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Is The Witches offensive to disabled people?
Tori_Scope
Community Team Posts: 2,780 Disability Gamechanger
Disability campaigners criticise new Witches film for depicting villain with no fingers
All too often the “baddies” in dramas are depicted with an impairment. This sends a troubling message that implies that limb difference is something to be feared and hidden away.
For Scope, the film industry should be celebrating diversity and using its immense power to change negative attitudes towards disability, not reinforcing damaging stereotypes and outdated tropes.
What's the situation?
Disability campaigners have criticised the new Roald Dahl film The Witches as stigmatising those with missing limbs.In the new version of the popular children’s book, Anna Hathaway, who plays the Grand High Witch, is depicted with missing fingers on her claw-like hands which she hides with gloves, a detail that is not part of the original text.
A trailer accompanying the film shows the star-studded cast giving a tutorial on “How to Identify Witches” and highlights claws and a lack of toes as typical characteristics of witches.
What do Scope think?
We think this situation is hugely disappointing. We know that, for many disabled people, it’s rare see themselves represented on screen.All too often the “baddies” in dramas are depicted with an impairment. This sends a troubling message that implies that limb difference is something to be feared and hidden away.
For Scope, the film industry should be celebrating diversity and using its immense power to change negative attitudes towards disability, not reinforcing damaging stereotypes and outdated tropes.
What have others said?
Comedian and presenter Alex Brooker spoke up on the issue:As someone with missing fingers, it’s made me so sad to see how this is portrayed as something to be scared of.
The story is that the witches wear gloves to hide what is horrible underneath. I’ve been that kid who wanted to wear gloves to hide so it’s heart-breaking to see that stigma reinforced for other children who have different hands to everyone else.
I know it’s just a film, but I want disabled kids to celebrate who they are, not feel like they have the same hands as a fictional monster.
The story is that the witches wear gloves to hide what is horrible underneath. I’ve been that kid who wanted to wear gloves to hide so it’s heart-breaking to see that stigma reinforced for other children who have different hands to everyone else.
I know it’s just a film, but I want disabled kids to celebrate who they are, not feel like they have the same hands as a fictional monster.
Children’s limb difference charity Reach has said:
Many limb difference children and young people have a significant challenging time accepting being different, overcoming mental health and physical challenges that many others take for granted and being subjected to bullying.
Roald Dahl is a much loved British author around the world. We think he would be equally as horrified about how one of his beautiful novels has been misconstrued at the cost of some very special and unique children.
Roald Dahl is a much loved British author around the world. We think he would be equally as horrified about how one of his beautiful novels has been misconstrued at the cost of some very special and unique children.
Para-triathlon world champion Claire Cashmore wrote:
We want disabilities to to be normalised and be represented in a positive light rather than being associated with being a scary, evil, witch.
What have Warner Bros. said?
However, Warner Bros. have come out with a statement defending their choice:
[We are] deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of the fictional characters in The Witches could upset people with disabilities.
In adapting the original story, we worked with designers and artists to come up with a new interpretation of the cat-like claws that are described in the book.
It was never the intention for viewers to feel that the fantastical, non-human creatures were meant to represent them.
In adapting the original story, we worked with designers and artists to come up with a new interpretation of the cat-like claws that are described in the book.
It was never the intention for viewers to feel that the fantastical, non-human creatures were meant to represent them.
What do you think? Is The Witches offensive to disabled people? Have you ever been offended by the way someone has been depicted in a film or TV show? What might the consequences of negative portrayals of disability be?
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Replies
Im sure that adults can handle such things but youngsters could be terribly upset by it, or at least there is that possibility.
We agree that those in the media should consider what the effect of their portrayals might be, especially on younger people.
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Sorry for the rant this has hit a nerve for me
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Frankenstein was another called a monster and it was his looks which terrified the populace, however he too was at one point portrayed as having a soft and gentle side.
Ugliness has generally been associated with evil in fictional works and has played upon our innate fears of such shamefully really.
There are examples of disabled people being given positive roles though. If anyone watches the TV show Vikings, Ivar the Boneless has no use of his legs but he was shown to be a great tactician and just as capable a fighter as all of the other Vikings.
I haven't watched Vikings @66Mustang, but it sounds good!
That's got me thinking about another topic: incidental representations of disabled people. Jack Carroll wrote a post for Scope last year about making representations of disabled people in film incidental, rather than the focus. It's a really interesting article, and he makes the point that:
However, as representation becomes more and more common on our screens, I believe the way to truly represent disability - certainly in my experience (which is all I have to draw from) - will be to almost entirely ignore it and make it incidental, rather than a focal point.
To show that people with disabilities are flawed beings with foibles and loves and hates and longing and angst (I’ll stop it before it gets too self-referential), just like the rest of humanity, and they just happen to have a disability.
This opens the door (automatic, obviously) for disabled talent to shine in all manner of stories, and be granted the same responsibility for art and expression as their able-bodied counterparts.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? If we can agree that negative or untrue representations of disabled people are bad, then what is a good representation? Is it one that's incidental, or one that draws attention to difference?
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I think it is quite historically accurate. I believe Ivar the Boneless is a real Viking but that may not be correct.
That said it is quite a graphic program showing in great detail what horrors the Vikings committed. They would go into unarmed Christian villages and churches and torture and kill everyone inside for fun.
But it also shows how forward thinking they were as well for example everyone’s skills were put to use in the most efficient way possible in Viking culture, for example if you weren’t a great fighter you could do something else, and also, things like the fact that women were allowed to be warriors and leaders if they wanted to.
‘...what is a good representation? Is it one that's incidental, or one that draws attention to difference?’
Let me begin by saying I do my best to be sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others not out of some scrambling PC fear, but because not hurting others seems like a basic level of decency we should all be striving for. As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry. I did not connect limb difference with the GHW when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened.
I particularly want to say I’m sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better I promise I’ll do better. And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I’m sorry I let your family down.
If you aren’t already familiar, please check out the @Lucky_Fin_Project (video above) and the #NotAWitch hashtag to get a more inclusive and necessary perspective on limb difference.
What do you think?
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I don't think giving the witch a limb difference adds anything to the story, and when you measure that against the potential negative effects, it's not worth it in my opinion. Although you might not interpret the depiction of the witch in this way, others might do, even subconsciously, and this can perpetuate negative stereotypes that we should really be avoiding.
I think it also indicates a wider lack of thought or consideration for disabled people by the filmmakers, so this could be a good opportunity for disabled people to make it clear that distasteful representations won't be tolerated, and that positive representations of disabled people can be really important, especially to children.
I'd be interested to hear more on your thoughts about it though!
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And the fact that there's no mention of missing digits in the book is one of the reasons why so many people are upset I think, as the film adaptation has added this as an extra feature.
Do you think it being an afterthought could make it worse in some people's eyes @Grinchy?
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We have to accept that 'some' people will see this film and weaponise it against people with differences. It is great that you and your family accepted your dad's accident. My daughter accepts my disability as she knows no different but the same cannot be said of people in society and that's the point.
Specialist Information Officer - Cerebral Palsy
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It's a big part of the reason I don't like Salt and Vinegar crisps lol, the Salt gets in it.
i'm sorry that people are being offended, i don't think that was the intent, just another cool thing to add to the design in there eyes, its a shame that its caused offence, i can understand that its upsetting if you have a similar impairment,
Not suggesting you're of that persuasion though.
Specialist Information Officer - Cerebral Palsy
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., People who are not your friends use the word in a way which is completely different.
I actually shared a house in London with a lovely African doctor, working as a minicab driver, but who worried a lot about his ex wife, in another part of London with their children. His concern was exactly that, her belief in witches. There wasn't much he could do to protect one of them. Her church leader was keen to do various rituals because they had declared the child was a witch, or a witch who needed the 'devil' to be forced out of her body, or something. The father worried that the ceremonies were frightening the child, branding her as evil, witch, devil-possessed, liable to be dangerous to all around her because she might curse them or put spells on them or kill them with her witch-stare, which is a lot of responsibility for a six year old.
That little girl would not find the fairy stories and films a pleasant entertainment.