Introduction
Several movies have been produced featuring visually impaired characters. Each of them has a different representation of the concept of visual impairment. Some movies represent blindness as a curse that cripples the lives of victims. In other movies, it is depicted as a source of inspiration and strength that fosters great achievements.
In such movies, victims utilize other body senses to compensate for lack of eyesight. Anchorman 2 and Daredevil are examples of movies that have visually impaired characters whose challenges are explored differently. In Daredevil, blindness is depicted as a source of power, courage, and unlimited strength.
It is explored from a positive perspective. In Anchorman 2, blindness is depicted as a source of weakness, confusion, and helplessness. Visual impairment is explored from a negative perspective. In addition, it is presented as a temporary condition that can be corrected using certain medical procedures. It is imperative for the media to sympathize with visually impaired people and as such support them in their endeavors by creating public awareness regarding the challenges they face.
Daredevil
In the movie Daredevil, the concept of blindness is explored from a positive and empowering perspective. The main actor is Ben Affleck who acts as a visually impaired lawyer, Matt Murdock. Despite his blindness, Murdock plays two roles that prove that disability is not inability. First, he plays the role of a courageous lawyer who is determined to bring justice to victims of injustice. Second, he plays the role of a vigilante superhero who is determined to fight and eradicate crime in his town.
Murdock runs a law firm with his friend Nelson who shoulders the responsibility of defending the rights of innocent people. The film starts by exploring the source of Matt’s blindness. One day while returning home from school, Matt decides to take a shortcut route after discovering that his father had joined a local gangster group that had been terrorizing residents in their community for a long time. Unfortunately, someone spills toxic waste on his face leading to loss of his eyesight.
Matt’s life takes a positive turn when he acquires the ability to interpret sonic vibrations. In addition, his other body senses become more powerful, thus compensating for his lost sight. Despite going blind, Matt uses his super powerful senses to learn martial arts. His father is remorseful because of the role he played in the loss of his vision.
For that reason, he quits the gang and resumes professional boxing. He is later killed by the gang for ignoring their orders. In anguish, Matt decides to avenge his father’s murder by destroying the gang. He becomes the “daredevil” that fights crime in his community by awarding justice to innocent people.
Matt’s fight against crime nearly gets him killed after he meets Elektra. He receives information that Bullseye was planning to murder Elektra and decides to stop him. Unfortunately, she is murdered. Matt’s powerful senses and supernatural powers enable him to face Bullseye and his employer, Fisk.
Matt spares Fisk even though he had murdered his father. There is a hilarious scene when Matt makes fun of Fisk for conceding to a blind man. The movie illustrates the idea that blindness is neither a curse nor a crippling weakness. Though blind, Matt is presented as a compassionate, courageous, powerful, strong, and determined person.
His blindness offers inspiration and peace for the residents of his community through his fight against crime. The film presents blindness as a source superhuman powers that help Matt to fight crime and award justice to innocent people. In addition, it portrays blindness positively unlike in contemporary society where visually impaired people are ridiculed and shunned.
Anchorman 2
The movie Anchorman 2 explores the theme of blindness from a negative perspective. The film stars Ron and Veronica who are employees of a media house in New York City. A disagreement ensues between them after Mack (a senior employee at the media house) announces that he would retire and relinquish his duties Veronica. He attributes his decision to choose Veronica and not Ron to Ron’s carelessness.
Ron and Veronica go separate ways after he storms out of their matrimonial house and disappears. He becomes depressed and faces numerous challenges especially with performance at work. After a long period of searching for a job without success, Ron secures a job at Global News Network (GNN) where his creativity helps him to create a show that attracts the attention of leading media personalities. In a short span of time, he revamps his career and achieves great feats.
His show’s high ratings lead to a job promotion that brings him fame and fortune. One day, during an occasion to celebrate the GNN’s achievements, Ron trips, suffers brain damage, and loses his sight. The film depicts blindness as a condition that causes confusion, loss of awareness, and helplessness. After Ron goes blind, he later undergoes a medical procedure that restores his sight. However, this happens after spending a few weeks in seclusion.
The film has several scenes that make fun of blindness. For instance, there is a scene where Ron tries to drive away even though he is blind. After crushing, he calls for help after coming back to his senses and realizing that he is blind. This scene depicts blindness as a deadly condition that leads to inanity and lack of self awareness.
Further ridicule is made through the portrayal of his living space. Ron uses his dishwasher as a fireplace and has everything in the house inverted. His friends ridicule him after he complains about using a lobster to brush his teeth. He is depicted as helpless, confused, senseless, and absurd. His friends do not sympathize with him.
The two cases of blindness in both movies are of two natures. Matt’s blindness results from an act of crime committed against him. His blindness afflicts him in his childhood and helps him to acquire supernatural powers that compensate for his eyesight loss. On the other hand, Ron’s blindness is as a result of an accident that leads to loss of eyesight. His blindness is temporary and a source of pain and suffering.
Reflection
Visual impairment is depicted in both positive and negative perspectives in the media. Many movies, advertisements, magazines, and other media platforms understand the challenges that visually impaired people face. Therefore, they present positive images of blindness in order to encourage people to support and embrace visually impaired people.
Several media platforms help viewers to sympathize with blind people by exploring the numerous challenges they face in their daily lives and ways in which people can help them to overcome their challenges. In contrast, media platforms that present negative images of visual impairment ridicule, embarrass, and disparage blind people.
They depict blindness as a disability that cripples its victims and renders them helpless, senseless, and hopeless. Organizations that advocate for the rights of visually impaired people emphasize the fact that disability is not inability. It is unethical to discriminate, mistreat, and ridicule blind people based on the fact that they lack eyesight. History is laden with stories of visually impaired individuals who overcame their predicaments to achieve great feats that people with eyesight failed to achieve.
Conclusion
The representation of blindness in the media is both empowering and disparaging. Certain movies explore blindness from a negative perspective while others explore it from a positive perspective. Movies with visually impaired characters depict blindness differently. In Daredevil, blindness is presented a source of power, courage, and strength that enables Matt to help people in his town by fighting crime.
It demonstrates that blindness is not a good enough reason for an individual to live a helpless and hopeless life. Even blind people can live a normal life and achieve great things. In Anchorman 2, blindness is depicted as a source of helplessness, ridicule, and confusion. It shows that blindness cripples victims and stops them from living happy lives like other people do. In addition, it depicts blind people as burdened by a condition that prevents them from achieving what people with eyesight achieve.
The film compares visual impairment to disability. It is unethical for the media to disparage visually impaired people because many of them have proven that lack of eyesight is not a barrier to living a great life. The media should support them and sensitize the public regarding the numerous challenges that they encounter in their lives.