Caity Healy | Managing Editor
The other week, I was binge-watching the second season of Netflix’s “You.” Part way into the season, they introduced a d/Deaf/Hard-of-hearing character — it’s not obvious how he identifies, which is why I use both forms of the letter “D” as well as “hard-of-hearing” — as the late husband of a main character.
I could write a whole other piece about the way that the other characters addressed the d/Deaf character, but that’s not the point I’m making today; rather, I want to focus on how viewers addressed this character, and characters alike.
When I sat down to watch the episode, I had a friend with me. Afterwards, they said something along the lines of, “the problem with having so many d/Deaf characters is that it just isn’t realistic. It throws off the balance.” My reaction? That’s absolutely ridiculous.
To be clear, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard someone say something along these lines. I’ve heard it regarding disabled folks in TV/film, LGBTQ+ in TV/film and I’ve heard it about other minority or other-identifying groups. I’ve heard people say that it bothers them how unrealistic the “overrepresentation” is, and it leaves me with a few questions: is it really overrepresentation or throwing off the balance? Also, in most cases, does it really matter how “realistic” a film or TV show is? Finally, is it really the “accuracy” of the representation that bothers you, or is it internalized bias?
Let’s start with the question of whether it is or is not realistic. According to cdc.gov, 61 million adults in the U.S. have a disability — roughly 1 in 4. So, in order for media to be “accurate,” 1 in 4 characters would need to have a disability. Of course, not all disability is visible. But that’s what’s important — representing folks who identify with all different kinds of disabilities.
Now let’s answer question two: if realism is really important or not. Unless you’re watching a documentary, or watching a historically-based program, I would argue that it doesn’t matter. We can’t pick and choose when realism is important or not. If it doesn’t bother you that an impossible plot is occurring, it shouldn’t bother you that there is a larger number of minority characters, which brings me to my final point.
Self-reflection is an important practice. If you are bothered by something like this, you might want to ask yourself why. If you can’t whole-heartedly say that it is due to the fact that you find it unrealistic, then it probably has something to do with your internalized bias against folks who identify in ways that you might not. We all have our biases, and if you aren’t reflecting on them, you’ll only perpetuate them.
A change in perspective could do viewers a lot of good if they find themselves upset by this representation in media. The only way to normalize representing the underrepresented, is to simply give them screen time — played by actors who actually identify with their character’s identities. It’s time to become comfortable with the fact that these folks deserve the roles they’re earning. It’s time to realize that these characters are here to stay, and they’re just going to keep coming.
Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu
