When I heard Johnny Knoxville was going to be in a movie in which he pretends to be mentally impaired so he can fix the Special Olympics, I cringed. And then I made a mental note that I needed to see "The Ringer."
I have debated whether I want to give money to Knoxville, who still seems to be making a career out of being ridiculous and falling down.
The biggest reason I haven't seen it is because I'm afraid of being really, really offended. Anyone who pretends to be mentally impaired is generally going to display some stereotypical behaviors. Watching Knoxville drool, stutter and stumble around just doesn't seem that appetizing.
The Farrelly brothers have said in interviews that they made the movie to show the human side of people with disabilities — that they aren't just creatures to be mocked and ridiculed.
Which seems great, right? Of course what we need is another movie to show how handicapped people are just like everyone else, despite being "confined" to their wheelchairs.
In so many movies and television shows, the disabled people are the good and moral people.
Who hasn't seen the television magazine show that tells you the wonderful story of the woman or man with no legs or arms or who is blind, but still lives like everyone else and works harder than everyone else. Aren't they inspirational? Aren't they fantastic?
And then there are the people who show up on The Maury Povich Show — these are the worst ones.
They are usually the people who are legless or armless or both. Povich hugs them, tells the audience how they got the way they are and then sometimes allows them to do some kind of act, like singing.
Then he does the big ending, when he offers them a computer or something else they have wanted.
And the crowd coos and everyone claps and smiles, and I throw the remote at the television.
So can you see how this has made me rather bitter? The people I see on television and movies who look like me aren't a good representation of me at all.
Because, yes, I have had a challenging life. But I'm not inspirational, and I haven't achieved everything in my life despite not having any legs. I did it all without having legs.
But the reason I still watch TV and don't despair is a show that represents disabled people in different dimensions — "South Park."
The show has two disabled characters — Jimmy, the super-crip who makes everyone feel better through motivational speaking, and the mentally disabled Timmy.
Through Timmy and Jimmy we learn that people with disabilities should be allowed out in society. They can be bad people, too, and they can throw a mean punch.
As a side note, if you haven't seen the "Cripple Fight" episode, go out and rent season five right now.
They are shown as a part of the group, not anything special or heroic. They are also sometimes shown just as devious and rotten as the rest of the group.
They make the same mistakes and have the same problems as everybody else. They are regular kids, as regular as any of the children in "South Park."
I have to love "South Park" because my options are limited. I can count on one hand the number of disabled characters on television.
So I cling to "South Park" and its dysfunctional, yet normal, handicapped characters. And maybe I will see "The Ringer." If Knoxville loses in the end to a handicapped kid, I might feel vindicated a little. And if that handicapped kid turns out to be a little obnoxious and knows what Knoxville is up to and still kicks his butt, I might even start seeing more movies again.
Rebecca McNulty is the State News opinion writer. Reach her at mcnult13@msu.edu.
