I told my family that I didn't want to see Split bc it's ableist against ppl w DID. My dad said I'm being too sensitive, bc it isn't saying -all- ppl with DID are bad and that I watch films like se7en, Donnie Darko who have 'evil' mentally ill characters so I'm a hypocrite. I think I have autism (my fam dont know and Im scared to self-dx) Hannibal has an autistic character and that made me really happy but (p1) #stressedboi
but my dad said I should get offended by it and not watch it bc it’s portrayed in a way that’s offensive to autistic ppl? I get really anxious about watching something in case it’s ableist and I feel like I can’t enjoy any of my favourite shows anymore. Am I a bad person for liking and relating to some of these apparently ableist characters? (p2) #stressedboi
Hi,
I’m sorry to hear that your family wasn’t understanding of why you don’t want to see Split and that your father criticized you instead. It sounds like he doesn’t understand why movies like Split are harmful and wanted to turn the tables on you. You are not being too sensitive, anon, and you are not a hypocrite. Your reasons for liking and relating to characters with mental illness are different from someone who doesn’t have any experience with MI.
The problem with Split isn’t that it’d be directly saying all people with DID are ‘bad’. The problem is that DID is already a widely misunderstood disorder that has been used as a shock factor in crime stories and thrillers countless times. It’s a common trope in crime fiction, for example. People who have no knowledge about the disorder and no personal experience with it are likely to come out of the movie theater having a stronger prejudice against people with DID, believing that the events in Split are common to DID. They’re not.
And, to me personally, Split looks like it just wants to capitalize on people’s fear and curiosity of mental illness and fascination with ‘morbid weirdness’. This is my opinion based on the trailer as I’m not planning to see the movie. Capitalizing on misconceptions and prejudices about a serious disorder that’s caused by long-lasting and recurring childhood trauma is, in my opinion, infuriating.
I don’t believe watching and even enjoying media that’s ableist in some way makes anyone a bad person. The fact is that we live in a society that produces almost nothing but harmful, problematic media. It’s a losing battle to try and weed out everything that’s ever featured a bad trope from your list of shows and movies to watch, and as humans, we need entertainment in our lives and we need to see characters we can relate to on the screen.
You are absolutely allowed to pick and choose what to watch and like. The important thing is to acknowledge all the ways media demonizes mental illness and, if you have the energy and are safe to do so, possibly educate people around you why movie/show x is harmful and incorrect. Which is what you tried to do, anon, and you should be proud of yourself for it!
Take care,- Kaisa
