The Inbetweeners- disablity in media (clip)

The inbetweeners- disability in media clip

Why is the clip funny?

This clip is funny because Will (the main male character) offends two women, one of them being disabled, however he doesn’t mean to, and is blamed for stealing her property and chased by a group of angry men even though he is innocent. This is funny because he is a well-spoken young person and his reaction to certain situations makes the audiences empathize with him but also find it comical

•How is the disabled girl being represented?

She is represented as someone who is pitiable as she seems to be very shy but also to have a disability that makes her mentality appear much less mature than anyone else. In this particular clip she is seen as laughable and people find her reactions to situations funny as she does not seem to realize what she is doing. The fact that she is in a wheelchair makes the audience see her as someone who cannot participate in normal everyday tasks and may even look inferior to able bodied people.

•Are we meant to laugh at the disabled person?

It depends on different members of the audience’s perspective. We are mainly laughing at the main character Will because he seems unsure of what to do in the clip and is in a situation of embarrassment which is usually seen as humorous. Some people would be laughing at the disabled woman, not to necessarily be cruel but because the scene is make funnier as her reaction is the opposite of how the main character would have wanted it to be which again makes it difficult for him.

•Are they the 'butt' of the joke?

The joke is generally played on the main character Will but you could look at it in the perspective that this situation would not have occurred in the first place without the reaction of the disabled woman.

•How do you think disabled people respond to this?

I think disabled people could be offended as it gives the impression that all disabled people are unruly and can be the cause of arguments and embarrassment among people. Some other disabled people watching this clip could see it as harmless fun and not be affected by the stereotype that it gives off.

•Are we as a society cultivated to think we should pity the disabled?

I think as a general society we do pity the disabled, however a lot of the time this is not done in a patronizing way but more sympathy that many disabled people cannot help the way they are. This is not to say that disabled people are treated totally differently this can be shown through the use of disabled sports in the Olympics and the huge success stories of how people have overcame disability stereotyping and are making differences to how disabled people are portrayed throughout the world.