Sep 28, 2018
it's cool if a disabled actor embraces that they're considered monsterlike because of their looks, and use that to their own advantage, but that doesn't make it less ableist. if you are "deformed", and people want to showcase you as a bizarre, ugly and threatening creature, that's exactly like a freak show. sure, the freaks had a place to go and a way to make money on their own terms, but they were still treated like subhumans. that doesn't change when it's on a movie screen. going "look at this freaky dude with his long limbs and how crazy he looks and the monsters he's played" is you gawking at a disabled person like they're an exhibit. no word about their talent or whatever, all you care about is that they look a certain way.
