Stuttering in Media
Hello! Do you feel there is a lack of stuttering awareness or representation within mainstream media, i.e. TV shows, Social Media, and Movies? For example, did the movie ‘The King’s Speech” have any impact on your life as a PWS?
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Stuttering in Media — 2 Comments
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The King’s Speech was not only a great film but because so many fluent people watched it they learned – perhaps for the first time – how hard it can be for those who stutter and in particular if they need to speak in public. The stuttering community needs to advocate for itself but it seems it’s only the brave few among us who are willing to go on TV and speak out. And you can see why, we’ve been denying / hiding trying to get rid of our dysfluency all our lives and the glare of camera and lights is alien to most of us.
Hi 3rc and thanks for your question!
I think the representation of stuttering in the media is still one sided and insufficient. The King’s Speech was definitely an important film for the stuttering community.
At the same time, I would like to start seeing and reading representations that normalize stuttering. Too often it is used as a metaphor for a “problem,” for a “challenge” — and as a result the protagonist becomes a hero.
I would like to live in a world where stuttering is a different way of speaking, and the person who stutters is not a hero but simply a person who speaks differently.
Andrea