 About the Author:
My name is Angelo Pereira. I grew up in Dubai and enjoy traveling. As a child, I would spend my summers in Mumbai and now I have traveled to several countries in Europe and East Asia. After high school in Dubai, I moved to the US to study finance at Indiana University – Bloomington. I accepted a full time offer in Seattle in 2017 where I met Tiffani through her stutter support chapter. We kept in touch and she invited me to write in for this event! |
Stuttering has made appearances in media through different mediums. The movie, King’s Speech, represented the struggles of an aristocrat trying to maintain his image to the public. Jimmy in South Park had slurred speech due to his disabilities on the show. This content captures an aspect of the impediment but falls short of painting a true picture.
There is a lack of representation in content that explains the challenges. Characters with a stutter are played by fluent actors which are sometimes depicted as less intelligent or sharp than their counterparts. This reinforces the stigma surrounding the impediment. Introducing lead characters played by true stutterers resolves several of these issues. It gives actors with a stutter the opportunity to perform and shows that acting can be inclusive.
There is also little representation of stuttering in kids’ shows and social media. Introducing child actors with a stutter allows audiences to experience stuttering. The script could walk them through acceptable behavior and responses around those who stutter so they can carry these lessons into adulthood.
In an increasingly digital world, influencers play a key role in awareness. Social media encourages users to create a false image of perfection by concealing their flaws. The book, Chatter: The Voice in Our Head by Ethan Kross, dives into the effects of social media on our psyche. He explains how platform users warp the self-image, impact the self-esteem and create insecurities in their audiences. Stutterers who measure themselves to these influencers may become susceptible to these issues. This situation can be tackled through numbers. The more influencers with a stutter there are on social media, the more normal and accepted it becomes. We created a world where social media represents everyone, not just those that appear perfect.
Stuttering support groups are an exceptional way to learn more about the impediment, stutter unrestricted and enjoy the company of those who can truly empathize. I believe stuttering events are a great way to meet and network with others who understand and can share experiences and coping techniques.
You are so right that there needs to be more childhood actors who stutter to influence the young kids views and depictions of stuttering and it sad that the media has helped to perpetuate the stigma and negative narrative around stuttering. I always feel the weight of us in the stuttering community having to take this on ourselves to help change the public perception of stuttering.
How do you think we can change the narrative around stuttering in the media so that we are having the right people and messages being sent across to the public eye?
Also I am curious what the stuttering community and awareness is like in Dubai?
Hey Kunal. More exposure is key. Encouraging people to listen to podcasts about stuttering and stutterers. Attending stuttering conferences and posting about them on social media can drive others to be emboldened to come forth with their impediments.
Dubai is relatively small and the community here is underdeveloped in my opinion. Some grassroot initiative was started in Abu Dhabi which made local headlines a few years ago.
Hi Angelo,
I think it’s great that you brought attention to the lack of representation of people who stutter in the media. When I have watched things in the media, they tend to portray people who stutter as less than which contributes to the stigma surrounding stuttering. Also, I never realized that the actors who do not stutter are the people portraying those who stutter in the media which made me appreciate how you mentioned introducing true stutters would give them an opportunity to perform and show inclusivity in the acting world. I feel as though you did a great job at emphasizing the importance of influencers with a stutter playing a part in stuttering becoming more accepted and seen as something that is normal. Your story really shined light on an important issue in the media and I hope more people take heed & start to play a part in the media being more accepting & respectful to the community of people who stutter!
Hey there. Thank you for the kind words!
Colin Firth, who plays the protagonist in King’s Speech, does not in fact stutter. This holds true in several movies and other performances out there. Emily Blunt was a stutterer but overcame the issue before hitting the spotlight so only stories of her past shed light on the impediment. Kendrick Lamar is another celebrity with a history but no recorded evidence of stuttering as well.
Hi Angelo, I think it is so great that you brought this issue to light. It is very upsetting that there is a lack of accurate representation for PWS. I would like to see this increase and end the stigma around stuttering and communication disorders. I would love to see how the media would begin to portray stuttering in a more positive light. PWS deserve to be treated as every other individuals are treated!
Hey Sidney. I agree entirely. There simply is not enough exposure on social media about stuttering. The best we can do is talk, discuss and start conversations to end the stigma.
Hi Angelo,
I love that you were inspired to write from another writer on here! I find that so cool to share the word and get others to post. I am currently in a fluency class in my masters program and we had to watch a show or movie with a character that stutters and write about how the media portrays a person who stutters. Your post reminded me of what I learned doing that assignment and I really enjoyed your post. I think having actors who truly stutter instead of people who are portraying a stutter would be much better.
Thanks so much for sharing.
-Callie
Hey Callie. Thanks for the comment!
Glad you could relate to my story. I was invited to talk in front of a speech pathology class a few years ago. I enjoyed the experience and found it pretty cool. I think the class appreciated it as well.
Hello Angelo,
It has really resonated with me about how you said that characters who stutter are played by fluent actors. Being a fluent actor who plays the role of a person who stutters could very easily go about it in a harmful way. I am currently in a fluency class in college and learn about children and adults who not only receive speech therapy from an SLP, but also need help emotionally healing as well. If children could have a more positive experience growing up with stuttering and not feel as ashamed, it could lead to a lot less emotional damage in the future. There are a lot of adults out there who had such a rough childhood being a person who stutters because there was never enough knowledge, experience, reinforcements, and support. But I love the idea of introducing children to the film world so that children who stutter can grow up idolising other children who stutter, not hating it.
Thank you for sharing!
Leigh Loyacano
Hey Leigh. Thanks for the comment!
I find that the physicality of stuttering is only half the challenge. Conforming to fluency and the negative connotations surrounding stuttering and its coping mechanisms is the other half. Stuttering would be a lot simpler to deal with and easier to accept if those around us knew how to interact with a person who stutters. Introducing actors with a stutter will help break these barriers and create a more accepting and better informed audience.
Hello Angelo,
I truly enjoyed reading your post and want to thank you for sharing. The portrayal of people who stutter on television was something that I had not paid much attention to until we discussed it in my fluency class. I can only imagine how hurtful that is to the psyche of a child/adult who stutters. When I was a child I took theatre classes and one of my fellow aspiring actors/actresses had a stutter. I remember the teacher telling us on the first day of rehearsal that we are never to interrupt or rush the future actor while he recites his lines. Though insignificant to me at the time, looking back I understand that the teacher’s advocacy taught me an important lesson when interacting with ALL people and provided the child with a safe place where he could act without fear of judgment or being interrupted.
Thank you again for sharing.
– Olivia
Hey Olivia. Great comment!
There is so much to unpack here. Kudos to the teacher and the parents who encouraged their child to perform despite the fear of being judged or mocked. Your teacher was clearly an ally for stipulating that no one interrupt or rush the child who stuttered. I would also like to thank you for remembering that moment, taking time to reflect on it, empathizing with those around you and sharing it on my post.
Hi Angelo,
Your post was truly enlightening to read. I never thought about the people who play these characters in shows and movies are not a person who stutters. I agree that it would be powerful to have a person who stutters play these roles. This would help children become more aware of children who stutter in their everyday lives. Our society does live by the media, and the world does need to see more of a better representation. I really enjoyed your post and hope one day this will happen.
Hey CKaram. Thank you for the comment!
I’m glad you liked my post. This is how awareness and change starts; dissecting topics and looking at them from different angles. Thank you for reading my post and commenting on it.