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Introduction
Media, including books, films, news, and music, contains messages. In some cases, the messaging of a media piece is apparent; in others, it might require prolonged discussion and consideration. Meanings can be placed both intentionally and unintentionally, being an inherent part of the author’s understanding of the world. Popular media, and pop culture, as its extension, similarly translates certain meanings to its audience. Widely-known films, books, and songs work as primary mediums for forming a common understanding of the world, its principles, and its people. However, the conception of the world provided by media is not always accurate to its real state or representative of more complicated aspects of the human condition.
There is a palpable difficulty in making pop culture media that is both socially or intellectually apt and accessible to a large audience. For this reason, it is vital to examine and critically discuss the messaging inherent to popular culture. In some cases, pop culture can perpetuate wrongful assumptions of its creators or contribute to existing societal stereotypes. In the present discussion, a specific piece of media will be examined as an example of harmful pop culture. In particular, I would like to examine a recently produced film called Music. Released in January 2021, the film severely underperformed and saw generally negative reviews. There are a number of reasons behind this development, most of which will be discussed. Furthermore, the work will touch on the effects of harmful stereotypes in media and attempt to re-design and improve Music.
Overview of Music and its Perpetuated Biases
Music is a drama/musical, produced by a popular singer and songwriter, Sia. It features a core cast of two sisters – Zu and Music, trying to reconnect and learn to live as a family. The latter of the two is a young girl on an autism spectrum, with the former being her legal guardian. Both women face their own unique problems, having to come together in order to lead more happy and fulfilling lives. The movie often changes the perspective from a mundane portrayal of life to musical scenes. The colorful, loud, and active portions of the film are meant to simulate Music’s perception of the world. As mentioned, the film was not received well upon its release, with low revenues and scores. The COVID-19 pandemic can partially explain the lack of attendance. However, the severe audience backlash stems from a completely different issue. The portrayal of autism and autistic people in the movie is incorrect and harmful to real individuals with autism. As described by many detractors, stimming and movements portrayed by Music’s neurotypical actress were severely exaggerated (Kellogg, 2021). Both the behaviors and physical actions of Music play into common stereotypes about autistic people and do not represent their real experiences. The restraining methods utilized in some films are recognized by the community and medical organizations as unnecessary and harmful (Kellogg, 2021). Furthermore, there were also many technical problems with the film that invoked criticism from the neurodivergent community. The musical scenes used many flashing lights, strobe effects, and loud noises, all of which can be difficult to process by autistic individuals. The person starting a petition about the film noted that the experience of watching it overwhelmed them (Albert, 2021). Another technical issue plaguing the production stemmed from the lack of actual autistic people involved in filming, acting, or other parts of the piece. The only organization Sia used as a reference in her work was Autism Speaks, a group notorious among the autistic community.
While the film was not centered on the topic of autism as its message, the stereotype-heavy portrayal and a lack of research make it a harmful piece of media. The movie misinforms the public about the lives, experiences, and behaviors of autistic people. Additionally, it also teaches them to respond incorrectly to meltdowns. For the autistic community, the film stands as another half-hearted attempt at representation, lacking the proper research or care to truly do the topic justice. Aside from simply producing no social value, watching the film can be visually overstimulating for neurodivergent people as well, creating a threat to physical wellness.
Role of Pop Culture in Harmful Messaging
As per the introductory paragraph, pop culture plays a central role in shaping the world’s common understanding. It exists as a facet of art, a source of information, and a publicly available discussion about the world people live in. This means, effectively, that any potentially harmful messages can spread easily through pop culture. Due to being in a unique position of influence, it is necessary to hold popular media to account while also understanding its limits in spreading the right kinds of information.
The popularization of culture partially relies on existing trends in society, its development, as well as the specific group where a media becomes popular. Stereotypes, as a part of persistent belief based on culture or prejudice, act as a significant determining factor in a piece of media getting popular. A film or book that plays into the common understanding of an issue, or centers its discussion on it, can have a much easier time becoming popular than its more nuanced counterparts. In this way, popular media is constructed partially through stereotypes, having a limited capacity to disprove them.
The central conceit of pop culture as being informed by the ideas of society surrounding it, however, does not shield media from responsibility. It is necessary for both consumers and producers of pop media to be aware of the potentially harmful messages in popular culture, exercising care and caution in interacting with them. As a viewer, it is necessary to constantly challenge one’s preconceptions of the world, attempting to see various perspectives on an issue in order to come to a better understanding of it. In the case of subjects such as autism, listening and platforming autistic individuals is the best choice. This solution both improves the visibility of a marginalized community and gives direct perspectives on many topics readily available.
Re-designing Music
If I could change Music, I would start with a number of managerial and organizational decisions. It is necessary to involve the autistic community in the production of the film in order to help reach better accuracy, avoid harmful stereotypes, and receive any other necessary feedback. Next, a neurodivergent person should play the role of an autistic girl. This casting choice can achieve two different goals – reinforce the role of the film as a positive force for autistic representations and achieve a more nuanced portrayal. In most areas of work, autistic people face difficulties seeking employment, and using autistic actors in production could be the necessary step toward solving this problem. Additionally, toning down the flashiness of musical scenes in order to make them more accessible is an obvious change. Moving on from the subject of production, the writing and research that went into the film also have to be improved. More research into proper interactions with autistic people, their issues, and methods of response is crucial. In terms of the plot, changes beyond improving the portrayal of the autistic lead need to be made. While framed as both complicated and loving, the relationship between the sisters comes across as deeply dehumanizing. This issue can be solved by involving autistic people in the writing process.
Conclusion
In conclusion, popular media exists as a tool for understanding the world while also being a product of its creation. Many types of pop culture, including movies, are being made with problematic or dangerous messages, leading to real-life harm to certain groups. The problem becomes more apparent when issues of presentation affect marginalized communities, which have historically enjoyed lesser attention than others. It is necessary to understand the existence of harmful messaging while minimizing its quantity in pop culture (Barrio et al., 2020). In the present discussion, the topic of the film Music, produced and directed by Sia, was brought up. The film strove to tackle subjects of familial relationships, self-improvement, and autism. However, its presentation of the latter caused major pushback against the film. Riddled with major inaccuracies and problems, it stands as a prime example of a piece of pop culture containing harmful stereotypes. Many parts of the production have to be changed to remedy the movie’s problems and make it a deserving example of autistic representation.
References
Albert, O. (2021). Sia’s “Music” receives backlash from the local and International Autism communities. The Lantern. Web.
Barrio, B. L., Hsiao, Y.-J., Kelley, J. E., & Cardon, T. A. (2020). Representation matters: Integrating books with characters with autism in the classroom. Intervention in School and Clinic, 56(3), 172–176. Web.
Flower, R. L., Dickens, L. M., & Hedley, D. (2021). Barriers to employment: Raters’ perceptions of male autistic and non-autistic candidates during a simulated job interview and the impact of Diagnostic disclosure. Autism in Adulthood, 3(4), 300–309. Web.
Kellogg, K. (2021). Sia’s new film “Music” isn’t just a bad representation of autistic people; it’s downright dangerous. Rooted in Rights. Web.
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