The National Federation for The Blind takes offense at the portrayal of blind people in the upcoming thriller Blindness, starring Julianne Moore and Marc Ruffalo. Blindness portrays a breakdown in society after a virus starts wiping out everyone’s vision, turning them into savages who compete for meager resources. Blind people think it’s outrageous that they’re portrayed so negatively and plan a protest of the film, which is out in limited release in the US this Friday, October 3.
Blind people quarantined in a mental asylum, attacking each other, soiling themselves, trading sex for food. For Marc Maurer, who’s blind, such a scenario _ as shown in the movie “Blindness” _ is not a clever allegory for a breakdown in society.
Instead, it’s an offensive and chilling depiction that Maurer fears could undermine efforts to integrate blind people into the mainstream.
“The movie portrays blind people as monsters, and I believe it to be a lie,” said Maurer, president of the Baltimore-based National Federation of the Blind. “Blindness doesn’t turn decent people into monsters.”
The organization plans to protest the movie, released by Miramax Films, at 75 theaters around the country when it’s released Friday. Blind people and their allies will hand out fliers and carry signs. Among the slogans: “I’m not an actor. But I play a blind person in real life.”
The movie reinforces inaccurate stereotypes, including that the blind cannot care for themselves and are perpetually disoriented, according to the NFB.
“We face a 70 percent unemployment rate and other social problems because people don’t think we can do anything, and this movie is not going to help _ at all,” said Christopher Danielsen, a spokesman for the organization.
[AP via Huffington Post]
Seven staff members of the National Federation for The Blind, including three people who are not blind, attended a screening of the film last week. They’re not simply responding to the trailers and have a legitimate beef with the film.
The film was not received well at Cannes, with the jury giving it a 1.3 average out of 4. Blindness has a 41% aggregate critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it seems like people either love it or hate it. It’s criticized as being too self-important and negative in tone. The film also features Danny Glover and Gael Garcia Bernal.
Here are two trailers.
Thanks to AllMoviePhoto for these pictures.
Well, it’s not like they can *see* the film…
Sorry, bad taste.
However, this has been done before to a degree in John Wyndam’s ‘Triffids’, and feels a bit knee-jerk reactionary in the same way that protests to ‘Tropic Thunder’ were.
Uh, it’s about a fictional viral conspiracy, not ‘real’ blindness, hello…..
Oi National Federation for the Blind… lay off Julianne Moore and Gael Garcia Bernal otherwise I shall have to shake my fist at you as an impotent gesture! 👿
It sounds a bit Children of Men-like (only in this case it’s an infertility epidemic that’s sweeping the globe leading to a complete breakdown in society) which Julianne was also excellent in.
BUT seriously, if people with disabilies want to be seen as anything other than “disabled people”, then moaning that they’re being treated like any other grouping on celluloid (Brits are evil, Irish are drunk etc etc) is not going to help their cause.
People who are going to see this film and think that all blind people are one step away from being feral are the same gang of idiots that think that all Germans are Nazi sympathisers and all Jews are creating a New World Order and mega-rich. They’re going to remain idiots no matter what and no amount of storylines of blind people playing plucky heroes is going to make a bit of difference.
I know the most evil thing you can do nowadays is “hurt someone’s feelings”, but for feck sake, if you want equality and parity in all aspects of life then you’ll just have to accept the bad with the good. Like the rest of us.
*headesk*
This doesn’t even deserve a comment.
I can’t wait for the movie though. Love Ruffalo, love Meirelles and love the book.
I Think the move is more than blindness…..It is about survive, and human dignity.
It is based on the novel of Jose Saramago, that is the Nobel winner of literature.
I had the same thought as Dante… it’s about a virus, I would assume that the virus would cause them to be savage monsters. Sometimes I think people take movies way too seriously. 😐
It’s a movie. Pan it if it’s rubbish but not because some blind people are dumb enough to feel it misrepresents them. 🙄
This is possibly the worst ‘complaint’ against a work of fiction I’ve seen in recent years… another sign of rights groups getting off on the excesses of our politically correct obsessed society.
The head of the NFB says the films portrays blind people “as incompetent, filthy, vicious, and depraved”… in my book, this is just the kind of reaction you’d expect if suddenly every sighted person went blind en-masse through a mysterious virus.
We’re not talking birth defects, cataracts, eye injuries, etc, here! If the film represented real world blindness and its psychological impact, then maybe, just maybe they’d have cause to complain.
I was wondering if I would be alone in thinking this was ridiculous….obviously, I was slightly relieved to see others thought this was the most absurd protest. They are not representing a blind person or two, they are showing what people need to do to survive.
Sometimes…some people just get off on being offended.
You said it, aspen.
We’re so busy trying to be politically correct that we don’t enjoy anything any more. No matter what you do, you offend someone. It’s a freaking movie. Write bad reviews if you want, picket it if you want, but the movie doesn’t seem to actually be about blindness, more about survival and courage. Actually it sounds like something I don’t have the faintest interest in seeing. That doesn’t, however, mean I am anti-blind. Or anti-survival and courage.
they cant watch it anyway.
but really, if everyone was blind, mass chaos would ensue. just like if everyone was deaf, or lost all their fingers. i mean come on.
handicapable my ass.
Agree that this is a major overreaction.
The blind misleading the blind.
Well, I’m a red head and I’m going to sue South Park for that episode they had about gingers, because it portrayed redheads as monsters. 🙄
LOL… *one step closer to my celebitchy addiction being discovered at work by loudly laugh-snorting as I was drinking my tea after reading geronimo’s comment.
Funny how you all are so quick to defend a movie that you haven’t seen. Funny how you assume that the protesters are simply complaining to complain. Tell me, how would you feel if the “metaphor” in the movie was that everyone’s skin turned darker? Would that be acceptable?
Political correctness aside (Lord knows I am not a fan of PC), the bottom line is that the general public fears blindness as they fear cancer, and this movie plays on that fear by potraying the blind characters in some very demeaning, helpless, evil and tragic ways. While I understand that this movie portrays people who experience sudden blindness, it’s portrayal of those blind people is completely absurd and offensive. For example, if you went blind tomorrow, would you suddenly forget how to put your pants on? Would you forget where your butt is in order to wipe it? Ridiculous right? Of course nobody would actually believe that right?
Wrong. People will believe it. Ask any blind person and they’ll tell you that they’ve been asked how they get dressed in the morning. I’m certain, though you may not admit it, that some of you have wondered the same thing. Yet you’ve probably dressed in the dark many, many times.
So people will believe the depiction of the blind in the movie. And it will increase their fear of blindness. It will make them believe that the blind are to be pitied. It will make them believe that the blind are less capable. It will make them believe that blindness is a tragedy beyond anything else. And that will do nothing to help the blind of this nation. It will do harm, so it is time to stand up and say, “this is not right, and I will make my voice heard.”
So I support the protests. I may find out if there are any planned in my city.
Sarah32: I disagree. I don’t think “the general public fears blindness as it fears cancer”. This is being prejudiced against people that are not blind.
As to your sentence about people suddenly turning blind not forgetting how to put on pants, you have no argument there. I’ve seen the movie in a press screening and itis a bit like zombie movies: the virus is the reason for the predicament the population is suddenly in. It’s not something that can be helped. This is a movie, a story, fiction and it does not in any way portray the reality of someone who has suddenly turned blind. And certainly not the reality of someone who has been blind for a long time. Additionally, if you think about it, wouldn’t you be a bit aggressive and impatient and upset at suddenly turning blind? Even if you still know where your butt is, you wouldn’t like being blind and never again being able to check if it looks good in those pants or not.
But any jokes aside, I think it’s also dangerous to say “people will believe this is how the blind are”. Let’s not make people stupider than they are. I daresay most of us can tell the difference between a movie and reality, something those Federation for the Blind people have chosen to ignore, for whatever reasons. And these reasons do seem flimsy.
As for the whole “any blind person has been asked how they get dressed” etc, I don’t get why you bring that up or how it supports your argument but I would like to point this out: I have a friend who is blind and she welcomes questions like this. She thinks her disability can also be an asset and she likes it when people directly ask her questions about her blindness that intrigue them. Instead of making assumptions behind her back and not wanting to educate themselves. And she’s definitely not one to be pitied.
So really, I think you actually make the blind appear weaker by feeling the need to defend them like this, with these unsubstantial arguments. As to that Federation, I think they should pick their battles a lot better.
Sarah32,
Only an idiot would think those things about blind people. “How do you get dressed?” That’s about the dumbest question ever. Anyone who would ask an oblivious question like that is an obvious moron. There are morons everywhere, but luckily they are not the majority. It’s sad that anyone with a disability or disease has to put up with that kind of ignorance, but at least it’s probably few and far between.
Of course people fear becoming blind, just like they fear getting any other disability or disease. Who WOULDN’T be afraid of that? That doesn’t mean that we go around discriminating against people that DO have those things. Only idiots would do that.
Like others have said, it’s a movie about EVERYONE going blind at once. So, yeah, I DO think there would be panic and chaos. People probably would be able to function ok in familiar surroundings if they suddenly went blind, but what happens when they have to walk out the door, and they’ve never had to do that sightless before? There would be confusion and panic, until each person figured out how to get around without sight.
I’m going to protest the federation for blind people for assuming that I’m ignorant and that I would judge them & treat them badly because of a stupid movie. How do you like that? 🙄
I have a blind friend and was talking to him about this and he said:
“How will they know they are at the right theater”
Funny guy….
curious as to why didn’t they protest the book too? in any case, the whole point of the plot (of the book, anyway) is that the blindness is a conspiracy. and the blindness is also a metaphor. they certainly have a right to protest it,but i don’t think that anyone with half a brain is going to think that all blind people are monsters. anyone that stupid won’t be seeing a film like this anyway, they’ll be waiting for the lastest slasher movie. if you don’t want to see it, don’t. it’s pretty simple.
I’m so happy I’m not the only one who thought the complaint was ridiculous.
I could rant about the difference between the blindness depicted in the movie and the effects of blindness in everyday situations with everyday people, but it’s probably pointless.
Amen, Mairead.
Also, I doubt the morons who take a HORROR/SUSPENSE film as face value FACT have anything to do with hiring anybody else.
*Until such a time as this film is released, protests around my copy of the Children of Men as it portrays infertile people as xenophobic cretins, f***ing rocks at trains when they’re well into their 20s, planting bombs, making mincemeat out of schools and generally being mean to Michael Caine*
If that film has taught me anything it’s that IVF clinics are the breeding ground of the Apocalypse 👿
Down with this sort of thing….
Careful now!
To answer Sarah32’s question, personally it wouldn’t bother me if the pretext was if everyone went deaf, turned black or had an insatiable urge to play the bagpipes, as it seems to me to be about something that’s out of the realm of the ordinary suddenly turning the world on its head, stopping life from going on as it ordinarily would.
Perhaps when I see it i will think it has gone overboard and is actually a bit offensive, but at the moment it does seem like overkill to me.
Well, I guess the book was never published in braille for them to bitch and complain about it.
I guess it’s reassuring that blind people can be dumb fucks too.
If you look up statistics regarding what people fear, blindness is indeed ranked up there with cancer–it’s not discrimination, it’s the way epople think. It IS what they fear.
I understand that the concept is what if soemthing happened to turn the world on it’s head, but the dipiction of the blind feeds on people’s fear surrounding blindness. And many of you give the general public too much credit. The fact is that many blind people will answer stupid questions with grace and patience, but the fact that they are asked these questions points to the ignorance of the general public.
Finally, I imagine that the book does a better job (which, BTW, the NFB did condemn the book) of making blindness a metaphor. This doesn’t really come across in the movie (I too saw a press screening of the film). Would I be upset if I suddenly went blind? Yes. Would I know exactly how to do everything I did when I was sighted? No. Would I be able to find the bathroom and dress myself? You bet I would.
The movie plays on people’s fears and misconceptions regarding blindness. Period. And that is deplorable and offensive.
Also, the general public wouldn’t bother with commenting much on this, so I think we are safe in assuming that the people reading and posting here know the difference between fact and reality and would likely not believe that this is how the blind live. However, many, many others will. Which is why there needs to be greater information and public education about the blind, something this protest will serve to do.
…And the One-Eyed Man *is* king.
Whoops. Was that a spoiler?
To the National Federation of the Blind: have you ever *heard* of a metaphor? To Sarah32: how dare you suppose people are all sheep, unable to understand the message behind a movie and only able to take it literally?
Well said, Rosanna. Thank you!
To Kaiser: No.
To Rosanna: Have you seen it? It’s not portrayed effectively as a metaphor. And how do I dare suppose people are sheep without the capacity to understand that blind people don’t really live like that? Because most people are sheep without much intellectual capacity.
Don’t much like that stereotype, do you? I suppose you can now understand where the NFB is coming from, can’t you?
Stereotypes are stereotypes, whether they are cloaked as “art” or not.
Sarah: Yes. 😆
The one-eyed man is not the king.
Oops, now did I spoil it? 😉 I do like Danny Glover though…
“Also, the general public wouldn’t bother with commenting much on this, so I think we are safe in assuming that the people reading and posting here know the difference between fact and reality “
I take it you don’t visit the Angelina threads all that often Sarah 😉 😆
If this was a film which was setting out to be a definitive film on blindness I would agree that extreme care must be taken in how the story is told – as it stands it still just sounds like another one of a virus-apocalypse film, like 28 Days Later or Children of Men which all have huuuuge holes in the basic pretext of the plot.
I don’t agree with demonising a whole section of society just for entertainment, but nor do I agree with being offended because it’s not wholly complementary.
But by protesting, the film gets more publicity, and more people will see it.
This organization should have just sent out a bitchy press release and left it at that. The film is already getting horrible reviews – no one wants to see it, but now people will see it because they know it caused some controversy.
That’s what I was saying in silly joke form. Sorry if I offended anyone.
Mairead: lol, no I don’t. And, you are right in that is is an apocalypse-type film. It just wasn’t good, but I can understand the position of the NFB in protesting it, because it was full of stereotypes that the uninformed will take to be true.
Kaiser: That is the catch-22 for the protesters. They want to educate, but it will be at the expense of bringing publicity to the movie. And it got terrible reviews because it’s a teriible movie. On many levels.
Ok Sarah – it’s bad. But how bad is bad? Is it Lionel Ritchie “Hello” bad? 😯
Oh, and keep an eye on the latest Brad film thread. I’ve not read it yet, but doubtless him not showing up has something to do with Angelina plotting to feature in every single article in every single newspaper 😆
I have no idea if this will be a good movie or not, although it seems to be leaning into the not category. However, isn’t it a movie in which people who HAVE been able to see all of their life suddenly go blind? Wouldn’t that lead to panic, in masses, which usually leads to public hysteria? And since they didn’t know the blindness was coming, wouldn’t they be wigging out just thinking about what else might befall them?
Just saying. It’s not just about people who have problems with sight.
Silly protest; silly people.
Sarah32: You’d be upset about suddenly going blind but you’d still be able to dress yourself as I’m sure everyone would be. However, what would happen if most of the world went blind all of a sudden?
I doubt everyone would calmly wander around doing what they normally did. What would a construction worker do? A painter? A writer? Wouldn’t you be depressed if you couldn’t see all of a sudden?
Probably panic would happen to some extent, but the bigger issue is the stereotypes raised in the movie. Would I be upset? Sure. Would I walk around naked or need someone to help me dress and wipe my butt? Hell no. Would I deficate in the halls? Of course not.
But the movie implies that these things are happening, not because of panic or breakdown in social order, but because these people are now helpless because they are blind. The implication in the movie is that they can no longer dress themselves or wipe thier butts because they are blind (I don’t know about any of you, but I generally do not look at my butt while I’m wiping it). It implies that they deficate in the hallways because they can’t find the bathroom. That’s the problem. So I can understand the objection to the movie by the blind community. I wish them well in their protest. Hopefully, they can make some headway in educating the public about actual blindness.
Mairead: LOL, I bet Angelina is plotting something… BTW, the movie? It’s pretty darn bad… lol
I think if you think a film like this is about anything other than…panic and fear and societies flaws and how close WE ALL are to being feral and mad, then you dont deserve to have an opinion.
I have no idea if I’ll see this film, i like Mark Ruffalo, but find Moore bland and a bit dull, and if, as some one has said, this is similar to Children of Men, then I wont see it as i probably wont find it interesting or compelling.
But i AM sick of people bitching about films because of their depiction of *insert differently abled type here*
As…some one, sorry, above said, the easiest way to integrate in society is to not take offence where there is no offence to be taken.
I do not mean, sit down and take it while some one actually pointedly makes fun of you and abuses you, for being Other.
I mean…well hell its obvious what i mean. People complained about Simple…what ever his name was in Tropic Thunder, saying it was a dig at the mentaly handicapped…did they SEE the film? It was a dig at actors, just like THE ENTIRE FILM.
This sounds like every Apocalypse based character study film ever, it isn’t saying THESE PEOPLE are evil or savage or monstrous, its saying WE are evil or savage or monstrous, its just a matter of what world shattering event will cause us to reveal that.
Oh Puh-lease!
I think that this is an over-reaction! Not sure exactly what the plot line will be, but it does seem like the blindness is also a metaphor and there will be a major part of the plot that looks at social issues and morality.
From the trailer it looked as though the movie explores the breakdown of society not the ‘evilness of blind people’.
There are plenty of other movies to protest for being offensive like Legally Blonde, The hottie and the Nottie…..and ummmmmm I forget
PacoBell: Love your name. 😀
There’s always some overly defensive whacko who gets all riled up about nothing. Its a ficticious FIL-UM ffs!
“Also, the general public wouldn’t bother with commenting much on this, so I think we are safe in assuming that the people reading and posting here know the difference between fact and reality.”
I refuse to comment on this thread because I am an ignorant slut who doesn’t understand the difference between a literary metaphor and reality. And the social-psychology behind the sudden and acute sensory deprivation of the masses, coupled with the corresponding mass hysteria and confusion, is far too much for my narrow little mind to comprehend.
Sarah…like I said…some people love being offended.
It’s a movie. It’s not a movie about blind people. It’s a movie about people infected with a virus who then become blind as one of the symptoms. In any case…let’s go with the idea that it shows blind people this way.
It’s a movie.
I’m Southern. If I sat around pissed off and indignant or loudly righteous every time a movie or talk show host or sitcom or–for that matter–your average Yank on the street made a joke out of my heritage or implied that I had less intelligence than a common dog because of my subcultured upbringing and the way I speak…I would die of apoplexy within a fortnight.
Seriously…let it go.
I have NEVER been “afraid” of blind people. I don’t fear the handicapped…nor do I feel any unfettered pity for them. I have my own crosses to bear. They have their own.
I find the best people are the ones who bear their crosses cheerfully and with a sense of humor and gratitude for the diversity of perspective we experience in this life.
Just to reinforce Anna’s comments against Sarah32…
The film portrays the SIGHTED – and not the registered blind – loosing their vision through a fictional affliction. There is a clear distinction.
I also don’t think there would be a problem with a sci-fi film where everyone’s skin turned darker, although I’m searching for a feasible plot for this… Faced with this reality I don’t think there would be hysteria, and certainly not a struggle in the way sudden blindness would represent – in fact many (including me) would welcome dark skin!
Jokes aside, I do find the NFB stance very displaced, and possibly damaging to the cause of blind people everywhere. There are far more fruitful means of highlighting your cause.
The movie still depicts them as being utterly helpless. As I said before, if you suddenly lost your sight–if EVERYONE suddenly lost their sight–don’t you think you’d still be able to dress? To bathe? To wipe your own butt? Regardless that these are sighted people who suddenly go blind, you don’t forget how to do that. And if blind people weren’t already faced with the misconceptions of the general public that they can’t do anything–like dress themselves– then the movie would probably cause less of a stir. However, the movie seems to reinformce those common stereotypes (and even if you may not believe the stereotypes, many people do). So I can see the point of trying to raise public awareness through a protest of the movie.
However, I wouldn’t spend the money to go see the movie, not because of the protest, but because it’s just bad. If you liked the book, I’d be shocked if you liked the movie. It’s not good. The themes are often lost in the movie, it moves slowly, it’s overly tragic–it’s just… not good.
Sarah32 – not meaning to be rude but post after post after post has spelled out in clear, precise, logical terms why your indignation is so misplaced here (and frankly insulting in your insinuations that sighted people are so ignorant and stupid.) You’ve made your point (over and over and over.) Can you not agree to disagree and let it go?
The movie sounds like a load of crap in any case so it’s a whole lot of defensive hot air over nothing.
That plotline sounds very similar to the Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham – don’t remember that being complained about…
Geronimo: You’re insulted that I made a generalization? Yet you defend a movie that makes generalization after generalization… hmmm. It’s not the concept of the movie that’s the problem. It’s the stereotypes that will be perpetuated. That’s why they are protesting.
You can protest me if you like for my generalizations based on my extensive experience with the general public, and not on what I’ve seen in the movies or heard on the streets…
Sarah32 – Not insulted, more impatient at your persistence. Are you actually taking in what people are saying here or are you on some unstoppable, self-appointed, one-woman mission to be the spokesperson for every blind person out there?
And how in the world did you interpret “The movie sounds like a load of crap” as a defence of the film??? 🙄
None so blind….
Am I on a one-woman mission? Nope. I’m simply someone who has seen the movie and understands the complaints of the protesters. Clearly you are not taking in what I’m saying. I understand that it’s a metaphor. What you don’t seem to understand is that the use of the metaphor is ineffective in the movie and the movie insteads plays on the stereotypes of blindness. Which would be offensive to the blind.
I get that people posting don’t understand the complaint. But most of you haven’t seen the movie either. It is offensive.
Even if you do see it as metaphor, I would think that it’s insulting to the blind that blindness itself is used as a metaphor for a lack of understanding and judgment. As it has in the past–perpetuated by the stereotypes of blindness.
I can see what they are saying. That’s all. Walk a mile…
Sarah – did you pay attention to the movie you supposedly pre-screened?
Your point: Blind people are very self sufficient and don’t go around pooping in hallways.
Movie’s point: VAST sections of the population go blind, leaving only a few people with sight to help them. What would happen?
Did it ever occur to you that the level of independence the modern blind person exhibits is directly connected to all the sighted people that make that independence possible? All those who train companion animals, all those who design blind-friendly products, the councilors who teach them to go about daily activities?
You act like every blind person managed to do everything themselves from day one – and that’s just not true. And frankly, it’s pretty insulting to all those who dedicate their lives to making the lives of the blind easier.
Now – try to actually get the point of the movie (I see that’s hard, since Geronimo has been very patient with you and still garnered no result) – what would happen if the majority was blind, and they didn’t have those resources to guide them?
Yes, a person who’s been blind for 20 years can probably find a bathroom in an unfamiliar place – but I couldn’t. I’d wager if I put a blindfold on you and dumped you in a random shopping mall, you would have trouble too. And ::gasp:: if you were looking unsuccessfully for a few hours and REALLY had to go, you might just use the hall too if you got frustrated.
These people who are suddenly blind have no frame of reference, and very few sighted people to help them learn the new skills they will need. Is it really that much of a stretch to assume they would go a little nuts? For crying out loud, people flip over cars and start fires when their soccer team loses! But they wouldn’t go a little nuts if suddenly most of us were blind?
Little advice – remove the stick and get some perspective. It’s a movie.
I wear glasses, do I get to be half pissed at anyone? I’ve worn corrective lenses since I was two, can I be extra half pissed?
Binary – no, you have to wait until there’s a movie in which spectacle-wearers are unfairly maligned and misrepresented. Don’t be trying to get your glasses-wearing, attention-seeking self into this particular spotlight. 😛
Scott F – excellent points, well served. Really nothing more to add here except that since all the posters here, apart from sarah32, clearly know the difference between life & art, we are in fact proof, as a diverse sample of people, that the ‘general public’ (of which we form part) are not in the least ignorant and ill-informed about the finer points of visual impairment, despite what sarah32 would have us believe.
Scott: Actually, you don’t really know what you are talking about. You say, “Did it ever occur to you that the level of independence the modern blind person exhibits is directly connected to all the sighted people that make that independence possible? All those who train companion animals, all those who design blind-friendly products, the councilors who teach them to go about daily activities?” Sighted people, and sighted people alone, make the independence of the blind possible? All those who work within the blindness field are sighted now? All the couselors are sighted? Are you kidding me? Are some of them sighted? Sure. But many of them are blind themselves.
Did you see the movie? I’d gather not. Would there be panic? Yes. Would people be upset? Of course. But, again, would they forget how to dress? Would they forget how to feed themselves? The doctor’s wife was feeding him pudding for crying out loud. Could you not feed yourself pudding? Get a grip.
If the blind were not dealing with the ignorant on a daily basis, perhaps they could overlook the messages that this movie sends out. But they deal with those ignorant questions. They deal with the discrimination caused by the stereotypes perpetuated in this movie. So you can hardly blame them for mounting a protest. You can hardly blame them for trying to raise public awareness.
Yes, it is just a movie. But it’s a movie that perpetuates stereotypes of a specific group of people and they have every right to stand up for themselves and denouce it. Perhaps you should try to gain some perspective, instead of sitting on your high horse bitching about people who choose to fight for something in which they believe.
I apologize if someone else made this point already, I only had time to read about half the posts.
When marginalized groups get upset about depictions like this it is based on the fact that their unemployment rate is so low because people make absurd assumptions. I once knew a Deaf plumber, great at what he did. The firm he worked for closed and he couldn’t gain other employment for 5 years. He got refused time and again because people said that his disability meant he could not communicate, but the people he’d worked with for the past 25 years never seemed to have a problem with it. He wasn’t getting hired due to fear, people were afraid that he would make them feel awkward.
I haven’t seen the movie to comment on it, but trust me, the number of people that have said horrific things about me when they thought I was Deaf is staggering. Misunderstandings about disabled populations are plentiful, and I can understand a group being concerned about a movie fueling an already burning inferno
Hi Wif, I think your point is roughly what Sarah32 was getting at. And your point is giving me pause.
But just one question on your friend, could I suggest that a small part of his problem, outside of general ignorance was the fact that he was in the same job and workplace for 25 years. He just simply didn’t have the CV writing and interview skills to help him communicate better at interviews.
It’s a situation that’s facing many older workers, especially in manufacturing and trade industries who don’t have any such disabilities.
The film clearly sounds as if it were based on José Saramagos novel “Blindness”. And I hated the book. Had to stop reading after about 100 pages. So I’m not surprised about the feedback – I quit reading because I found it so incredibly negative, and not in a good way, not melancholic, or thoughtful – just plain negative. Sucking energies I didn’t want to waste reading a book lying in the sun on a Greek beach :-))))
Mairead, in answer to your question, I was the interpreter at a number of those interviews, and the employers always said the same thing, “your references and experiences are great, you just wouldn’t be able to fit in because of the communication gap.” In this individual’s case, he should have fought any of these companies on the grounds of discrimination, but he was just too tired and hopeless feeling.
I know that the overwhelming opinion here are that the movie is not about blindness, it’s about suddenly dealing with unanticipated limitations. Blindness is the tool used to illustrate that. It’s easy for those of us with sight to gripe about the lack of perspective of the NFB, but try to imagine what it’s like to have misconceptions and limitations constantly heaped upon you. And then have to deal with a stupid movie making morons think that you can’t eat pudding on your own. (And there are people out there that are that stupid.)
I’m not saying that the NFB is right, but I can understand their concerns.
After I just posted I imdb’ed it to get more info and now I have to love it based on the principle that my favourite movie writer (the one and only Don McKeller) wrote it. Bestill my beating heart. Now I will HAVE to see it, and if it’s offensive at all, I’ll blame the source material 🙂
If you’re wondering about Don McKeller, check out Last Night and the Red Violin. LOVE HIM!!!!!
IT IS A MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is intended to entertain. No matter WHAT the affliction was…..somebody would get their panties in an uproar. Ah….if only everyone weren’t so damn sensitive…..IF YOU THINK IT IS OFFENSIVE……DON’T SEE IT!!!!
Reading the above comments has been for me an interesting mixture of swallowing my bile and looking in the mirror. On one hand, I am shocked at the number of people who don’t seem to understand that fiction or not, this movie can be damning. On the other, though, the artistic side of me wants to try to draw this film away from social stereotypes into the realm of art for art’s sake, and in so doing, agree with the rest of you. I must say, though, that as a blind person, I’m leaning much further toward the former—and yes, I did protest this movie.
I will not regale you with lofty, poor me tales of discrimination and unfair treatment; it’s not becoming, and serves very little purpose. However, I hope you will also keep a few things in mind:
1: In a study done some years ago (I wish I could find the direct link at the moment), it was determined that blindness ranked in the top five fears of Americans. People are most definitely scared to go blind, and because of that fear, the film’s shock factor goes way up.
2: There are a lot of misinformed people out there, and sad as it might be, many of those misinformed people are the ones making major decisions in this world. A friend of my sister’s once said to me, “It’s so weird that we met today, because I was just thinking about going blind this morning. I was in the shower, and I wanted to see what it was like to be blind, so I closed my eyes while I was shampooing my hair, and got so scared I had to open them again. It must really be tough for you.” This lady is a supervisor at a major fundraising firm in my hometown.
Was the comment laughable? Absolutely. When she was gone, both my sister and I had a huge laugh about it, but the fact is: it was there, and this woman was serious.
I have had it assumed that I don’t dream, and that I can’t tell if it’s raining when I step outside. I have been told that it must be easy to be blind, because I don’t have to care what I look like. (as anyone who has ever had a job interview must know, that’s just not true). I have been told that it must be nice to have people to help me, and that I should definitely marry someone sighted so that she can take care of me.
The fact is: people just don’t know about blindness, and for those people who don’t know, and are–at the same time–impressionable, this movie will perpetuate some of those negative stereotypes.
I understand that we–all of us–live in a world designed for the sighted. In a world where everyone suddenly went blind, everyone would be helpless. No one could run electrical instruments in power plants, no one could drive delivery trucks, no one could run the complex visual machinery needed for mass communication. It is because of this social collapse that the world would be plunged into hysterics, and for the purpose of this movie, blindness is just icing on the anarchy cake.
You people get that. You wouldn’t be so up-in-arms about the protest if you weren’t. But understand that you’re also not the only people out there, and that not everyone else may be as enlightened. I don’t mean this sarcastically. I read the book; in some sections, it scared me completely, but the blindness wasn’t part of it. I was scared because I don’t want to imagine living in a post-apocalyptic world where society has completely collapsed.
At the same time, though, I can’t read this book without considering the fact that some of it is just plain awful. Consider the following quote–and yes, I did take it from a Braille version of the book, thank you.
“he was still hesitating between curiosity and discretion, when his wife put the question directly, What is your name, Blind people do not need a name, I am my voice, nothing else matters,”
If this was just a movie and a book about social collapse, why would you write that?
The blind in this book are likened to dogs and pigs, and referenced in various sections as looking humorous or ridiculous. I can’t help but take umbrage at that. I know that in the wake of hurricane Katrina, there were people who acted like beasts, but they weren’t categorized by race or sex.
The reason I protested, and the reason I am so against this film is that I don’t want people believing any of this, and having had the experiences I have, I know that some will. Some will see the difference and understand the theme, but others will not, and they will assume that much of what this film portrays about blind people is true. I love art, but I don’t like being the scapegoat for it.
Closing things:
If you think I’m full of it, by all means, give me a good ribbing. I want to spark discussion and thought, but I’m also open-minded, so feel free to take the gloves off.
If any of you would like to discuss this further, or would like to even talk about things not related to blindness, feel free to contact me via AIM at rstrunk83, or MSN or email r_strunk@hotmail.com. I think that open, honest discourse is the best way to get to the bottom of anything of this sort, and I hope that you will take me up on my offer.
And just to show that I’m not over-sensitive:
How do you tell a blind guy at a nudist colony?
It’s not hard.
I really don’t agree with Sarah32, but I have something to say concerning the “it’s just a movie” defense.
It is not true that people can seperate life from art, no matter how smart they are. Certain stereotypes in books, movies, magazines or commercials are so persistent that they do influence the way we see the world. Why do you think gender studies has been so important? Deconstructing stereotypes in pop culture is very important and necessary.
I am in the dark (no pun intended) about what stereotypes you are referring to, Sarah32? I wasn’t aware that blind people were stigmatized into being crazy savage people who poop in hallways. And yes, I fear blindness (though not actively. I mean, I don’t go around all day “fearing blindness”. Now THAT would be a handicap!). I am aware of the fact that most blind people get around just fine, but it’s just easier if you’re not blind! I don’t get how that is offensive??
I hope I will never lose my sight, or my hearing or use of my legs! (knock on wood)
By the way, nice to compare being blind with having a darker skin. Do I really have to explain the difference to you? I wouldn’t mind turning black, but suddenly turning blind would probably have me in a fit.
Hey Jeane,
The stereotype here is helplessness. It’s the same one that contributes to things like the FAA rule that blind people can’t sit in exit rows on airplanes.
I realize this is getting a bit far afield here, but I have to point out that people in exit rows don’t have to pass any kind of stress test beyond “if you’re uncomfortable sitting in an exit row…”, and they can even be served alcohol, but blind people (who might just be pretty talented in situations where sight is limited) are not legally allowed to sit there.
It’s the impression of helplessness we’re trying to quell.
As for the comparison between blindness and dark skin, it’s not a matter of ability so much as it is of demographic. If we made a movie about how everyone suddenly turned blac, and consequently started stealing things, mugging people, and being locked away in prisons to protect the white population, a lot of people would be pissed. Even if we claimed it was a metaphor aimed at exposing the savage nature of man, many people would probably call it hate speech.
I totally agree with you about the influence of art on belief, though. After all, what is art if not a vehicle for social change?
I am surprised there are people out there that think moviegoers will not be able to distinguish between fact and fiction when they see this movie. Take a chill pill NFB and focus more on the job, education, and accessibility issues for people with visual challenges than to draw attention to some silly movie which will now get more attention thanks to your bleatings.
Hey Ryan, I don’t want someone that is blind, deaf (they don’t hear the announcements or the alerting system), or in a wheelchair sitting in the exit row of a plane. It is a matter of “the stronger and fitter” are the ones to open that heavy door and throw it out of the way so the rest of us can get out of the fricking plane. That is why they look you over at the airport check-in if you have a pre-assigned seat in the emergency exit row (i.e., you selected your seat on-line). That’s why we don’t see parents with children and older people in the emergency row. So yeah Ryan, it isn’t a matter of “social problem” it is a matter of survival, and let’s face it, someone that is blind, deaf, or uses a wheelchair is not going to be able to save the lives of everyone. It sucks, I know, but that’s the way it is and if I was blind, deaf, or in a wheelchair I wouldn’t want that responsibility either.
DLR,
Being blind has nothing to do with physical strength. You wouldn’t want a physically capable blind person sitting in an exit row, but you wouldn’t mind someone with an anxiety disorder, or someone who is drunk? After all, they can still see, and they should be completely capable, right?
That’s the problem with things like this movie. People’s preconceived notions are enhanced by obvious fallacies. You already assume you know what the blind are capable of, and so you might find some truth in the helplessness the movie displays.
I respectfully disagree with both of your assertions.
DLR, in regards to Deaf people, do you know that most alerting systems have lights that go at the same time? I know plenty of big strong helpful Deaf people that could get that door open.
Actually this is a movie like all other fiction movies. so just for enjoying. The further discussions may lost our time. There were a lot of unacceptable themes for movies but doesn’t matter . So enjoy all movies.
hi.
@sarah32.
I haven’t seen the movie. (i’m blind) oh nooo i rote see! oh wait, i don’t give a damn if i did, do you no why? because i’m blind and not moaping around going. oh i’m blind so pitty me. nope. yeah my mobilaty skills are quite bad. (i’m getting training) but apart from that i can do everything a sited person can do.
oh and you no what elce? people! this is a movie, a fu***** movie sheeeeesh! if people want to bitch and moan then fine but come on. i didn’t see any blind people posting on here saying that they thought the movie was affencive. it is about a virous that turns people blind. that is all.
if sited people just asked a blind person how do you do this, then nine times out of ten they will answer.
I know i would. oh and you no waht? i have a great sence of humer. yeah i’ve met some blind people who can’t kid around and who don’t like messing. or those who think, oh i’m blind so i can’t do anything. truthfully they anoy me to no end. because they are potraying blindness as helpless. so yeah to rap this up. this film is about a virus that turns people blind, that is all and there is no reason to moan about it. come on people get a life!
oh and sorry for the really bad spelling.