Entertainment from mental disabilities?

[Jonluw]

Hiya escapists.

Yesterday, I visited a friend of mine, and for the most part we watched TV. There wasn't much to watch, so we were just surfing on the channels. That's when we came across a show called Tangerudbakken borettslag. I'd heard of it before, but never watched it; so we watched.
It's a reality/documentary series.

The gist of the series is basically this: Tangerudbakken is a housing complex in Oslo, where six people with mental disabilities live. We follow these people through their everyday lives. Each season (there are two) consists of eight episodes, which span over six months.

On one side, I felt like they were abusing these people, showing them off as if it was a zoo; but on the other hand, they are not made fun of in any way, and they seem to enjoy it themselves. It all seemed to have been made in good taste, really.
I just feel sort of uncomfortable when the entertainment is derived simply from the fact that these people have disabilities.

Spoiler: A clip from an episode

What are your thoughts around this?
Do you feel the same slight discomfort as me?
Do you think this is a good step in the direction of eliminating discrimination of people with mental handicaps in our society?

 

[Jonluw]

Noone? Really?
I thought this would be something the escapist would love to discuss.

 

[zfactor]

Noone? Really?
I thought this would be something the escapist would love to discuss.

It's a touchy/weird subject for most. Most people probably thought (from your title) you meant "laugh at the (insert slang for "mentally disabled" here) guy." Then they read your post about a TV show and flee because it is the opposite of what they expected.

Anyway, I dislike all reality TV shows because they have no overall plot and it is very random. It's just a bunch of people dicking around in front of a camera (even that can be contested, they might be told to be dicking around by writers...). Game shows are sometimes funny because of how much people overreact. So I wouldn't watch this show.

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

Noone? Really?
I thought this would be something the escapist would love to discuss.

It's a touchy/weird subject for most. Most people probably thought (from your title) you meant "laugh at the (insert slang for "mentally disabled" here) guy." Then they read your post about a TV show and flee because it is the opposite of what they expected.

Anyway, I dislike all reality TV shows because they have no overall plot and it is very random. It's just a bunch of people dicking around in front of a camera (even that can be contested, they might be told to be dicking around by writers...). Game shows are sometimes funny because of how much people overreact. So I wouldn't watch this show.

pretty much exactly what he said.
the only thing i'd add for my own input, is that although the show *might* be intriguing if done tastefully, i am averse to reality shows to begin with. and, being american (and therefore used to american media), i find it hard to believe something like that *could* be tastefully done. my first mental image was of "Jackass".

 

[Jonluw]

Noone? Really?
I thought this would be something the escapist would love to discuss.

It's a touchy/weird subject for most. Most people probably thought (from your title) you meant "laugh at the (insert slang for "mentally disabled" here) guy." Then they read your post about a TV show and flee because it is the opposite of what they expected.

Anyway, I dislike all reality TV shows because they have no overall plot and it is very random. It's just a bunch of people dicking around in front of a camera (even that can be contested, they might be told to be dicking around by writers...). Game shows are sometimes funny because of how much people overreact. So I wouldn't watch this show.

Yeah, that sounds like an explanation. My hook might just have backfired. I guess I'll go add a question mark to the title to see if it helps.

pretty much exactly what he said.
the only thing i'd add for my own input, is that although the show *might* be intriguing if done tastefully, i am averse to reality shows to begin with. and, being american (and therefore used to american media), i find it hard to believe something like that *could* be tastefully done. my first mental image was of "Jackass".

The show is actually surprisingly tastefully done. I think the narration is even done by one of the inhabitants.

 

[Jonluw]

Gah, okay. I give up.
It's a pity: I thought this could spark some interesting discussion.

 

[Jumping_Over_Fences]

I don't have any problem with things like this. We should treat people with Mental Handicaps just like we do everyone else. If I am able to make fun of other people for doing something stupid I should be able to make fun of the handicapped. It sounds harsh, but if we isolate them and create new rules for them, it seems demeaning to me. That sentence seemed horrible to me as well. Using the word "them" just seems so degrading to me, but that is what happens when we isolate people. They are still people. Isolating them only forces people to treat them differently and I don't think that is right.

I know it isn't the same thing, but I have pretty bad OCD and my friends are always messing with me. It makes me mad at the time, but in retrospect, it is really funny. I would do the same to me.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

It's a very difficult subject indeed, I remember there was a touring disabled 'boy band' a while ago, and while maybe the idea had some merit, they sounded and looked awful and therefore only got chosen because they were disabled, and that can't be good surely?

Even if they're not being laughed at, it seems to be a case of 'let them have a go, we know it's awful, but humour them'.

I'm going to be massively un PC here, but I personally have a phobia of the (don't know the right words so it's going to get worse) disabled people who are in wheelchairs and dribble and have no control over their functions and just make wild scary noises. I know they're not going to leap up and attack, just as an arachnophobe knows that half inch spider isn't going to eat them, but I get utterly creeped out and want to leave the room. I apologise if you are offended, maybe you have someone like that in your family, but I don't choose this.

Surely I'm not a bad person for having a phobia however? I don't make fun of them, they just scare me, and you wouldn't berate an agoraphobic for not liking being outdoors.

I'll lighten the mood with a gag

"I'm homophobic in the same way that I'm arachnophobic, I don't mind spiders or gays really, but I'd scream if I found one in my bath."

 

[DarkPanda XIII]

Actually, considering there are shows about other issues, and showing off their day-to-day life, I find it more interesting than anything else.

This coming from a guy who has an older sister that has a form of autism herself. I find things funny with her when she was trying to be funny, or did something that you would find silly with a normal person.

From what I see here, it's the exact same thing. The only people that should feel ashamed are the people who watch this to make fun of it.

But really, just think of it as another TLC show, where you just get to see their lives.

 

[Jonluw]

I don't have any problem with things like this. We should treat people with Mental Handicaps just like we do everyone else.

Everyone else don't get on TV though.

That's what bothers me somewhat about the show. We should indeed treat people with handicaps the same as anyone else, so that's why it feels weird to me when they're on TV only because of their handicap.

If a handicapped person appears in a TV-series, it won't bother me, but if he appears on TV only because of his handicap, it gets me sort of uncomfortable. That is, unless they're on TV to actually talk about their handicap, like on a talkshow. But if they're on TV just so you can watch them deal with their handicap in everyday life, as if they were in a zoo; it makes me sort of uncomfortable.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

I find [i/]everything[/i] entertaining on some level and this is no exception. Quite funny in fact.

 

[AvsJoe]

I find [i/]everything[/i] entertaining on some level and this is no exception. Quite funny in fact.

I'm kind of the same way because I naturally look for the humour in every situation. Except animal abuse. That isn't funny.

 

[Gigano]

Well, if you can laugh with them and not at them, and find amusement in a wholly different way of going about life, I see nothing wrong in it.

Hell, the early rounds of X-factor are far more cruel, designed as they are to mock the less sensible who doesn't even have any excuses. Still fun because they don't have any excuses, if a guilty pleasure.

 

[tharglet]

If it's done well, and the mental issues the people have are well-explained, it could do a lot to dispel the myths around certain mental illnesses.
Not sure if it's something I would watch regularly, but I'd at least watch some of it.

 

[Kebabco]

Well, after the responses of all these goody 2-shoes here i wonder why people are still watching Jersey shore, same thing.