tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794406356268252166.post1258701688345841466..comments2024-03-24T14:24:12.716-07:00Comments on De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children: Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash / Marisol McDonald y la fiesta sin igualUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794406356268252166.post-2228941212419756432014-09-18T15:16:12.038-07:002014-09-18T15:16:12.038-07:00Thank you for your comment, Truth Unleashed. There...Thank you for your comment, Truth Unleashed. There are many resources that discuss this particular stereotype. Here are excerpts from two of them. I find the second one, which places this stereotype in the context of history, extremely interesting.<br /><br />“Throughout history physical disabilities have been used to suggest evil or depravity, such as the image of pirates as having missing hands, eyes and legs.” From “Media Portrayals of Persons with Disabilities,” in Media Smarts: Canada’s Centre for Digital and Media Literacy (http://mediasmarts.ca/diversity-media/persons-disabilities/common-portrayals-persons-disabilities)<br /><br />“And what about pirates? From Lego to Stevenson's Long John Silver or Blind Pew, or Barrie's Captain Hook in Peter Pan, they nearly all have eye-patches, hooks and wooden legs. All these disabled pirates that we have don't really fit with history because pirates had a system of simple social security long before anyone else. They had common shares in the common purse so, if you got injured during the course of your endeavors, you would retire to a tropical island with as much money, drink and, presumably women, as you wanted and you were unlikely to go on trying it as an impaired pirate. Yet what we find is that in the 19th century, a number of writers became obsessed with pirates being disabled and evil. In previous centuries, pirates had been socially acceptable as they plundered and built up empire. For example, Daniel Defoe wrote a bestseller on a certain Captain Singleton, pirate, and on his return thrice Lord Mayor of London who was a popular hero. But pirates outlived their usefulness and so were shown as evil and, you guessed it, disabled.” From “History & Images: A Brief History of Attitudes to Disabled People” by Richard Rieser, Disability Equality (http://www.worldofinclusion.com/history_of_images.htm)<br /><br />I hope that Marisol will, at some point, learn about this and other stereotypes, and go on to educate her friends.<br />Beverly Slapinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12822325956522105620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1794406356268252166.post-38713988873703304302014-09-05T19:17:31.670-07:002014-09-05T19:17:31.670-07:00I never thought the portrayal of pirates with eyep...I never thought the portrayal of pirates with eyepatches, hooks, and peglegs suggested that people with disabilities are villainous. I've always taken it to suggest that people who embrace a violent lifestyle are likely to suffer violent and permanent injuries as a natural consequence.Truth Unleashedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09793982086613109484noreply@blogger.com