I saw some of the show last time around and what I'd hope is that (like the paralympics and the absolutely excellent "Cast Offs") it helps the general public become less phobic about disability.
However, where the paralympics is a genuine sporting event that just happens to be for specific people (it's more for the sport than the disability) and where "Cast Offs" was a biting satire about disability, (ab)using the public, and about reality TV, I wonder whether "The Undateables" is exactly the kind of thing "Cast Offs" was satirising.
What I mean is, should it really be national entertainment to watch disabled people struggle with dating (whether or not they eventually succeed)? Ignoring the drumming up interest by using people with disability (to some: the "freak show" dollar) so much of our television is now just a reflection of our lives (overweight people having operations, people with sexually transmitted infections, people making TV programmes just about doing their jobs). Why is it television-worthy? I watch this stuff (including documentaries about pest controllers and people working in sewers) but in my parents day, it would be unthinkable that this would be seen as entertainment. Worse, people from Chelsea, or Essex, or Newcastle or Liverpool being lauded for stupidity. People laugh at TOWIE because of the stupidity and I suspect people laugh at "The Undateables". We've become a society that laughs at what it perceives is below it. On a recent poll on IIN, the majority of people voted that they were here to laugh at others with problems.
The BBC's mission statement for many decades has been to entertain, to educate and to inform. I think they're the right core values and I wish more producers of television had them. I accept it's entertaining for many to laugh at what they see as below them and so the value "to entertain" is being met but if people are being entertained by this, I don't think "to educate" or "to inform" are being met.
I want to believe "The Undateables" is honourable television and I may watch some of this second series and (if it's anything like the last) think it really is fairly decent. I just have this nagging doubt at the back of my mind though and it won't go away.
Ooh! This is quite exciting. Has his episode been on? I think there's only been one so far and I missed it but I can still catch up. What was his experience like? He'll have way more insight into whether there was any sense that he was filming it because of a disability as opposed to just being dateless.
To put it in an un-PC fashion.... his *delicate cough* quirks related to his disability are immediately obvious. Plus his dress sense DOES NOT help his case on the blind date! Be prepared!!
Some people with his condition thought it was a bit of a stereotypical representation and I - also having something along the lines of his condition - thought it was a little simplistic in some parts.
However, I thought all three singletons' stories were very well done and is bound to teach lots of people who've never heard of his condition something. And if nothing else, it'll get the nation talking.
Weirdly, your brother would have been one of the last people I saw before leaving the house this morning. There was an advert for the show (they've been plugging it a lot) but obviously I paid extra attention and watched it all before turning the TV off.
I'll have to watch! I know it was a slip to do this non-anonymously but it kind of does mean I can ask you stuff afterwards because I'd be curious where the stereotypes are and what got simplified. Not only as an understanding of being with a specific disability but also to see how TV presented it as opposed to how you'd present it. Well, if you don't mind me asking, of course.
Was your brother's the one last Tuesday or is it yet to come?
Ahh, no, I did actually see three or four of the first series. The name is a bit unfortunate but the show was quite good. There was nothing I could pick out as insensitive and I do hope it was made for the good reason I mention. It was only a nagging doubt rather than anything substantial. It may be that perhaps even the good and the bad reasons I mentioned are both in play but the net effect is positive and that people see disability as something that should be considered for what it is.
In some ways, I can't blame people, though. They go off their first instincts. I can imagine people looking at you and thinking, "Aww, pretty girl in a wheelchair. Isn't that sad?" Which is wrong for multiple reasons. What I imagine they'd be better thinking is, "There's a person who has been using a wheelchair for an indeterminate time and most likely has a health issue which necessitates it. She's probably very used to this and less so than me so how can I not inconvenience her or make it seem 'different' when it's her everyday reality and, actually, also mine too because it's pretty common for people to have disabilities".
I don't know about the "pretty" part, but I think they do think that I'm young and tragic. I don't know. People usually don't really look at me, like they're trying so hard not to stare that I turn invisible. When they do, they do this sad little smile like I'm an injured puppy and immediately avert their eyes. It's not a big thing, but it can be uncomfortable. I get that a lot in the grocery store for some reason, and sometimes I just want to say "Relax your face meat, you silly fuck. I'm just doing my shopping."
There are some people who are really nice and appropriate, and that helps a lot. I'm not angry or sad all the time because of the people who don't handle it well, but it wears me down.
IIN that I think these compliments to the disabled are patronising?
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I saw some of the show last time around and what I'd hope is that (like the paralympics and the absolutely excellent "Cast Offs") it helps the general public become less phobic about disability.
However, where the paralympics is a genuine sporting event that just happens to be for specific people (it's more for the sport than the disability) and where "Cast Offs" was a biting satire about disability, (ab)using the public, and about reality TV, I wonder whether "The Undateables" is exactly the kind of thing "Cast Offs" was satirising.
What I mean is, should it really be national entertainment to watch disabled people struggle with dating (whether or not they eventually succeed)? Ignoring the drumming up interest by using people with disability (to some: the "freak show" dollar) so much of our television is now just a reflection of our lives (overweight people having operations, people with sexually transmitted infections, people making TV programmes just about doing their jobs). Why is it television-worthy? I watch this stuff (including documentaries about pest controllers and people working in sewers) but in my parents day, it would be unthinkable that this would be seen as entertainment. Worse, people from Chelsea, or Essex, or Newcastle or Liverpool being lauded for stupidity. People laugh at TOWIE because of the stupidity and I suspect people laugh at "The Undateables". We've become a society that laughs at what it perceives is below it. On a recent poll on IIN, the majority of people voted that they were here to laugh at others with problems.
The BBC's mission statement for many decades has been to entertain, to educate and to inform. I think they're the right core values and I wish more producers of television had them. I accept it's entertaining for many to laugh at what they see as below them and so the value "to entertain" is being met but if people are being entertained by this, I don't think "to educate" or "to inform" are being met.
I want to believe "The Undateables" is honourable television and I may watch some of this second series and (if it's anything like the last) think it really is fairly decent. I just have this nagging doubt at the back of my mind though and it won't go away.
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VioletTrees
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Do watch it! *bragging and cashing in on their temporary fame* My brother's one of the singletons
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Ooh! This is quite exciting. Has his episode been on? I think there's only been one so far and I missed it but I can still catch up. What was his experience like? He'll have way more insight into whether there was any sense that he was filming it because of a disability as opposed to just being dateless.
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Yup, it was the first one!
To put it in an un-PC fashion.... his *delicate cough* quirks related to his disability are immediately obvious. Plus his dress sense DOES NOT help his case on the blind date! Be prepared!!
Some people with his condition thought it was a bit of a stereotypical representation and I - also having something along the lines of his condition - thought it was a little simplistic in some parts.
However, I thought all three singletons' stories were very well done and is bound to teach lots of people who've never heard of his condition something. And if nothing else, it'll get the nation talking.
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Weirdly, your brother would have been one of the last people I saw before leaving the house this morning. There was an advert for the show (they've been plugging it a lot) but obviously I paid extra attention and watched it all before turning the TV off.
I'll have to watch! I know it was a slip to do this non-anonymously but it kind of does mean I can ask you stuff afterwards because I'd be curious where the stereotypes are and what got simplified. Not only as an understanding of being with a specific disability but also to see how TV presented it as opposed to how you'd present it. Well, if you don't mind me asking, of course.
Was your brother's the one last Tuesday or is it yet to come?
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It was last Tuesday, and I'd be delighted to answer as best I can
Bugger, was gonna be anonymous but... *shrug* Ah well. Never mind XD
Oh, I can be again! :S ROFFLE
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:P That's worked completely. I've totally forgotten who you were!
Given that it's called "The Undateables", I wouldn't get my hopes up.
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Ahh, no, I did actually see three or four of the first series. The name is a bit unfortunate but the show was quite good. There was nothing I could pick out as insensitive and I do hope it was made for the good reason I mention. It was only a nagging doubt rather than anything substantial. It may be that perhaps even the good and the bad reasons I mentioned are both in play but the net effect is positive and that people see disability as something that should be considered for what it is.
In some ways, I can't blame people, though. They go off their first instincts. I can imagine people looking at you and thinking, "Aww, pretty girl in a wheelchair. Isn't that sad?" Which is wrong for multiple reasons. What I imagine they'd be better thinking is, "There's a person who has been using a wheelchair for an indeterminate time and most likely has a health issue which necessitates it. She's probably very used to this and less so than me so how can I not inconvenience her or make it seem 'different' when it's her everyday reality and, actually, also mine too because it's pretty common for people to have disabilities".
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I don't know about the "pretty" part, but I think they do think that I'm young and tragic. I don't know. People usually don't really look at me, like they're trying so hard not to stare that I turn invisible. When they do, they do this sad little smile like I'm an injured puppy and immediately avert their eyes. It's not a big thing, but it can be uncomfortable. I get that a lot in the grocery store for some reason, and sometimes I just want to say "Relax your face meat, you silly fuck. I'm just doing my shopping."
There are some people who are really nice and appropriate, and that helps a lot. I'm not angry or sad all the time because of the people who don't handle it well, but it wears me down.