[Visual description: Photo of the prosthetic arm showing the woman's back and shoulder to which it is attached. From the shoulder area to the elbow the metal pieces and wiring is visible and from the elbow to the hand there is a plastic overlay that is flesh colored and ends in a hand.]
I just finished watching NBC coverage of a piece about a woman who lost her arm in a motorcycle accident and received a prosthetic arm.
The piece opened up with cheap clips from movies about "bionic" characters - man versus machine comments and science fiction versus fact kept flashing across the screen.
Then they switched to an interview by Matt Lauer of the woman with the prosthetic arm and her doctor. The woman demonstrated the use of the arm. She was well spoken and intelligent.
During the interview, Matt Lauer kept trying to steer the doctor away from discussing how the arm worked to the use of this technology in more sensational ways. Luckily the doctor steered the discussion back to the use of this technology to help those who've lost limbs and refused to cater to the sensational approach the show was using. (The woman with the prosthetic arm was standing right there and she did a fabulous job of explaining how it worked. She conducted herself with a great deal of dignity and did not thwap anyone on the head).
I can just imagine amputees wanting to just come forward now if the introduction is going to be bionic man- bionic woman - NOT. What about a teen amputee watching this in hopes of getting such an arm? What's going through his or her mind seeing this type of coverage?
It reminded me of a carnival sideshow - just updated.
3 comments:
That's disgusting. It's time we speak up when someone with a disability gets portrayed like that. The line between being a machine and a human being is clear. No one should even imply that one equates the other.
As a college professor, I read your blog often and it's opening my mind to some of my prejudices about disabled people.
I myself don't have any disabilities and don't know many people who do, but I find it aweful that people with disabilities could be portrayed in such a light. Granted, I'm sure it wasn't MEANT to be mean. "Bionic" is probably honestly the first word that comes to mind when many people may view this woman's arm, but unfortunatly there are connotations with that word that don't fit, since she is obviously human.
I actually found this blog through the image of the woman and her arm in google images while searching for drawing references, and my first thought when I came across this image was actually "Amazing!"
I thought it was a composed peice of art, at first.
I can hardly believe that this is true, really. She's a work of art-something completley new.
It's beautiful.
I guess, really, I have the hope that if that can be my true first opinion, there are many others that feel the same way--not that she's a human turned machine, but that she's a human with something beautiful-And that she represents a step forward in things to come, help to come, for people such as herself. Or for everyone.
I saw this show. I really like your comment and I agree that it's awful to portray her in this light. I do disagree with what you said that it wasn't meant to be mean. I don't think they cared how she felt which is just as bad. It was stupid and irresponsible of them.
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