Analyzing the 'Better Dead than Disabled' Trope in Me Before You: Sociological View, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Business Accounting

Download Analyzing the 'Better Dead than Disabled' Trope in Me Before You: Sociological View and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Business Accounting in PDF only on Docsity! Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship Volume 3 | Issue 1 Article 3 2019 Better Dead than Disabled: Analysis of Me Before You Brisa Mendez University of Washington Tacoma, brisam2@uw.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/access Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons This Undergraduate Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Teaching and Learning Center at UW Tacoma Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship by an authorized editor of UW Tacoma Digital Commons. Recommended Citation Mendez, Brisa (2019) "Better Dead than Disabled: Analysis of Me Before You," Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship: Vol. 3 : Iss. 1 , Article 3. Available at: https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/access/vol3/iss1/3 1 Abstract Hollywood portrays disabled people as vulnerable, a “drain” on society’s resources, and (for men) as less masculine. In this sense, disabled men become alienated both on and off screen. Therefore, the manifest function of the film Me Before You is showing the disabled as sensitive, vulnerable with special needs, and in a romance, but the latent function reveals what Hollywood really thinks of disabled community as “better dead than disabled.” In this examination of the film Me Before You I use a sociological analysis with the sub-components of deviance, manifest function, latent function, and alienation. I will also focus on hegemonic and subordinate masculinities and disability and how they are portrayed in Hollywood movies. This paper makes use of the work of prominent scholars who focus on masculine heterosexual masculine men, as well as euthanasia and disability. Keywords: Sociological method, disabled, man box, masculinity, euthanasia, media. 1 Mendez: Better Dead than Disabled: Analysis of Me Before You Published by UW Tacoma Digital Commons, 2019 4 unintended. The manifest function of going to a political rally is to show one’s support for a candidate; the latent function might be to meet someone with similar political views” (p. 72). In other words, the manifest function is the superficial and the most obvious message, while the latent function is the hidden message; in most cases it is also the ideology. The latent functions are best described as being the “hidden, unrecognized, and unintended functions of some activity, entity, or institution. They are contrasted by social scientists with manifest functions, which are recognized and intended” (Berger, 2004, p. 72). This method helps interpret the ideology that Hollywood presents in movies using disabled people. While the manifest function is the intended message delivered to the audience and the take away they get from watching a film the latent message is the one that tends to be hidden and most cases shares an unintentional message and often it is not noticed by the audience that are watching the film. To further elaborate on the manifest function and the difference between manifest and latent functions, Berger explains, “[T]he manifest function of television news programs might be to inform, whereas the latent function of these programs might be to indoctrinate viewers with certain political values and beliefs” (Berger, 2012, p. 115). Understanding how the film’s manifest function acts in direct contrast to the latent function is key and will be explored. At its heart, sociological study moves beyond these functions to an analysis of alienation and deviance. This research focuses this type of analysis to uncover deeper messages of the film about the relationship between disability and masculinity. Berger (2005) states that alienation means a person feels like a stranger who does not belong to a group in society. Berger (2005) also states that “Alienation means, literally, ‘no ties,’ 4 Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship, Vol. 3 [2019], Iss. 1, Art. 3 https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/access/vol3/iss1/3 5 and refers to a feeling of estrangement and separation from others. A person who is alienated feels like ‘a stranger’ (alien), with no connections to his or her society or to some group in society” (p. 110). Alienation means that an individual feels isolated from society and senses a barrier between the self and the world. We will return to this term, but will now move on to the next important term that is key to understand before getting to the analysis of the film. Deviance is another important term that has a close connection with alienation, yet differs because of its behavior patterns that are often seen over time. It also looks at how individuals adapt to changes that occur. This term is best described by Berger (2005): Deviance refers to behavioral patterns that are different from typical or conventional (some would say normal) ones. Attitudes toward different forms of deviance change over time. For instance, homosexuality was once considered criminal but now is defined as deviant and is tolerated by most people. Deviance generates anxiety in people because it forces them to consider how valid their own practices are as well as the correctness of their own attitudes about what is normal. (p. 114) Often, the sociological perspective reveals that those individuals who are marked as “deviant” by society find themselves also alienated from it. Literature Review To place this analysis into the context of masculinity and disability, the first section of this literature review will focus on disability and the media, while the second section will focus on hegemonic masculinity. Disability has always been part of human 5 Mendez: Better Dead than Disabled: Analysis of Me Before You Published by UW Tacoma Digital Commons, 2019 6 life and has traditionally been seen by society as unfortunate. Nonetheless, some people are born with disabilities, which become natural for their bodies, although it is still labeled “abnormal.” Reynolds (2017) reviews the “ableist conflation” and the meaning behind it. Reynolds (2017) examines disability and the revelation of health communication and the worries that the disabled individual faces, such as managing bodily fluids when the body is dysfunctional due to a disease. Diseases then cause the body to develop side effects. For example, when an individual is diagnosed with cancer, the body starts to create fluids caused by the disease. A person who is diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer might then become, in the eyes of society, a disabled person due to the illness. A person with mesothelioma cancer will suffer the side effect of an orange fluid that develops in the stomach and then spreads to other parts of the body, such as the lungs. The disease starts devouring the human body until it leads to its final destination: death. This example is one of many that exist among individuals who become disabled due to a disease. However, it is important to note that all disabled individuals face different kinds of dysfunctional side effects in their bodies depending to their diagnoses. Reynolds (2017) states, Despite being assailed for decades by disability activists and disability studies scholars spanning the humanities and social sciences, the medical model of disability still today structures too many cases of patient-practitioner communication. This model conceptualizes disability as an individual tragedy or misfortune due to genetic or environmental insult. (p. 1) 6 Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship, Vol. 3 [2019], Iss. 1, Art. 3 https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/access/vol3/iss1/3 9 (p. 24). Creating the schemas allowed for a simplified way to tell a story in the media and using stereotypes has unfortunately shaped the way that movies are created. One stereotype in particular is present in Will’s depiction in Me Before You. Mitchell (2008) described this stereotype as “The Civilian Superstar: a world class performer in such fields as sports, the arts, politics, and medicine who seldom allows his or her disability to interfere with career goals” (p. 26). This is the one of the most commonly used of the stereotypes applied to disabled characters in movies, especially seen in the character of Will. Various scholars have defined hegemonic masculinity (Berger, 2005; Katz, 2011; Reynold, 2004). Berger (2005), for example, states Hegemony thus is what might be described as ‘that which goes without saying,’ or the givens or commonsense realities of the world, which, it turns out, serve an ultimate purpose—that of maintaining the dominance of the ruling class. The works carried by the mass media can be seen, then, not merely as carriers of ideology that manipulate and indoctrinate people with certain views. The media, as unwitting instruments of hegemonic domination, have much broader and deeper influence—they shape people’s very ideas of themselves and the world; they shape people’s worldviews. (p. 62) In other words, those in the hegemonic group are the ruling class, and the media shares messages that contain the ideas of the hegemonic group. Messerschmidt (2001) notes the behavior of men and what it takes to be hegemonic, stating that “[b]ehavior by men is obviously considerably more complex than is suggested by the idea of universal masculinity that is performed and embedded 9 Mendez: Better Dead than Disabled: Analysis of Me Before You Published by UW Tacoma Digital Commons, 2019 10 in the individual prior to social action” (p. 66). Messerschmidt (2001) also describes men’s behavior as more complicated, to show that the hegemonic man is indoctrinated into the idea of what masculine behavior should look like. Moreover, Messerschmidt (2001) states that these ideas do not appear overnight, but take time, social structure and experience. “These practices,” Messerschmidt (2001) notes, “do not, however, occur in a vacuum. Instead, they are influenced by the gender ideals that we have come to accept as normal and proper and by the social structural constraints that we experience” (p. 66). In other words, these ideas of what a hegemonic man is are formed at a very young age. Reynold (2004) studied hegemonic ideas and the construction of identity for boys in primary school, particularly ten and eleven year olds, stating “Alternative masculinities are imbued with power relations and boys who stray or contest the hegemonic ideal (which is contextually and culturally contingent and thus can vary between schools and communities) can incur high social and emotional costs and be subjected to a number of Othering practices in which their deviation from hegemonic norms are subordinated and pathologized (p. 249). Here, the author is referring to the subordinate individual as the “other,” meaning that the subordinate individual is not part of the hegemonic idea and therefore is viewed as “other,” like a simple object that is unspecified and does not matter. With this background information and all the main terms defined, we have the necessary tools to understand on forward the analysis of the film. However we will first look into the summary of the film Me Before You to gain context and then I will follow with the sociological analysis and lastly the ideology. 10 Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship, Vol. 3 [2019], Iss. 1, Art. 3 https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/access/vol3/iss1/3 11 Film Summary The film Me Before You is based on a novel by Jojo Moyes, published in the United Kingdom in 2012. Its message had such an important impact that it was produced as a film. The film focuses on the main protagonist, Will. Will is a heterosexual man and a successful upper-class banker who owns a beautiful home. He is also a wealthy model and sportsman. Louisa Clark is the female protagonist, an outgoing girl who works at a café. Unlike Will, she is from the lower class. Other characters in the film include Will’s mother and father and his nurse, Nathan. There is also Louisa’s family: her mother, father, and sister Katrina and her son. Other characters are Patrick, Louisa’s boyfriend, Will’s best friend Rupert, and Alice, his ex- girlfriend. The first scene opens with Will and his girlfriend Alice in bed. Upon waking, Will prepares for his workday in his luxurious white house. He takes a shower and says that he will make dinner that night. He is wearing a business suit and looks very masculine. In the next scene, the film then transitions to Will’s tragic accident where a motorcycle has run him over and left him a quadriplegic. This scene marks the beginning of what Will considers his horrific life, a disabled life that changed him forever. While Will and his family are very wealthy, Louisa’s is the opposite. She lives with her parents, sister, nephew and grandpa. She gets fired because the café closed, so she finds a new job when Will’s mom hires Louisa in hopes that she will provide Will company and help him to love life again, much as he did before becoming quadriplegic. Will’s life shifts from being able to do everything, to needing help with everything from eating, bathing, etc. For these reasons, Will wants to end his life. He has gone through 11 Mendez: Better Dead than Disabled: Analysis of Me Before You Published by UW Tacoma Digital Commons, 2019 14 is therefore stereotyped in the film as Mitchell (2008) describes as “The Civilian Superstar” stereotype. In this case, Will is the greatest performer in sports and career until his disability interferes with all his abilities, therefore making him fail in all. Me Before You displays these qualities by having the specific masculine, heterosexual male character, Will, becomes subordinate due to his disability and therefore acting out as the trope of being “better dead than disabled” and living in a world where society does not accept the deviant figure. Moreover, the ideal of society is to be ‘normal’ rather than alienated. If an individual does not fit into the ‘man box,’ then they will be alienated from society’s ideal and seen as deviant. In addition, in order to understand disability and deviance it is vital to note the importance that Reynolds (2017) assigns to the semiosis of pain: “[t]he pain of torture, the pain of unrequited love, or the pain of a life lived with chronic pain” (p. 6). Throughout the film, Will has the feeling of chronic pain as a side effect from his paralysis, along with the pain of living a life he does not want. The pain of his disability and the pain of love leads to his decision to kill himself. This ties in with Reynolds’ (2017) analysis of pain and mortality: If one then conflates experiences of disability with pain and thereby mortality, then it is no wonder that people say and think, ‘I’d rather be dead than disabled.’ It is in large part due to the ableist conflation that people with disabilities experience such stigma, disparagement, and misunderstanding—to the point that they are entirely left out of models of flourishing. (p. 8) Me Before You takes this further showing the controversy of euthanasia as an alternative to the alienation Will feels, through both his decision for suicide and the 14 Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship, Vol. 3 [2019], Iss. 1, Art. 3 https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/access/vol3/iss1/3 15 contrary actions of Louisa and his mother. Since Will has become disabled, he no longer meets the social norms of being normal. He does not fit into the “man box,” which makes him deviant. Even as he accepts society’s dominant ideology, he is no longer accepted by society because he is disabled, a quadriplegic. In his discussion of ideologies, Hall (2015) stated that they “produce different forms of social consciousness, rather than being produced by them. They work most effectively when we are not aware that how we formulate and construct a statement about the world is underpinned by ideological premises” (p. 105). The ideology of the film Me Before You is that people who are disabled do not fit into the norm of society and are thus defined by deviance. According to the film, individuals who have deviated from society have no choice but to die. Moreover, the film suggests that heterosexual males with a dominant power like Will are powerful and the ideal; however, if they are subordinate they do not belong to the hegemonic group. As Michels (1968) stated regarding subordinate groups, It is tacitly presupposed that those members of a party who do not belong to the class which that party represents will renounce their personal interests whenever these conflict with the interests of the proletarian class. On principle, the heterogeneous elements will subordinate themselves to the ‘idea’ of a class to which they themselves do not belong. (pg. 351) It is clear that the film portrays heterosexual masculinity and its importance in society, while becoming quadriplegic after being an active man leads to only one option: death. Will is a product of what society wants a man to be. After Will is exploited by the ideology of society, he no longer serves the purpose of being that “man box” figure, so it 15 Mendez: Better Dead than Disabled: Analysis of Me Before You Published by UW Tacoma Digital Commons, 2019 16 is believed that Will is better off dead than disabled. In this light, Althusser (2009) suggests that “you and I are always-already subjects, and as such constantly practise the rituals of ideological recognition, which guarantee for us that we are indeed concrete, individual, distinguishable and (naturally) irreplaceable subjects” (p.510). This suggests that individuals, such as Will, are conscious and can identify the semiotics of what it means to be a real man. When the film begins, Will is a white heterosexual male who owns his power by putting himself first, as the movie title indicates: Me Before You. Yet after his accident, because he is no longer the individual he used to be, he no longer fits in the man box. This means that Will follows the ideology of society rather than accepting himself as disabled. In this way, the film shows the power of the man above all and the privilege of the young white heterosexual man to make his own decisions, even if it means choosing euthanasia over love, family, and life itself. In relation to the power of men, one of the most successful American radio shows of all times is the The Rush Limbaugh Show. It has became a top-rated radio program in the United States, with his show broadcast through the Armed Forces Radio Network. Limbaugh was listed in Forbes magazine as the highest paid announcer in the media. Katz (2015), reflects on the power of masculine authority in an examination of The Rush Limbaugh Show, stating, “Limbaugh and his colleagues and imitators speak with an old-school masculine authority that recalls an idealized past, when (White) men were in control in the public and private spheres, and no one was in position to actively challenge their power” (p. 157). The privilege of being a white upper-class heterosexual male not only shows the power he has but also represents that society has created an 16 Access*: Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Research and Scholarship, Vol. 3 [2019], Iss. 1, Art. 3 https://digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/access/vol3/iss1/3 19 celebrate his death. The final thought and decision is on Will, because he is the man who once had all the power. Yet because of his disability, he tries to regain his masculinity power by making his voice heard again, even if it means taking his life. The ideology of the film Me Before You is that people who are disabled do not fit into the norm of society. Those individuals who are alienated from society have no choice but to die. Moreover, the film Me Before You suggests that heterosexual males with a dominant power like Will’s are worthless when they become subordinate. It is clear that the film portrays heterosexual masculinity and its importance in today’s society as of greater value than being quadriplegic after being an active man. This leads to death as the only option. 19 Mendez: Better Dead than Disabled: Analysis of Me Before You Published by UW Tacoma Digital Commons, 2019 20 References Althusser. L. (2009). Ideology and ideological state apparatuses. In J. Storey (Ed.), Cultural theory and popular culture (pp. 302- 312). New York, NY: Routledge. Bethany, S. (2008). Managing unruly bodies: Public policy and disability sexuality. The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal. USA: RDS. Berger, A. A. (2004). Games and activities for media, communication, and Cultural Studies tudents. USA: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, INC. Berger, A. A. (2005). Media analysis techniques. SAGE Publications. Berger, A. A. (2012). Media analysis techniques. SAGE Publications. Dines. G. & Humez. M. J. (2015). Gender race, and class in media. 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USA: Temple University Press Philadelphia. Michels. R. (1968). Political parties. New York: The Free Press. 21 Mendez: Better Dead than Disabled: Analysis of Me Before You Published by UW Tacoma Digital Commons, 2019