Analysis Of The Disability In Tod Browning's Film Freaks

1. Disability- Upon analysis of the term disability, Tod Browning’s film “Freaks” immediately comes to mind as it portrays the stark reality of how people with disabilities were viewed within the American society at the time. “Freaks” was critical in the early 1900’s, because the general public perceived this group of people as inferior humans with inhumane qualities. This film was pivotal in humanizing people with disabilities, and teaching the public the classic lesson that judging a book by its cover will never give valuable insight as to the internal character. While the term disability applies to Tod Browning’s “Freaks,” it actually once characterized even larger classifications of people. For example, women were once viewed as unable …show more content…
Racial Formation- One inherent characteristic of humans is that they are initially afraid of what is different or what they do not understand. This is perhaps where racial discrimination first developed, and it has been present in the American society since the first settlers came to the New World. While people of all races are treated equally under the law, people with differing ethnicities are still frequently mistreated and discriminated against. In recent years, however, Americans have become increasingly more accepting of racial diversity. In his elaborate essay Diversity and Its Discontents, Arturo Madrid eloquently put it “we now live in one of the most demographically diverse nations in the world…an age of continuous and intense change” (416). Once an environment that encouraged to racial discrimination, America has become one of the most accepting societies with regards to diversity. Still, opposition between races is quite apparent and common in today’s society, but is slowly becoming less of the social norm than it was a half century ago. Racial formation is not a concept of assimilation amongst races, but rather a matter of Americans embracing racial differences as a society in addition to one’s own race and …show more content…
Class- When faced with questions regarding their class, as compared to questions regarding their race or heritage, Americans are hesitant or reluctant to respond. This is due to the fact that class is a very controversial topic in which most people wish to not identify with specifically. For instance, individuals of the upper or middle class are concerned because they are stating that there is a group of people socially and economically below them, and working class people are more often embarrassed of their status or view themselves as the few who are truly moving up in class. Ultimately, class is just a way for people to classify other people based upon certain similarities, whether those qualities are income, equity, social status, or many other traits. In her argument Decloaking Class: Why Class Identity and Consciousness Count, Janet Zandy states that contrary to what most Americans will admit, class does matter as it shapes individuals’ lives and intersects with gender, ethnicity, race, and geography in great ways (103). The beauty of the American dream is the belief and faith that regardless of the class in which one was born into; they will always have the opportunity, if they are willing to work for it, to elevate their own status and class. Classes are a convenient way of organizing or grouping people, but they actually segregate people even more. However, what most do not realize is that the success of the nation’s economy is dependent on each class and