. 

Photo by Dillon Kydd from Unsplash

Bill had a knack for sales. As a teenager, his mother encouraged him to be a salesman for the United Cerebral Palsy Association. His father was also in the sales business. Bill  was inspired by his family to become a member of the workforce. His mother fought for Bill to attend mainstream schooling. Ultimately Bill went  to a school for disabled children first then went mainstream at 16. 

Once he graduated, Bill’s father emphasized that Bill needed a job. His conviction  that Bill was going to find work propelled Bill to refuse disability money. He would not be excluded from the workforce because of people’s assumptions  that he was “retarded”. 

“Besides his physical problems, Bill’s cerebral palsy affected his speech. In  1955, he tried to work for the Fuller Company as a door-to-door salesman, just  as his father had. Against the wishes of the company, and thanks to the  persistence of his mother, he finally got the job with a competing company, The  Watkins Company. With Watkins, he triumphed, not only in his state but  comparatively in his country.” (Marco, 70)

Source

Marco, M. L. (2005). Cerebral Palsy in Cinema. J Med Man 1, 66-76. https://campus.usal.es/~revistamedicinacine/Indice_2005/Revista/numero_3/ing_3_pdf/pcerebral_ing.pdf

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Should non-disabled people act disabled?

The casting of Cranston to play a disabled character was controversial. According to  Statista, the percentage of characters with disabilities shown on broadcast television dropped from 3.5% to 2.8% in 2022. Of those few portrayals of disabled people, 95% were played by non-disabled actors. Cranston is a well-known actor, though casting a disabled actor could have provided a breakthrough role in a challenging industry while lending greater authenticity to the part. "Blacking it up" was once used to describe white actors in blackface. Men have been cast to play women, white people to play black people, and non-disabled actors have been "crippling it up" playing disabled roles.

Photo by Kushagra Kevat from Unsplash

Cranston defends his casting as a performance. Media could more accurately portray disability by considering disabled life experiences. Every industry has standards. But it's unlikely there are no talented disabled actors. In 

The Upside, the story lacked nuance around socioeconomic and racial issues in favor of singling out disability. If a film focuses on disability, why not cast a disabled actor?

"The acting chops of certain cast members were also clearly underutilized. For example, Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman played Yvonne, Phillip's Harvard  University-educated business manager, yet her role was plain and her character unexplored. Despite her impressive educational background, Yvonne essentially played a glorified assistant who mainly served as a love interest to Phillip." (Brunjes, 6). Yvonne was just "the White Lady" to Dell. And Phillip struggles to see dating as a possibility at all because of his disability. The story is simply about Phillip being guided by Dell on how to live a whole life. There's nothing inherently wrong with the message. The problem is with the casting. Disabled actor-writer Mat Fraser, who played "crippled" Richard III last year, summed it up: 

"Ideally,  anybody should be able to play anybody, but only when there is a truly level  playing field of opportunity." (The Guardian)

Sources

Brunjes, Alexandra. "Cranston Shines in Remake of 'The Upside'." UWIRE Text, 18 Jan. 2019, p. 1. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A570116350/AONE? u=nysl_oweb&sid=sitemap&xid=0f5ad4e9. Accessed 1 Jan. 2023.

Pepper, P. (2019, January 9). Is it ever OK for non-disabled actors to play disabled roles? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/shortcuts/2019/jan/09/is-it-ever-ok-for-non-disabled-actors-to-play-disabled-roles

Statista. (2022, February). Share of characters with disabilities on broadcast TV from the 2010-11 season to the 2021-22 season. Statista.com. https://www.statista.com/statistics/698132/tv-characters-with-disabilities/

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The Upside (2019) tells its’ disabled story through able-bodied saviors

The Upside focuses largely on the able-bodied characters as saviors. While the characters grow together, both deal with discrimination and stereotypes. Dell references Philip's white and economic privilege throughout the film and assumes he's being racially profiled.  The first meeting with Philip's assistant involves her saying she doesn't like Dell being hired because "As powerful as Mr. LaCase is, he's a vulnerable man.  So does it scare me to think of him in the wrong hands? Yes, it does."

Dell is not seen as less capable for the role because of race but because Philip is fragile and needs a suitable caretaker. Philip needs more than physical help; he needs  an attitude adjustment, and Dell does that better than any candidate because he doesn't walk on eggshells in response to Philip's disability. Dell holds Philip accountable for his actions.  

Photo from Tuyen Vo from Unsplash

Dell is held back by his past as an ex-con who was "welcomed home" by his  father when he arrived in jail. Dell is fighting to change that future for his son.  When a resident brings up Dell's past, and Philip says it doesn't matter, the  resident responds 

"Philip, I get second chances, but how many chances has this man had? He's done real-time, and you have him working in a building we all work in." 

Philip says, "which is my right." The resident's emphasis on "We all gotta live here." is an issue of profiling.

 It is unclear if it is influenced by race or  by Dell's record.  

Dell learns to take care of other people and show compassion; and Philip finds love with his assistant, who doesn't see his disability. 

Through the course of the film Dell learns how to take care of Philip and becomes a savior; . 

Philip is stereotyped as a burden and self-pitying. He's not the ideal disabled person, but the type that needs to be "cured" of a bad attitude.

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Romance and disability in The Upside

As a person with a disability, I get many questions about how I do everyday activities. Dating, however, is not an activity at the forefront of people's minds. After all, people with disabilities are often seen as needy and childlike. Dating is hard to imagine, unconsciously or consciously, for many non-disabled folks. Being treated like I am not supposed to have those desires has caused me trepidation about how to date. The stereotype that disabled people don't date follows the stereotype that disabled people are a burden to love. 

Photo by Jamez Picard from Unsplash

Philip demonstrates the stereotype of a wealthy disabled person. Interabled couples often face the stereotype of the able-bodied person being "too good" for the disabled person, so they are obviously with them because they have money. In reality, the unemployment rate of people with disabilities is high partly due to assumptions of how “severe" an individual's disability is.  

In The Upside (2019), Philip is romantically interested in a woman he has written to for a year. However, he doesn't see a straightforward way to pursue that desire. Dell has to convince him that "the signs" are there for him to date. Phillip thinks it's impossible because once she sees him in the chair, that's all she'll see. Dell gives Phillip hope about Lilly accepting him and accompanies Phillip on his date.  

When Lilly dismisses Dell from the date, this seems like a sign of acceptance, but as the date goes on and Lilly is cutting and feeding the meal to Phillip and  herself, Philip asks Lily,

"Is it what you expected?"

At first, Lily plays coy but eventually admits it's a lot. 

She says, "the librarian did her homework."

She talked to people and read about Philip's disability. 

She says, "it isn't what I  expected, but it is what my therapist expected."  

This confirms to Phillip that he is a burden and was right to assume that his disability would prevent him from dating. 

The hope that Dell encouraged is frustratingly extinguished. When he snaps at Dell  that he is right, Dell tries to tell him rejection happens and "I didn't hold a gun to your head and make you talk to her." Phillip retorts by referencing Dell's criminal record. Phillip fires Dell, which launches Phillip into a deep depression because all his hopes are gone. Without Dell, Philip is surrounded by people who are sensitive about his disability, but he hired Dell because he didn't see his disability first as everyone else does. Phillip needs Dell to guide him to live his life.

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Where’s the upside in being a stereotypical burden?

The inspirational disabled character relies on able-bodied people being inspired by a person with a disability who perseveres through hardship and challenges, sporting a "can do" attitude despite their disability. This problematic stereotype reinforces the notion that people with disabilities are striving to be able-bodied. Every task accomplished represents progress toward that goal. The polar opposite disabled character stereotype is the self-pitying person that needs guidance from able-bodied characters to accept themselves. This stereotype emphasizes the burden a disabled person represents due to their special needs. 

"Burdens can also morph into background characters, centering the focus on the caretaker and how noble they are for dealing with the disabled person. 

An example is the film The Upside, where Kevin Hart's character is shown growing as a man, and the focus remains mostly on him. In the film, Kevin Hart plays an ex-convict looking for a job." (Campos, 43) 

Philip Laccase, played by Bryan Cranston, is presented as a billionaire quadriplegic searching for a caretaker who focuses less on how inspirational he is for doing the basic necessities. Applicants are shown talking about how much they want to help Philip do more in his life by being his caretaker. They are focused on Philip's special needs instead of treating him like "everyone else." Hart's character is an attractive candidate because he doesn't care about Philip's disability but takes the job to pay child support and avoid jail time. Shortly after Hart's character Dell Scott is hired, Philip asks him:" Have you ever taken care  of anyone?" Dell's response is, "yes, myself." For Dell's development, Philip must present a burden in need of "tough love" to learn how it feels to be treated like everyone else. 

"The implication of the burden stereotype is that a disabled person is reliant on the charity of others to survive. Jay Dolmage asserts that 'much of the language of disability relies on a semiotics of pity: myths of powerlessness that demand to be answered with charity'" (Campos, 40). 

This stereotype extends beyond feeling sorry for, or wanting to help the disabled, to a belief that disabled people are  incapable of taking care of themselves regardless of the severity of their disability." (Campos, 41)  

The Upside is based on a true story, and Philip's disability provides a visual cue for the audience to see Philip as a burden. As a quadriplegic, he has more need for others to take care of him than  some other disabilities require. 

"the ideal disabled person is someone who doesn't want or require any assistance or accommodation, particularly not social services, someone who does not want to be treated any differently than someone able-bodied." (Holtmier & Park-Primiano, 6) Philip doesn't want assistance, but he requires it. He also doesn't know that he needs Dell to show him the joys of everyday life.

Sources

Campos, B. (2021). Who Am I Now? The Value of Métis in the Construction of the Disabled Identity. Middle Tennessee State University, 1-212. https://jewlscholar.mtsu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/38942409-a101-426c-bc7e-63d0d5fa56e4/content

Holtmeier, Matthew, and Sueyoung Park-Primiano. "Ableism in Avatar: The Transhuman, Postcolonial Rapprochement to Bioregionalism." Studies in the Humanities, vol. 46, no. 1-2, Mar. 2020, pp. 135+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A673944097/AONE? u=nysl_oweb&sid=googleScholar&xid=036924f3. Accessed 17 July 2022.

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As powerful as Mr. LaCasse is, he’s a vulnerable man. So does it scare me to think of him in the wrong hands? Yes it does.

The Upside (2019)

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Which is worse ableism, racism or classism?

"New York City -- a place with an oftentimes sharply visible wealth disparity is an overt reference to Dell and Philip's differences." (Brunjes, 5) 

The Upside is based on a true story about a French billionaire and an Algerian immigrant. The Intouchables (2011) was the source that Upside director, Neil Burger, adapted for American audiences. The relocation of the story from Paris to New York City makes the film more straightforward for American audiences. New York City not only carries these wealth disparity themes but also allows English-speaking audiences to avoid subtitles. "Most American remakes are but pale copies of the ingenious, eccentric, culturally specific movies that preceded them. The challenge has been to convince viewers in the  United States to overcome the 'one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles' (as Bong cleverly put it when he won the Golden Globe.)" (Holtmeier & Park-Primiano, 5)

The Americanization of the film lens itself explores the ties between socioeconomic and racial disparities in United States history. For example, Dell is characterized by his love for "The Queen "Aretha Franklin" He references Philip's penthouse as a plantation,  and he frequently references Philip's assistant Yvonne as "the White lady."  

A pivotal scene in the film occurs when Philip is thrown a surprise birthday party against his wishes. 

He snaps at Yvonne that he can control very few things in his life, and throwing a birthday party takes control away from him. 

Dell sees this interaction and doesn't have any sympathy for Philip. He says he's sorry that Philip has a kind assistant and has to have a surprise party in his expensive penthouse with his wealthy friends." Screw your privilege, man; some of us have  real problems." Philip is offended. There are hard truths in life that Philip, a billionaire, isn't accustomed to hearing because of his wealth and people's sensitive treatment of him due to his disability.

Comparing racial and ableist discrimination is difficult because of intersectionality. However, racial discrimination's connections to economic status cannot be overlooked. Philip is only disabled. On a social hierarchy, he has more privileges than Dell does. Philip has no sympathy for Dell's "real problems" because his criminal record and neglect as a father are choices that Dell made. Philip didn't choose to be disabled and lose his abilities. He has a right to be angry. 

The assumption Dell had a choice whether he served time is borderline racial profiling. The socioeconomic and racial factors are ignored.

Earlier in the film, Dell tells Philip when he went to prison, his father said, "welcome home." The incarceration disparity is not Dell's fault. 

Philip is blinded by his disdain for his special needs; he doesn't recognize his privilege and attitude.

This argument helps him realize he needs to apologize for the kind gesture, whether he wanted it. It is a sign people care about him, not just for him physically.

Sources

Brunjes, Alexandra. "Cranston Shines in Remake of 'The Upside'." UWIRE Text, 18 Jan. 2019, p. 1. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A570116350/AONE? u=nysl_oweb&sid=sitemap&xid=0f5ad4e9. Accessed 1 Jan. 2023.

Holtmeier, Matthew, and Sueyoung Park-Primiano. "Ableism in Avatar: The Transhuman, Postcolonial Rapprochement to Bioregionalism." Studies in the Humanities, vol. 46, no. 1-2, Mar. 2020, pp. 135+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A673944097/AONE? u=nysl_oweb&sid=googleScholar&xid=036924f3. Accessed 17 July 2022.

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The Upside (2019) misses opportunities to explore beyond physical discrimination

"Starring Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart, 'The Upside' (2019) recreates  the story of its 2011 counterpart 'The Intouchables: Cranston's Phillip Lacasse, a wealthy quadriplegic, employs Hart's Dell Scott, a former convict, to be his caretaker, or 'life auxiliary.' The pair soon form a  humorous and heartwarming friendship that ultimately changes their lives." (Brunjes, 4)  

The film was far from critically acclaimed, earning scores in the 40s on MetaCritic and Rotten Tomatoes. The film missed many opportunities to explore complex racial and socioeconomic inequality issues. It focuses solely on disability.  The plot is set in motion because Philip needs a full-time caretaker.  Because of his wealth, he has many qualified applicants to choose from. Dell Scott, an ex-con, was not meant to be a candidate. He is searching for a signature to satisfy his probation officer and to avoid serving more time. 

"He stops at a luxury Park Avenue apartment building for a  janitor position, but by luck and inattention ends up in the penthouse awaiting an interview to be a live-in life auxiliary for Phillip." (Brunjes, 4).  

Dell's first scene with Philip starts with him barging in on a candidate  interview, saying, "relax, it's not a hold-up." He surveys the room and  immediately goes to Philip, who he addresses as the boss, and demands a signature. 

Philip asks Dell, "how would I sign it?" 

Dell responded, "I don't  know, slowly?” 

"Phillip, a billionaire seemingly accustomed to blind obedience and an infantilizing sensitivity to his disability, is attracted to  Dell's brazenness" (Brunjes, 4). 

Dell declines Philip's offer by saying,  

"Look, I think your plantation is bananas, but unfortunately, I don't wanna  be nobody’s servant.”

Everything Dell says here assumes Philip and his assistant Yvonne are  racially profiling him before he speaks. Dell's egocentrism and experience  with racial discrimination help him win Philip over by treating him as  "everyone else." 

The similarity between Dell and Philip's experiences with  discrimination is addressed through a scene where 

Dell corrects a cashier when he tries to ask him what Philip wants. "Look, man, don't do that; talk to him."

The cashier apologizes, and Philip thanks Dell, saying, "Thanks for  speaking up. I get treated with such (he pauses and does not complete this thought and continues) 

“Or I’m invisible. Unless they know I have money." Dell responds, "Welcome to my world, except for the money."

Dell’s response is a hint at socioeconomic issues. The film chooses to remain surface level by only referencing physical attributes of race and disabilities.

Source

Brunjes, Alexandra. "Cranston Shines in Remake of 'The Upside'." UWIRE Text, 18 Jan. 2019, p. 1. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A570116350/AONE? u=nysl_oweb&sid=sitemap&xid=0f5ad4e9. Accessed 1 Jan. 2023.

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I need assistance. My arms don't work as you so astutely noted, nor do my legs. I can only move my neck

The Upside (2019)

[capableism]

Disney emphasizes visually impaired character’s blindness is from internalized ableism

Despite Jace's projections of his internal ableism on people during a fire drill, when Jace is struggling, John (a jock he previously antagonized) guides him out of school during a fire drill after he has lost his cane and begs for help. It is emotional because it shows how his disability affects everyday tasks. This demonstrates Jace's need for support, whether he wants it or not. He is not the visually impaired superhuman. He is a typical flawed, stubborn teenager.

The internal ableism Jace is projecting onto wrestling culminates after Jace angrily insists he's not a "charity case" and shouldn't be kept around for the "freak factor" on the team. The coach says,

"Now you listen, and you listen good. If you wanna think of yourself as a freak, go ahead. What I see  is a kid who's worked his tail off and earned his spot." 

Next, the coach confronts Jace's projection that he is treated "special" because of his disability. He lacks faith in other people to believe he is like everyone else. Again a projection of himself. That characterization is subtle and pleasing.  

Jace's character moves quickly from stubborn and self-centered to sensitive and romantic toward Mary Beth.

No film about a blind person is complete without a face-touching scene. 

This sudden romance is unexpected, given how much of a jerk Jace is to everyone. "Authors go so far as to convert the sense of touch into that of sight, for the blind stripling has "fingers" that "must almost see" (Joyce, 1922/1998, p. 173). This fixation on the sense of touch leads to the stereotype of touching faces. Audio descriptions of people are more useful and only sometimes necessary. 

The touching of faces trope depends on sighted people's want to fulfill the sense they would be missing and accustomed to. 

Disabled people adapt to their circumstances individually and cannot be so easily categorized. There is a scene where John reveals wrestling is "all his identity." Unlike Jace, he doesn't "have music." This reminds the audience that 

Jace joined the wrestling team to be like everyone else, not because he is passionate about it. 

He could pursue a musical passion that coincided with a stereotype or "fit in." By becoming a jock. He chooses the latter, which reinforces his belief he's not like other blind people. Comparing the stereotypes of visually impaired people to reality, Bolt concludes, "People with Impaired Vision is no better than the overtly negative formation, for either way an object position is being defined, the subject position is necessarily held by someone with unimpaired vision. Indeed,  beneficial blindness only benefits prejudiced people who wish to maintain the binary logic of 'the blind' and 'the sighted,' them and us." (Bolt, 27)

Sources

Bolt, D. (2006). Beneficial Blindness: Literary Representation and the So-Called Positive Stereotyping of People with Impaired Vision. Journal of Disability Studies, (12), 1-31. https://disability-studies.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/library/bolt-Beneficial-Blindness.pdf

Joyce, J. (1998). Ulysses. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Original work published 1922)

[capableism]

Disney Channel tries replacing ableist tropes with self-aware disabled protagonist

Go to the mat is slang for 

"fight until one side or another is victorious. "This term comes from wrestling and evokes the holding of an opponent  when both contestants are down on the mat, the padded floor-covering used in  matches." (Dictionary.com) 

In the Disney Channel movie Going to the Mat, Jace chooses to fight the stereotype of a blind musician to become a wrestler, literally going to the mat. Wrestling becomes his focus when a character Mary-Beth "saw a blind guy do it once." It's worth noting that 

the abilities of individual disabled people are not transferable to a whole group. 

That is a result of stereotyping. This coming-of-age sports movie is generic. It only uses the trope that blind people have heightened senses when it is plot convenient. 

The generic beats involve Jace working hard to overcome his blindness. The first and last scenes, where other characters learn about Jace's disability, is irrelevant. They do not see disability. This is problematic because it does not recognize societal shortcomings regarding minority groups.  

These scenes also fail to acknowledge the inequity of living within a minority group. Jace is a basic white guy at the top of the disability hierarchy. The simple plot beats serve their 

Purpose in presenting Going to the Mat as an after-school special about accepting yourself. 

This generic coming-of-age storyline about moving to a small town, joining a sports team to be liked, and then working hard to be the best on the team adds the extra element of Jace's disability.  "The bizarre implication is that visual impairment brings about significant  alterations in the bearer's sense of taste." (Bolt, 10) 

Bolt refers to this assumption about visually impaired people possessing "extraordinary senses." Another seemingly positive representation of blindness is demonstrating it as a disability that eliminates distractions. Along the lines of extraordinary senses, it assumes visually impaired people have an advantage in their ability to work hard and problem-solve because they have dialed in sensory input. These representations are common. 

The kernel of accuracy in these stereotypes is "People with impaired vision might well learn to use such capacities more effectively, but, far from being automatic, any compensation is the product of persistent practice" (Kirtley, 1975).  

While Going to the Mat does feature extraordinary senses and musical tropes, Jace is not more intelligent than other characters because of his disability. He is self-centered because of the assumptions he's faced throughout life. The plot involves Jace being mad about moving from NYC to Utah. He boasts to his "hillbilly" classmates that New York City is the best place to live. Jace's condescending way of treating people in Utah betrays his problem with being blind. After John meets Mary-Beth, she tells him she'll be one of his readers. Jace immediately says, "Why? Because it looks good on your college  resume?" Again, Jace thinks Mary-Beth is taking advantage of Jace's blindness.

In another scene, Mary Beth is seen reading to Jace about the oppression of colonization, and his response is, "welcome to my world." This demonstrates how self-centered Jace is. After he complains  that nobody likes him, 

Mary Beth tells him, "no one cares that you're blind; they're turned off because they think you're a total jerk."  

Sources

Bolt, D. (2006). Beneficial Blindness: Literary Representation and the So-Called Positive Stereotyping of People with Impaired Vision. Journal of Disability Studies, (12), 1-31. https://disability-studies.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/library/bolt-Beneficial-Blindness.pdf

Kirtley, D. D. (1975). Blindness in the arts. The psychology of blindness (pp. 49-92). Chicago: Nelson-Hall.

[capableism]

Disney Channel’s stereotypical blind guy who desires to be stereotypical jock

Going to the Mat establishes Jace Newfield as a blind musical savant. But the film focuses on Jace desperately not wanting to be seen as a stereotype. His resistance is a sign of ableism because he doesn't want to be the one-dimensional character he sees in the media; he assumes everyone thinks of him that way.  

"The problem is that fiction has the capacity to initiate this very fear, meaning that when left unaddressed literary representation itself functions as an Unseen  Starer, potentially making Unseeing Victims of not only blind characters but people with impaired vision." (Bolt, 26) The impact of such media representations can be expressed or even develop into personality traits. In my personal experience, the more I was called "courageous" and "brave" about my disability, the more stubbornness became part of my personality. 

Beginning in childhood, I felt I had much to prove for people to ignore my disability.

Due to my disability, I was often singled out. To avoid that, I became very stubborn in insisting on doing things the way able-bodied people do. Fortunately, that belief has lessened with age.

Jace's assumption that people automatically can't understand his struggles is challenged when he attends music class taught by a visually impaired teacher,  which Jace was unaware of. Jace acts out by playing a drum solo in the middle of classical music. He then defended himself by saying the teacher wouldn't understand what he's going through. Then Jace is told, "he's just like  you." and jokingly, "talk about the blind leading the blind." Mr. Wyatt immediately recognizes Jace's problems stemming from the "chip on his shoulder" related to his being blind.

The dynamic between Mr. Wyatt and Jace is mentoring and falls into the same category as the magic black guy trope. "In order to show the world that minority characters are not bad people, one will step forward to help  a "normal" person, with their pure heart and folksy wisdom. They are usually  black and/or poor… and the wisdom in some way enriches that central character's life." (Tvtropes.com) Mr. Wyatt gives him the wisdom that 

"People  will always treat you differently because you are different." 

This is hard to hear because of Jace's natural desire to fit in, especially as a teenager.

Sources

Bolt, D. (2005). Looking Back at Literature: A Critical Reading of the Unseen Stare in Depictions of People with Impaired Vision. Disability & Society, 20(7), 735-747. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687590500335741

Tv Tropes. (n.d.). Magical Negro. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MagicalNegro