Media Analysis Paper

The role of media in portraying disability can positively or negatively affect the public

opinion (United Nations). Most of the times they are negatively stereotyped and are shown

different from reality. They are treated with sympathy rather than empathy, pity and sometimes

misfortune. This is how societal norms are established and people start treating disables based on

such norms. Media is one of the major factor for creating the public perception. In media there is

a lack of real disability and the disability shown in media is very manipulated, fake and

misinterpreted (A3: A film study on ‘Me before you’ | Disability rhetoric," 2018). Media can

also change the perception of people regarding negative image of disability. When portrayed in

right terms and with dignity, media can have a positive influence on people regarding disability

as well. Most of the times media depicts disability with false information or it under emphasizes

or over emphasizes the impact of the disorder. This is why usually people with disabilities don’t

feel a connection to the movies even if the disability is same as theirs. However, on social media

like personal blogs of disable people, the real portrayal of the disability is shown with whom

people feel a real connection.

The media which I chose for my assignment and critique is a film with disability named: Me

before you. It is a novel based film written by Jo Jo Moyes. The producers of this film are Alison

Owen, Sue Baden Powell and Karen Rosenfelt. The movie revolves around a 25-30 years old

boy, Will, who is quadriplegic and a girl, Louisa, who is his caretaker. The film revolves round

the urge of Will to end his life and asking Louisa to live her life boldly after they both fall in love

with each other (Gluckstein Lawyers). Movie activists have been talking about the portrayal of

disability since then and how it has effected the perception of people. The purpose of this film is

to provide vision to the people about how to give meaning to the life with small things and have
a lesson from those who struggle to live an ideal life. Will has been blessed financially but due to

disability he wasn’t happy and lively anymore. However, Louisa has been a happy lively girl but

was not financially independent. This is how she comes across taking care of Will and becomes

his Caregiver.

There are many stereotypes used in this film in relation to the disability of the actor Will. The

film portrays Will as a person, who after meeting the accident, doesn’t want to live. This

misinterpretation of unworthy life of quadriplegic person is very wrong because in reality many

people with disabilities still choose to live with disability rather than being dead. Will has an

assisted suicide which he will receive after a particular time period. Even after being so blessed

in his life with all the other luxuries, he still chooses to end his life only because of disability. It

misinterprets that how a disability can lead to a change of mindset to stop living a luxurious and

blissful life. Another stereotype used in the film is the portrayal of jealousy through the use of his

caregiver. Caregiving job to a disabled person shouldn’t be used as a joke just to create jealousy

(Me before you -A critical film study and a look at casting able -bodied actors as disabled

characters | Disability rhetoric," 2018). Will tries to make his ex-fiancée jealous with the help of

his caregiver. Caregiver of a disabled person only knows the struggles he has to go through but

the movie has over shined the caregiving job. No matter how empathetic this job can be, the film

shouldn’t have glosses over this job just to create jealousy.

Another stereotyped or wrong interpretation about a person with spinal injury is the portrayal

of such a disabled person by use of an actor who is no near to the actual character. In other

words, the film portrays that the disabled person, Will, has many health problems but the actor

portraying this character is shown so healthy that it creates a misinterpretation towards the
disabled person. People with quadriplegia have less self-worth and are usually unhealthy. This

movie misjudges that information.

People who use wheelchairs experience a range of emotions from anger to denial, shock and

even depression. But the movie shows that Will only experiences sadness and irritability.

However, in reality people with this disability feel range of emotions. Another thing portrayed in

movie is that Will has been using an advance level wheelchair. Studies have shown that the

product you are using have direct effect on your emotions and personality and using a well-

developed device will originate feelings of independence and mobility (Rebelo & Noriega,

2019). Hollywood media has usually portrayed disability as better dead than disable. This film

has shown the disability as the loss of masculinity. This means that the film portrays disable

person as the one who is not normal (Mendez, 2019).

The film portrays that Will has been separated from the society after his disability. This is

what common people believe as well. It stereotype reflects the true meaning of what common

people believe. After being disabled people feel a separation from the society because they think

that they don’t fit in the societal norms anymore. Will feels as if he has been deviated from the

society and doesn’t fit in his man box anymore. This is the reason that he goes for euthanasia.

This ideology of movie reflects a common person’s believe in its true sense that when people

don’t feel an attachment with the society after their disability, they want to deviate and end their

life. But on the other hand, it also doesn’t go with many people’s believe. Not most of the people

with disability go for euthanasia even after feeling separated from the society. The caregiver

stereotype mentioned in the story reflects a wrong common person’s believe. Caregivers of

disable person usually live a very struggling life but as reflected in the movie, Louisa lives a

happy and contented life. Another thing which doesn’t match with the common person’s believe
is the feeling of range of emotions. The movie portrays that Will doesn’t get a range of emotions

but in reality people with disability feel range of emotions with depression. This is what common

people believe.

Usually people believe that when they give particular care and love to the disable person, the

disable person gets a bit motivated towards life. However, the movie reflects that even after

giving significant amount of love, Will doesn’t want to take back his assisted suicide and still

want to go for it.

Such common beliefs about disability comes from the people experiencing disability and

people who are watching other disable person closely. Moreover the media portrays a lot of

images about disability through which people consume and make perceptions. Social media, TV

programs and other media platforms influence people by showing such things over and over.

Media has always been a source of consuming information being inflicted by it. Media has been

the source of stigmatizing and stereotyping disability with imposing a negative belief system for

the common people (Ocran, 2019). Moreover a set group of societal norms are present to shape

the perception and belief system of people in order to deal with disable person. Such stereotypes

put a negative effect on the belief system of a common man and also on the mindset of the

disabled person. As the film portrays a negative image of disability when Will doesn’t want to

continue his life, people with disability can get inflected with such negative media portrayals and

inflict such mindsets in their life as well.

The first and foremost important thing is that this movie is giving the concept of euthanasia to

the disable person which is wrong on so many levels. People who are unaware of any such

concept will get a lead to such legal life ending ideas which is not mentally healthy as well. In

some religions euthanasia is considered a murder (Holland, 2019). The movie portrays that the
only option to escape disability is to end your life. This might have a negative effect on people

with disabilities because those who are motivated to live will feel demotivated after watching

such movies.

The movie under-emphasizes the role of caregiver because it portrays that even after giving

proper care to Will, he gives up on his life. It might have a negative effect on disable people as

they will start believing that caregiver will not be of any help to them. The movie also shows that

Will listens to loud music all the time. This can have a negative effect on disable people because

people usually get influenced by movies a lot. Studies have shown that loud music creates a

dissatisfaction in the body (Reybrouck, Podlipniak &Welch, 2019). That’s why it is better to

avoid loud music which might impact negatively on the body and mental health of the listener.

Some of the recommendations for the improved representation of disability in media are:

 Euthanasia in the first place shouldn’t be shown in movies in order to reduce the

number of deaths. However in critical situations, there should be a proper detailed

eligibility criteria which should be strict enough so that less number of people would

fall completely into the eligibility category.

 The movies should cast disable eligible actors for such type of movies to portray the

real image of the character. This is how people with disability will feel connection to

and would relate themselves to it.

 The movies should be based on real stories and not fictional so that people could relate

to it. This is how the movies will be more realistic.

 The media should focus more on middle to lower class people because usually upper

class disable people shown in movies are not what people feel connection to.
 The writers of the movies should understand completely about the disability. If they

don’t have a disability themselves, they should consult someone who has the disability

they are writing about so that it gets more real.

 The media should portray bigger and real emotions because this is how people will get

real feels from the movie.

 The media should portray more of real and positive stereotypes in the movies. Such

stereotypes should be real and not fictional. Real and positive stereotypes are more

realistic and creates a positive impact on the people watching it.

 References

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