Positive Illustration of Disabled by Media (Forrest Gump)

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Introduction

As per the records of the UN, there are 1 billion disabled individuals around the globe. In other

words, it can be said that 15% of the global population is disabled (United Nations, 2016). The

representation of disabled individuals on media is thus a critical issue and it is seen that both in

developed and developing countries, disabled individuals are seldom covered in media. And

most of the time, media covering disabled individuals depicts them inappropriately (United

Nations, 2016). Disabled individuals are shown as persons with disability, treated as an object of

pity and charity. But in rare cases, disabled individuals are presented as heroes who have

achieved feats and can be a source of inspiration for the non-disabled individual. This report is

also focused on the analysis of a disabled character shown by the media. It would be seen that

whether the character was illustrated as a positive or negative member of the society, and what

were the impacts of disability representation on my mind.

Disabled Character Selected

The disabled character selected for this report is the lead character of the movie ‘Forrest Gump’.

The name of the main character was also Forrest Gump played by Tom Hanks who was

medically disabled as he wasn’t able to walk without leg braces and was also mentally unstable.

His IQ level was lower than the IQ level of other students and was thus denied admission to a

normal school. However, Gump’s mother presented herself to the principal to get her son

admitted to the normal school. It might be the first disabled movie seen by many individuals

because it was a mid-1990s super hit that illustrated the disabled character in a uniquely positive

way (Lamb, 2001). Although, Gump was represented as a positive disabled individual in this

movie, yet some other disabled characters were shown as typical negative disabled characters
who were stubborn, and their minds were flooded with negative thoughts about life (Lamb,

2001). However, the center of focus of this report is Mr. Gump and his positive illustration is

further discussed in the section below.

Positive Illustration of Forrest Gump

I always felt that the movie started with a changed approach towards disabled individuals and my

thoughts are seconded by many critiques. There was something special about Gump’s character

that illustrated positivity and a sense of achievement. For example, he made a friend named

Jenny in his early childhood who supported him and saved him from the bullies (Lopez, 2019).

And one day running away from the bullies, Gump’s leg braces broke down and he became a

physically normal individual who can run and walk without leg braces (Lamb, 2001). Not only

this, but he's running away from bullies increased his physical skills to run and he was selected

as a rugby player in the national team, where he won a gold medal with the team.

This allowed him to meet with the president of the US that was his childhood dream. This

illustration of ‘Gump’ was quite positive as I had not seen any disabled individual winning the

gold medal in sports even arranged for normal individuals (Safran, 1998). Similarly, Gump was

selected in the army as a cadet and fought the ‘Vietnam War’ where he saved his fellow soldiers

from dying. He saved ‘Lieutenant Dan Taylor’ who lost his legs during the war. Gump was often

found saying in the movie that he hopes he hasn’t let Lieutenant Dan Taylor down. Good

performance in ‘Vietnam War’ again helped Forrest Gump to win a presidential medal and meet

with the US President for the second time in his lifetime (Lopez, 2019). This was again a

positive illustration that mentally disabled individuals shedding away the negative thoughts can

achieve feats in his life (Lamb, 2001).

After resigning from the US Army, Forrest Gump started farming business, and the movie

illustrated Gump becoming a multi-millionaire from the farming business (Safran, 1998). This

was again something unusual from a disabled character with low mental capabilities. But the

movie illustrated that if the negative thoughts are shed off and a person believes in himself, then

no force can stop him from becoming successful and achieving his dreams. Not even physical or

mental disability can prevent the person from becoming successful (Safran, 1998).

Impact of the Character on my Mind

Before this movie, I had mostly seen the negative illustration of disabled characters on the

media. Whether it be the news reports or the normal movies, where the disabled individuals were

illustrated as harming and individuals with negative thoughts. But this was the first movie that

illustrated positive disability. Many upcoming movies followed the trend including ‘the theory of

everything, ‘million dollar baby’, ‘and the peanut butter falcon’, etc. The positive illustration of

disabled individuals by the mainstream media impacts their perceived image in society. Now I

perceive disabled individuals as a normal part of society who have all the abilities to contribute

positively towards society.

What if the Disability was different?

In my opinion, the character of ‘Forrest Gump’ was written to be a successful individual. It can

be seen that he had two disabilities both physical and psychological at the start of the movie, but

he overcame his physical disability and did not let his psychological disability come over him.

But in case, he was not able to overcome the physical disability, he would not have achieved any

of the feats shown in the movie. He would have been physically unfit to play rugby, fight a war

and run a business. Thus, the mainstream media still requires to illustrate the positive side of the
physically disabled individuals that was shown in the movie ‘the theory of everything, a biopic

of Stephen Hawking.
References

Lamb, J. M. (2001). Disability and the social importance of appearance. Clothing and Textiles

Research Journal, 19(3), 134-143.

Lopez, K. (2019, July 5). “Forrest Gump” at 25: Disability Representation (For Better and

Worse). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristenlopez/2019/07/05/forrest-gump-at-25-

disability-representation-for-better-and-worse/?sh=6063927e664d

Safran, S. P. (1998). The first century of disability portrayal in film: An analysis of the

literature. The Journal of Special Education, 31(4), 467-479.

United Nations Enable. (2016, February 8). Disability and the Media | United Nations Enable.

United Nations Enable - Disability.

https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/resources/disability-and-the-media.html#:

%7E:text=Persons%20with%20disabilities%20are%20seldom,stereotyped%20and%20not

%20appropriately%20represented.&text=It%20can%20be%20a%20powerful,a%20part%20of

%20human%20diversity.