One of the biggest
industries in America today is entertainment and we can learn a lot from what
it is that entertains us. Born this Way
is an American reality-television series that undermines the stereotype of a
major social issue: the treatment, beliefs, and opinions of people with special
needs. The television series focuses on the lives of seven young adults with
Down syndrome, their families, and their journey through life. When people in
today’s world hear the words “special needs” they think, “disability.” This
television series defies that and promotes people with Down Syndrome
accomplishing things that typical people can and leading amazing lives.
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"Bea and Cristina celebrate her parents' support of her ballroom dreams.""One of the things about being a parent of a child with an intellectual disability is you just have different things to celebrate, different things that are rewarding, and they come along at different times. But the feelings are the same.” –Gary, father to Rachel, one of the young adults with Down syndrome “One day people would look at him and admire him and they wouldn’t look at him as Down syndrome and they wouldn’t be staring at him for the wrong reason." –Joyce, mother to John, one of the young adults with Down syndrome “I get hopes, dreams – everything that you have, I have.” –John Tucker, young adult with Down syndrome "My mom and my family didn’t treat me like I was a special Down syndrome kid. All they cared about was me being part of the family.” –John Tucker, young adult with Down syndrome |
All of these
quotes from the television series have one thing in common: they prove the
special needs stereotype to be wrong. The seven young adult cast members with
Down syndrome prove to their audience that they can do “normal people things.” This
television series promotes equality for people with special needs through
showing us just how “normal” of lives the seven young adults with Down syndrome
lead. The main cast members date, have meaningful relationships, get married, have
jobs, create businesses, and live as independent as possible. Just like us,
they follow what they love to do and chase their dreams. Even to those that
work closely with people with special needs, it is easy to still treat them in
a special manner. But, perhaps surprising to many, this show helps you realize
that they are more like your “typical person” than you may think.
As sad as it is, we
look at this television series and watch them for entertainment, because they
are different from your typical person and that is what intrigues us. For
entertainment purposes, we want to know more. However, this show makes you
realize that you began to watch it for the wrong reason, that they have Down
syndrome. After just one episode of the television series, it is inevitable to
realize that you want to continue watching it for the right reason, because of
how incredible they are. Despite what society has determined about Down
syndrome, the seven young adults in this television series defy society’s expectations.Works Cited
A&E. (n.d.). Breaking Away - Born this Way.
Retrieved from
https://www.aetv.com/shows/born-this-way/pictures/breaking-away/btw203-episodic-photos05
AETV. (2015, December 03). Born This Way: Meet the
Cast - New Series Sneak Peek, A&E. (YouTube) Retrieved from YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58XxCvD0lXs
Hawks, A. (2016, January 12). Why Born This Way
was the best new reality show of 2015, A&E announces Season 2.
Retrieved from Starcasm: https://starcasm.net/why-born-this-way-was-the-best-new-reality-show-of-2015-ae-announces-season-2/
I appreciate how Born This Way brings awareness about Down Syndrome. So many people know little about this illness that they think that people with Down Syndrome are not as intelligent or not capable of doing amazing things in their lives, when in reality, they have a great amount of potential to achieve their dreams.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response! I agree and think it's amazing when people can be reminded how incorrect the stereotype can be. Sometimes it's easy to see Down syndrome as an illness when in reality, it's just something that makes them unique and far from an illness. As one may be born with an extra finger or any other deformation, people with Down syndrome are born with an extra chromosome. The only difference between these examples is that the extra chromosome is a little more visible on the outside!
DeleteI think this is an amazing show for people to be watching as well, their is such a stigma around people with "issues" and this show can help change people opinions. I think its such a good idea because every other show that is on TV are always making fun of some stereotype group and making matters worse. I think this TV show is exactly what adults and kids need to watch so I can teach kids at a young age being different doesn't mean its a bad thing and can also change the way adults see this stereotype group.
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