When you look up the word monster in the dictionary the definition that appears is an
imaginary creature that is typically large in size , ugly and frightening. Some of the synonyms
are giant, mutant, colossus and the list continues. Meanwhile, this is the exact word that is
sometimes used in books and movies to describe and characterize a disabled person with a
certain mental or physical disability. These people are seen as monsters or freaks to society,
when they should be seen as equal members to society and their community. Just because they
look different then everyone else does not mean that others should treat them like peasants or
looked down upon them.
Disability happens around us more often than we generally recognize or care to notice,
and we harbor unspoken anxieties about the possibilities of disablement… What we fear , we
often stigmatize and shun and sometimes seek to destroy.”(Longmore) This statement in the
Longmore article shocked me the most because if its reality and truth behind it. Disability is seen
as a fear in which no one wants to discuss. In this article Longmore makes it a point to mention
that is certain novels or movies the person with a disability is seen as the “bad guy” “evil” or
“monster” of the film or movie. The worst thing as described by Longmore in his article is that in
the portrayal of people with disabilities, the only way to stop them is to kill them and make them
irrelevant to everyone.
