Representations of Issues:
Mental Health and Disability
Representation of Issues: Mental Health
Looking at the representation of issues is trickier than looking at the
representation of groups of people or events. You are analysing how the media
represents an idea.
A good place to start is Soap Operas. These are often issue led programmes that offer
occasionally stereotypical representations and sometimes thought provoking or even
controversial representations.
Examples of Issues to research and deconstruct could be:
•Body image
•Substance abuse
•Violent crime
•Religion
•Celebrity Culture
•Political issues
•Relationships
The exam will ask you to refer to two different examples.
Representation of Issues: Mental Health
With reference to your own detailed examples, explore the ways in
which two different issues are represented in the media today?
[30]
An issue which has been represented in a variety of ways - both positive and
negative - is the issue of mental illness and mental health. This makes it a great
case study for the exam.
Question: What do you know about schizophrenia?
How much of this is from films that you have seen?
How do these texts
reinforce or challenge
what you know about it?
What do they not tell us about schizophrenia?
Perception from media
Implies split personalities
The split personalities are
extreme in nature – Jekyll & Hyde
Madness, violence, aggression
‘psychotic’ behaviour
Incurable and uncontrollable
Outcast in society – people that
should be feared (or alternatively
it can be seen as something to be
mocked or made light of)
Reality
Split or multiple personalities is
not a symptom of Schizophrenia –
it’s a completely different
condition, and even then there’s
nothing to suggest that these
would juxtapose each other.
People with severe mental
illnesses are more likely to harm
themselves than others.
With the correct medication and
support many people that have
severe mental illness can
overcome their condition.
Despite living in more liberal
times, severe mental illnesses can
be very isolating & many sufferers
commit suicide
In pairs discuss films you can think of which associate
mental illness with violence, aggression and as something
to be feared...
These representations often Stereotype mental illness...
...what two characteristics have we previously suggested make up a
stereotype?
1.
Appearance (including accent)
2.
Behaviour - what people do
The Dark Knight – The Joker
Batman describes The Joker as a: “Schizophrenic clown”, experts in
psychiatric care and mental health describe him as an: “Incorrect
stereotype”.
A key theory of any representation is the use and construction
of stereotypes. How have people with schizophrenia been
stereotyped by the character of the Joker in The Dark Knight?
http://youtu.be/wQHfoz9Be7U
How does the Joker reinforce stereotypes of mental illness based
on:
1. Appearance
2. Behaviour
Pi – A balanced representation?
Any representation is a construction of
the media - this means that we must
consider the opinions of both: those who
have encoded the text and those that
have decoded the text. Put simply - the
creators and the audience.
Darren Aranofsky’s first movie, Pi, looks at a
brilliant mathematician called Max Cohen and his
descent into madness as he obsessively attempts
to discover numerical patterns which will allow
him to understand the world around him.
The representation of Max’s decline in mental
health is interesting in the way that the audience
is positioned by the director.
Watch the sequence is from Darren Aranofsky's avant garde film Pi. The
director wants us to identify with the character Max as he descends into
madness. The audience is encouraged to be part of Max's mental breakdown.
Rather than looking at what happens in each scene concentrate on how
technical codes have been used to represent Max’s illness.
• Sound
• Camera/Framing
• Editing
How has the director positioned the
audience to represent the mental health
of this character?
Is it a positive or negative representation?
Does it matter?
http://youtu.be/F1NgFQnToEA
The following video is from the sketch show Little Britain and features a character
with severe learning difficulties called Anne. How does it use stereotypes of mental
illness?
Different Readings:
This representation could be read as very derogatory and spiteful,
but it might also be read as mocking our own preconceptions of
learning difficulties, or even the media itself for having such a limited
representation of such issues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn1EFJz3AbI
Is this a negative stereotype? Who is being mocked? (Anne? Others with
learning difficulties? The audience? The media itself?) Does it matter?
Television soap-operas have always been issue led. With well developed
characters and continuous storylines they have always had the ability to help the
audience understand and explore various issues in society. Sometimes
sympathetically, sometimes controversially, sometimes breaking taboos.
The nation's favourite, Corrie, has been at the forefront of issue led soaps for
more than fifty years and 2011 saw the show tackle the issue of Alzheimers,
focussing mostly on the experiences of those caring for someone suffering from
the disease.
When analysing any representation we must consider the views of the audience
and decide whether they have responded with a preferred, negotiated or
oppositional reading to the text. Read the article
from http://www.dementia.co.uk/ to see how they view Corrie's portrayal of
such a serious illness - at the bottom of the document are responses to the
article from audience members.
What kind of reading have they made?
Balanced or Stereotypical?
http://youtu.be/MtrWYVtuMPk
How has the illness been represented? Is the article correct?
What are the ideologies of The Sun surrounding mental illness?
Analyse the language used
as well as the images.
“Last night she was facing the axe from the series
after a Sun investigation revealed she had been
diagnosed with serious mental issues - but had not
informed show bosses.
Psychiatrists have declared she has a series of
problems which may affect her ability to care for
Mariah. And experts fear she may worsen if
propelled to fame by The X Factor.
A medical source said: "Shirlena is as fragile as
Susan Boyle was - but the difference is that Susan
didn't have a child to worry about.
"We believe this woman is not a suitable candidate
for a reality show that can cause immense stress
and instant fame.
"Hopefully the makers will agree that the best
thing for Shirlena and her child is to gently drop
them from filming and let us help her be the best
mother she can."
The source added: "Sadly Shirlena is not in the
best of health. She has been described by expert
professionals as a 'ticking timebomb'.”
Analyse the four representations of mental health from the
same story. Make sure you look at pictures as well as words.
Hint: Some elements are more subtle than others.
Are some representations more
‘sympathetic’ than others?
Mediation?
• Selection
• Organisation
• Focus
How have the texts been mediated?
What processes has the issue of
mental health been through?
Whilst the copy is matter of fact and
largely objective, the selection of
photo seems to suggest what the real
views of the Telegraph are in this front
page. However the focus of the article
may actually be more concerned with
the Mental Health Act.
This typically sensationalist and unsympathetic
headline from The Sun caused much
controversy and was actually pulled from later
editions.
Interestingly, they use a similar image to that
of the Telegraph.
Like the Telegraph the Daily Express
seems objective but the selection of the
phrase 'Mental Home’ makes it quite
clear how they view illnesses such as
those suffered by Bruno.
This seems like the most sympathetic and
least exploitative but is worthy of analysis
- think about the selection of words, the
type of photo taken - are we encouraged
to pity, to voyeuristically watch from a
safe distance?
What next?
You should now be able to write in depth and with many different
examples about how this issue has been represented.
Here’s what the question might look like...
With reference to your own detailed examples, explore
the ways in which two different issues are represented in
the media today?
[30]
Success Checklist...
•Are you being specific about your examples?
•Are you discussing theories such as Mediation & Stereotyping?
•Are you discussing typical and challenging representations?
•Have you analysed a range of different codes rather than just things that happen
in the narrative?
• Have you made a point/argument?
Representation of Issues: Disability
How does this text reinforce
or challenge what you know
about disability?
How does it represent
disability?
Representation of Issues: Disability
Here is someone who is not
simply "in" a wheelchair (are
all disabled people in
wheelchairs?), but who relies
on the structure of the chair
to give them arms.
If the word "disabled" can be represented in such a simple symbol
as the one above are we reducing a large and diverse group of
human beings to something less complicated than your average
road sign?
Representation of disability in different media
formats
What stereotypes
of the disabled
exist in the media?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Pitiable and pathetic; sweet and innocent; childlike
Victim of violence or bullying
Sinister or evil
The ‘noble warrior’, triumphing over tragedy
The butt of jokes
Aggressive avenger
A burden on society, incapable of participating in everyday life
Non-sexual
Match the following texts to these representations.
Remember to consider:
• how appearance and behaviour reinforce or challenge stereotypes
• how the texts have been mediated (selection; organisation; focus)
• what the ideology of the texts might be
• different readings
‘Nice Day’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPJ0hm-Xpmc
What different readings exist of this representation?
What is the ideology of this text?
Remember to consider:
• The person/thing being represented
• The opinions of those encoding the representation
• The reaction of the target audience
• The context of our society and dominant ideologies
http://youtu.be/tOimeRod4TY
What different readings exist of this representation?
http://youtu.be/eMyTs6H2__4
‘Lou and Andy’
http://youtu.be/auSAGvpM
7W8
Diary of a Call Girl
What is the impact of these representations?
Jenny Morris (1991) argues that cultural portrayals of disability are
usually about the feelings of non-disabled people and their reactions
to disability, rather than about disability itself. Disability thus becomes:
...a metaphor...for the message that the non-disabled writer
wishes to get across, in the same way that ‘beauty’ is used.
In doing this, the writer draws on the prejudice, ignorance
and fear that generally exist towards disabled people,
knowing that to portray a character with a humped back,
with a missing leg, with facial scars, will evoke certain
feelings in the reader or audience. The more disability is
used as a metaphor for evil, or just to induce a sense of
unease, the more the cultural stereotype is confirmed
(Morris, 1991:93).
Many impairments are ‘hidden’ (dyslexia, visual impairments, deafness etc).
List the types of impairment you have seen in TV programmes, films,
magazine or newspaper articles. How do you feel about the people
represented in them? Do they inspire pity or horror for example?
Representations of disability in different media formats
Hannibal (film)
Agent Starling goes to see Lecter’s
victim (Mason Verger) who is in bed,
hidden in the shadows and
surrounded by curtains. The light is
raised to give a horror view of his face.
The character here is evil too, so we
associate his facial scarring with
punishment for his evil nature, and
also with the visual manifestation of
evil (we expect evil people to look evil,
thanks to generations of fairy tales).
We are supposed to be shocked, to
recoil in horror.
How do you think this affects people
with facial scarring?
http://youtu.be/bQkGH-uLbyY
Television:
Apart from specialist programmes like the BBC's 'One in Four' and 'Same
Difference' on Channel 4, disabled people are generally under represented on
British television; but when they are it is usually in the context of one of the
disabling stereotypes. In factual or current affairs programmes stories about
disabled people are usually linked to medical treatment or the special
achievements of disabled individuals - usually children. With one or two notable
exceptions disabled people rarely appear in soaps or quiz shows. Their absence
from mainstream programming coupled with the link between disability and
medicine reinforces the widespread misconception that disabled people are ill
and unable to participate in every day life.
In fictional programmes, the genre most likely to include disabled characters is
crime and thriller films. They usually appear as criminals, monsters or powerless
and pathetic victims. In most cases disabled characters are introduced not
because they are ordinary people but to suggest precisely the opposite. Their
disability becomes a shorthand for the type of character they are – usually evil!
Television drama and film
Wheelchairs tend to predominate here, since they are an iconic sign of
disability. Most actors playing disabled characters are, however, not
disabled.
The wheelchair allows the character to be obviously disabled, whilst
still looking ‘normal’, and does not therefore present any major
challenges for audience identification.
e.g. Artie from Glee
-- does he break or reinforce stereotypes?
• disabled in a car accident
•social outcast due to his disability
• bullied/victim of violence due to his disability
• ‘overcomes’ his disability to dance/sing
• needs special arrangements re: transport etc.
• his strongest desire is to walk (has several ‘dream’ sequences where
he is able-bodied)
• takes part in physical activities
• is sexually active
http://youtu.be/TiOfp-sdMro
Cerrie Burnell – Cbeebies Presenter
The 29-year-old studied BA Theatre Arts at MMU
before going on to appear in the likes of Holby City,
EastEnders, The Bill and Comedy Lab. She has
combined her acting career with working as a teaching
assistant in a special needs school.
Taking the job, she said: "I'm really passionate about
firing up kids' imaginations, so this is a dream job
come true for me, especially as I also have a young
daughter. I've never done TV presenting before so its
been brilliant fun getting to ice cakes, getting covered
in glitter and reading bedtime stories.”
Newspapers
• The tabloids are a particularly potent source of disability
representations. The Daily Mail, featured a Muslim cleric who had his
hands blown off in Afghanistan.
• He was pictured with his hooks on prominent display, described in
the article as ‘metal claws’.
Newspapers
The use of disablist language is common in newspapers, and not
only in the tabloids, but also in the so called 'quality' papers.
Terms like 'the disabled' and 'the handicapped' appear quite
regularly despite campaigns by disability organizations to raise
the awareness of journalists.
http://youtu.be/1RtIVWyPRUg
Reports about disabled people are usually featured for their
sensation value rather than their accuracy. Common examples
include items about the sexual impotency of recently disabled
men, individuals who 'bravely manage' to achieve despite 'their
handicap', and the non-disabled celebrity who understands the
'plight' of disabled people, or who is willing to make
unprecedented personal sacrifices to help a particular charity.
Advertising
Disabled people are generally excluded or
ignored by mainstream advertising. This
suggests they a) do not exist and b) do not
buy products.
Charity campaigns present a distorted view
of disability: that they are dependent,
worthy of pity and pathetic.
- Black and white often used
- Focus on children
- Emotive language
- Ask for support/money
Breaking the Mould:
Debenhams 2010 ad
campaign
Benetton Sunflowers Campaign 2011
Paralympics
Paralympics
‘Meet the Superhumans’
http://youtu.be/tuAPPeRg3Nw
http://youtu.be/6LxE2zsva0E
-- Ellie Simmons
‘The Last Leg’
Oscar Pistorius
Using the constructionist approach
to representation, analyse the
following texts featuring Oscar
Pistorius.
How do they challenge stereotypes?
How have they been mediated?
How have the representations been
constructed?
http://youtu.be/-Btgk-XUjHU
Different readings:
What do you think is the preferred reading of this text?
Why was it removed after Pistorius was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend? (i.e. what
other readings were possible after this event?)
With reference to your own detailed
examples, explore the representation
of disability in the media today.
How to answer this question:
•
•
Use 2-3 specific examples of how media texts represent the given group and
analyse them in detail
Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of representation. Think about:
– The role of selection, construction and anchorage in creating the representations
– How the media uses representations
– The points of view, messages and values present in the representations
•
•
•
Make sure you anchor your examples in terms of context (are they typical or nontypical; how do they relate to other examples?) and purpose (why are they
constructed in this way?)
Try to take your analysis of your examples beyond a simple consideration of
positive and negative: think about issues and debates surrounding your examples
Use contemporary examples (“in the media today”)
Use the grid on your sheet to help you plan your answer.