Assignment 1:

Portrayal of Developmental Disabilities in the Media

Emma Sarbit September 21 2013 Student #:50999077

Plot Summary: In 1998, ten years after the release of Rain Man (one of cinemas earliest and most famous exposs of an autistic individual) came the action thriller Mercury Rising. Based on the book Simple Simon, the movie tells the story of a young autistic protagonist named Simon Lynch (Miko Hughes). The storyline begins with the creation of a super code by the National Security Agency of the United States (NSA). The code they refer to as Mercury is deemed uncrackable. However, in a last effort to test the soundness of the code, it is published in a puzzle book. In order to solve the puzzle, one must be able to crack the code: a feat sure to be impossible. However, nine year old Simon who has an affinity for puzzles is able to quickly and successfully decipher the coded message. By doing so, Simon unknowingly and unintentionally generates anxiety and panic amongst the codes creators (headed by Kudrow, played by Alec Baldwin). Convinced that Simon is one of natures mistakes and will place the code into the hands of the United States enemies, Kudrow orders his assassination. However, the assassin cannot locate Simon and instead ends up murdering Simons parents. After the attack, an undercover FBI agent named Art Jeffries (Bruce Willis) becomes responsible for locating Simon and protecting his safety. In true Hollywood fashion, Art ends up keeping Simon out of harms way and eventually cracking the case and bringing down those responsible at the NSA. Depiction of Autism within the film: In assessing the portrayal of autism within the movie, we must take into account the time period in which it was released. In 1998, autism was still an understudied and controversial subject matter. Many people still believed that autism was caused by an increased exposure to Mercury (hence the subtle symbolism of the movie title) from environmental factors or immunizations which caused brain toxification. Our modern views of autism are now quite different and more information is available that disproves this vaccination theory, provides little conclusive evidence suggesting ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) children are unable to detoxify efficiently, and sheds light on ASD in general.

However, from a lack of understanding emerges numerous myths and stereotypes. This is demonstrated in Mercury Rising, as throughout the film there are numerous negative and stigmatizing portrayals of individuals with ASD. These representations are closely aligned with the common symptoms of general handicapism, defined as a set of assumptions and practices that promote the differential and unequal treatment of people because of apparent or assumed physical, mental, or behavioral differences (Biklen & Bogdan, 1977). However, despite the abundant negative representations, the movie also emphasizes some positive messages about people with developmental disabilities and autism in particular. In many circumstances Simon is portrayed in a non-stigmatizing and normalized manner, conceivably educating the public about the disorder and appropriate and constructive ways to interact with autistic individuals in the community. Handicapism: The first obvious stereotype throughout the film is the portrayal of autistic individuals as being savants. The plot of Mercury Rising centres on the savantism of Simon and his astonishing ability to solve puzzles. His performance of surpassing the combined efforts of two supercomputers reinforces this common myth noted in several movies featuring autistic individuals (for example Rainman and Mozart and the Whale). In fact, there are very few movies with autistic characters that do not have savant-like skills. However, in truth savantism is rare among autistic persons and therefore this portrayal of a computational, non-human model of the autistic brain (Baker, 2008) raises expectations of ASD individuals to unrealistic levels. In addition to proliferating the myth of savantism, the movie also presents Simons character as exhibiting many physical, social/emotional and communicatory behaviours that demonstrate an exaggerated and stereotyped view of autistic individuals, atypical of the majority. Physically, Simon is shown rocking back and forth while in a seated position and appearing isolated from his peers. His posture is also withdrawn, he is overly sensitive to touch, avoids eye contact, has limited facial expression and carries his head down. Socially and emotionally, Simon is bound by a rigid routine,

has a very difficult time interacting with others, appears to have a lack of feelings, is easily irritable, and is shown to have a preoccupation with a narrow topic of interest (specifically symbols and numbers). Simon also demonstrates a severe difficulty with verbal communication. During the film, he only verbalizes two complete sentences: Mommy, Simon is home and You are a stranger. His use of these two sentences repetitively and sometimes inappropriately, as well as his abnormal rhythm and monotonous robotic tone depicts a diminished cognitive ability. Although autism spectrum disorders are neurodevelopmental disorders defined by deficits in social reciprocity, communication, and by unusual restricted, repetitive behaviors, (Neumann, 2010) we need to be cognisant not to proliferate the myth that every autistic individual will act in this same extreme manner, or draw negative assumptions related to their atypical communication. Additionally, derogatory and disability focused language are found throughout the film. At one point, Art introduces Simon to a woman in a coffee shop by stating he has autism. Only after the mention of the disability, does the woman inquire as to what his name is. Furthermore, Kudrow and his employees in a discussion about Simon, use terms such as handicapped, retarded, having diminished capacity and being shut off to describe autistic individuals. Lastly, the film demonstrations place mentality (the thought that individuals with developmental disabilities should be together, separated from the general public) by showing and focusing on Simons segregation. Simon is shown to be going to school at a Neurophysciatric Learning Center for students with developmental disabilities as well as riding a separate school bus home. Positive Messages: As mentioned previously, the film does have some positive aspects in relation to the depiction of autistic individuals as well. Throughout the movie, emphasis is placed on the changes in Simons behaviour when he is surrounded by supportive individuals as opposed to intolerant individuals. His behaviour is aggressive with those whom he is not comfortable; however he appears more calm and composed in situations where he is with familiar, gentle and understanding individuals. This change in behaviour dismisses the myth that autistic individuals are unperceptive to cues as he demonstrates

his ability to decipher between good and ill-intentioned individuals. Additionally, Simon also dispels the myth that autistic individuals lack the ability to bond, as he ends up creating deep, meaningful and lasting bonds with Art, a woman who Art befriends in a coffee shop, and his ensuing foster family. Conclusion: The accurate representation of disorders (including the ASD spectrum) in the media is important as much of what society at large learns comes from these circumstances. It is therefore imperative that misrepresentations are minimized as to stop the proliferation of myths and handicapism in our society. Specifically in the case of autism, media representations such as the one in this film (Mercury Rising) have contributed to a divergence between the general image of autism and the clinical reality.

References: Baker A.D. (2008) Recognizing Jake: contending with formulaic and spectacularized representations of autism in film. In: Osteen M., editor. Autism and representation. Taylor & Francis; New York, NY/London, UK. pp. 229243. Neumann, N., Dubischar-Krivec, A., Brain, C., Low, A., Poustka, F., Bolte, S., Birbaumer, N. (2010). The mind of the mnemonists: An MEG and neuropsychological study of autistic memory savants. Behavioral Brain Research. p. 114-121.