Cliches

Smith and I share a similar sentiment. And I think many disabled people out there also share it. There's a reason English professors tell their students to avoid using cliches: they are trite, dull, vague, and one-dimensional, much like the representation of Archie as a disabled person, according to Smith. I don't have a problem with crip drag (but the term sounds icky, so I guess you could say that I have a problem with the wording). What I have a problem with is the representation. A cliche is a cliche and a stereotype is a stereotype, crip drag or not. If an able-bodied actor is convincing and truly strikes a chord or emotion within an individual while accurately portraying a disabled person, and if the character has substance and is multi-dimensional, than the representation deserves praise. Actors are paid to act, and if they do the role justice, why not use them? I don't think the film industry should go in search of disabled people and try to turn them into actors, but if there are disabled actors out there in search of the film industry, then why not use these people (And I don't just mean for "special" token episodes of shows or for roles where demonstration of disability is the focal point of the film or show). Make more recurring roles for these people, as Smith says. And if the industry does this, they have to do it right, or not at all. One "special" episode a season won't cut it. These types of episodes make disabilities seem rare, when they really aren't. The character doesn't have to be the disability itself, but a multi-faceted individual who happens to have a disability.