*Swears* *Mutters* *Growls* *Cries* Some days, it's one step forward, three steps back.

[capri0mni]

Okay, so last night, I was watching a repeat of Bones, which has a history of being incredibly ableist in its plots and dialog. And sure enough, the b-plot of last night's episode was the angst between the b-plot romantic couple, newly married (and now preggers) Angela and Hodgkins [sp?], over the fact that their yet unborn child will have a one in four chance of being BLIND (horrors of horrors!).

But then it ended sort of okay, with Hodgkins saying: "So what if I won't be able to teach my child to look through microscopes? We can play the piano together. Our Kid will be fine. We'll be fine; we can handle anything."

So I left the show feeling a bit more optimistic. Sure, it was still ableist. But it wasn't as ableist as it's been in the past.

Then. Then.

Then the evening news came on. And the "Health and Science" segment was all about the worries new parents have when they discover their baby isn't perfect, like they expected. And the "imperfections" they were discussing?

Being a little bit cross-eyed.

Having dandruff.

Having acne.

And the final word from the Nice Lady Baby Doctor in the White Coat of Authority[tm]? "Don't worry. Be patient, and in a month or two, your baby will be perfect" (More or less a direct quote... At least as far as I remember).

Facepalm.
Headdesk.
Headwall.
Repeat.

---

While I was writing this, I had the idea for a new icon to stick on my Ableism-themed posts (on the DreamWidth side): "Monster on wheels" Y/Y?

Comments

[meloukhia]

Yeah, Bones is...interesting that way. I feel like sometimes they present icky stuff for criticism and commentary, and that might have been what they were trying to do there, with having Angela and Hodgins being all squirrely about ohnoes blind baby!(*especially* the line with Angela going 'I am so in love with our baby already,' like if the baby is blind, you know, she won't be able to love the baby anymore), but then having them go through that adjustment period and be like 'this is not the end of the world' by the end of the episode. At least, that is what I am telling myself.

[capri0mni]

At least, that is what I am telling myself

This. Sometimes, you have to tell yourself that just to make it through the night.

(at least they're better than Glee? [talk about damning with faint praise!])

[spiralsheep]

And the "imperfections" they were discussing? Being a little bit cross-eyed.

I hate to break this to you, bb, but you live in a country in which unnecessary plastic surgery on children is considered both a necessity and a Moral Good if it prevents them having... OH NOES... slightly less than plastic denture-like teeth.

[capri0mni]

I know this already, in the back of my head. But I prefer to live under my rock, thank-you-very-much. ;-)

[jesse_the_k]

Wrong.
Wrong.
Wrong.

(also why I'm avoiding "live" TV as much as possible, because it's so much more gratifying to break the DVD in half.)

[capri0mni]

*Lols at your icon*

As I pointed out to someone on the LJ side, a good portion of what makes this so infuriating is the increased blurring of the line between the evening news and the primetime entertainment, so that the one always ends up coloring the other.

And to, therefore, couple this particular "news" piece with this particular storyline (will I be able to love a blind baby? Will my wife hate me for making a blind baby?) is just ---

grah! Failtastic!!