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’s standpoint it would be the same as if you were analyzing homosexuality or the mentally retarded; we as whole label and brand the disabled in the same way we do anyone that’s outside the norm. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2).

            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.

References

1. 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.
2. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. 2012.  Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ableism>.
3. Taylor, Steven J. Readings in Deviant Behavior CH. 26 You’re Not a Retard, You’re just Wise. Boston: Pearson, 2010.

           

             

Justin Orndorff

SOC 360

Film review #1

Middle Sexes

1. The thesis of “Middle Sexes” is how society perceives and determines the transgender life style.  Transgender has nothing to do with being gay or straight, it’s about how a person or transgender person wants to live their life.  Biology creates sexual diversity.  Biology gives birth to children born everyday with both sexual organs.  As I watched Middle Sexes it bothered me when they described how an Army soldier was beaten to death because he was dating transgender women.  
2.  Transgender is described as a transsexual or transvestite who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to the person's sex at birth. (1)  The film Middle Sexes discusses transgender as the brain not developing along with the sex organs.  The main arguments that support the thesis would be the death of the soldier, the two young men that killed Gwen and the way young Noah is treated by peers. Gwen was beaten, strangled and her head smashed in so bad that her face was undeniable. Society perceives transgender as deviant.  Noah the young boy who lives in the Midwest and is very feminine and enjoys playing with dolls and wearing girl’s clothes is ridiculed as and asked repeatedly if he is a boy or a girl or gay or straight.  Even Noah’s dad states “I hope when his hormones kick in that he’ll change and start acting more like a young boy should.”  (1) (2)
3. This film relates significantly to this course by just the subject of transgender.  Transgender itself is seen as deviant or a deviant lifestyle hence the course entitled Social Deviance.  But being born with both sexes termed “Intersex” isn’t deemed as deviant as being transgender because it’s more biological related and something that is considered ascribed meaning you were born this way while transgender is something achieved meaning it’s a personal choice seen as a more deviant act in societies eyes.   
4. What I found most convincing of the film Middle Sexes was the devotion of the Hindu women who sacrificed her male genital organs.  This Hindu women’s mother, father, and family was beaten and thrown out of her home because her parents believed that her transition would bring shame upon their family.  This Hindu women graduated College but had only two choices prostitution or begging and she choose prostitution over begging.  That’s how important it was to this Hindu woman to be who she knew she had to be, a transgender.  This entailed losing her family and a life of prostitution.     
5. What I found least convincing of the film Middle Sexes were the laws set by the British government in pre-colonial times of life in prison with homosexual acts with a transgender person.  In a way it demonstrates just how far society has come since those times.
6. As I watched Middle Sexes I reflected on the notion why would a transgender woman get breast augmentation, Adams apple augmentation, facial reconstruction, and other body modifications but keep their male penis?  Why not get the complete sex change surgery and have the penis removed?  I would enjoy finding empirical data on this subject, and interviewing transgenders who have not fully committed to the full sex change operation.

(1)   http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transgender Feb 2012

(2)   Thio, Alex, Thomas C. Calhoun, and Addrain Conyers. Readings in Deviant Behavior. 6th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2010. Print.