Justin Orndorff
Soc 360
Social Deviance
Film review #2
“Murderball”
The
thesis of Murderball disrupts many stereotypes
society has about people with disabilities. Society looks at the disabled as weak and feeble, Murderball contradicts their
perceptions on what a quadriplegic can actually achieve. Murderball attempts to
humanize societies view on the disabled and opposes their views and labels
regarding the disabled community. What
can be done about our perceptions of the disabled? I believe the answer lies in Evidence-based
practices. Evidence-based practices utilize an assortment of research
methods involved with their treatment programs. These research methods include; contingency
management, motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavioral therapy. (Glasner-Edwards,
Richard Rawson 1).
As
I watched Murderball I thought about how society views someone born disabled
meaning they were “ascribed” a disability at birth, or someone who “achieved”
their disability as their master status?
Mark Zupan an “achieved” quadriplegic got drunk at a party and passed
out in the back of his best friend’s truck.
Mark was later thrown from out of the truck after his best friend who
was also drunk got into the truck and crashed the truck leaving Mark a quadriplegic. So in this scenario, Mark Zupan achieved his master
status of being disabled by making a choice.
Do social constructions judge the disabled population in different
spectrums such as, “ascribed” being born disabled, or do they judge them
differently when their disability is “achieved” becoming disabled by a choice
made regardless if the disabled new the outcome of the decision?
Society brands and labels the
disabled as helpless and vulnerable.
Society also assumes that everyone in a wheelchair could walk if they
wanted to. This statement isn’t
necessarily true for some disabled. Society
values able bodies over disabled bodies.
Why? Murderball challenges
society’s assumptions about being disabled.
Murderball shows in detail just how the disabled are able to drive cars,
have sex, have jobs, and of course play sports.
So why consider them deviant and if so how can we change this
perception?
The main idea behind the film
Murderball is how we as a society label or brand the disabled. The norms society has about the disabled are
due to the concept of social internalization.
Social internalization is a set of norms that are pre-determined by
society which are significant to that particular individual being labeled or
branded as disabled. Steven J. Taylor
states “from a sociological or anthropological perspective, disability can be
viewed as a social construct.” From Taylor
Internalized ableism is defined as discrimination or prejudice against individuals with
disabilities. (Merriam-Webster
Dictionary 2). The arguments I found to be most convincing
were the fact that all the disabled in the film could do day to day
activities. They could drive cars, have
sex, play sports, and have jobs. The
name itself “Murderball” supports the entire idea about how the disabled can
accomplish anything.
I’d
like to study and how society views “ascribed”
disabled versus an “achieved” disabled.
Why would someone brand or label an “achieved” disabled person or an
“ascribed” disabled person differently.
Just because someone becomes disabled via an “achieved” status why would
society judge them differently or more harshly then someone born with their
disability via an “ascribed” status of disability? Evidence-based practices could be a possible
means to understanding society’s bias about the disabled and why there seen as
deviant. Evidence-based practices
are derived from Evidence-based medicine and focuses on treatment
effectiveness, aid in constancy, institute responsibility of health service
providers, help decrease societies views of the disabled. treatment and
increase the general quality of treatment. (Glasner-Edwards, Richard Rawson 1).
Train the
providers to utilize evidence-based skills using conventional methods. Data suggests that supervision and criticism
enhances a providers post-training ability, compared to providers who receive
their skills training through a workshop or class without feedback or
supervision. There needs to be more
access to informational training methods that providers can utilize in order to
implement Evidence-based practices and enhance the provider’s exposure to
Evidence-based practices. (Glasner-Edwards, Richard Rawson 1).
I believe that by
incorporating Evidence-based practices into a clinical setting or educational
setting will enhance society’s view of the disabled. Possible outcomes could range from the
dehumanization, stigmatization, and fetishism people see and seek from the
disabled.
- Glasner-Edwards, Suzette.,
Rawson Richard. “Evidence-Based Practices in Addiction Treatment: Review
and Recommendations for Public Policy.” Health Policy. (2010):
October; 97(2-3): 93–104.
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 2012. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ableism>.
- Taylor, Steven J. Readings
in Deviant Behavior CH. 26 You’re Not a Retard, You’re just Wise.
Boston: Pearson, 2010.
