It’s 2015, people. Time to leave behind the ableist storytelling shortcut that injury / disability = ‘evil’ / ‘wicked.’ Examples of this include the character "Scar" in "The Lion King"; the bad guy in "The Sting," who walks with a limp; Dr. Strangelove; Captain Hook; the bad guy in "Casino Royale," with a glass eye, and on and on and on.
Filmmaker’s and storytellers do this because it has traditionally been a powerful way to ‘establish character’ in milliseconds. It’s now time to do better, and establish character through ACTIONS, not injury / disability.
On a related note, there’s a lot of looks-ism (aka lookism) in how looks and attractiveness are used to signify good / bad character. Time to kick that shit to the curb as well.
About Drew Dellinger
Drew Dellinger, Ph.D., is an internationally known speaker, poet, writer, and teacher whose keynotes and poetry performances—which address ecology, justice, cosmology, and connectedness—have inspired minds and hearts around the world. He is also a consultant, filmmaker, and founder of Planetize the Movement.
Dellinger has presented at over 1400 events across the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. He has spoken and performed at numerous conferences—including TEDWomen, Bioneers, the Green Festival, the Dream Reborn, and the Parliament of the World’s Religions—as well as colleges and universities, poetry venues, protests, and places of worship.
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