With the clamor and outrage over the movie, “Tropic Thunder” just dying down, you’d think that Hollywood would carefully scrutinize any movie that it wants to release, especially those depicting people with disabilities. I suppose Hollywood loves the controversy because right on the heels of “Tropic Thunder”, they bring out a movie called “Blindness”.

“Blindness” is about a mysterious epidemic of blindness that breaks out in an unnamed town. Fearing that this blindness is contagious, the government warehouses the newly blind folks into an old psychiatric hospital sporting armed guards outside the doors, with orders to shoot to kill anyone who tries to escape. Supplies and food are supposed to be delivered to the inmates, but because of the unpredictability of the deliveries, these soon become scarce. The people inside the facility then degenerate into animalistic behavior, soiling themselves, and being filthy because they can’t find the bathrooms.

Due to lack of hygiene, people begin dying of diseases and infections because they can’t take care of themselves. Meanwhile, some resort to a hierarchical, criminalized type of existence reminiscent of “Lord of the Flies”. The criminal element rises to positions of leadership and extorts everyone else’s valuables for food, even demanding sex from the women in return for food for others! A few folks then band together to rebel against the criminal leaders, and in the process, a fire starts in the hospital. When the survivors escape, they discover that everyone in the town is blind, and civilization there has disappeared. People are wandering around naked, squatting where they will, everything is filthy, and there is chaos. Then, just as mysteriously as the blindness epidemic began, it is over, and people begin regaining their sight. Hmmmm.

I have some serious issues with this movie. So do several organizations of people who are blind, or have low vision, and protests have already been planned and conducted around the nation. As some may know, I am almost totally blind due to a condition called retinopathy of prematurity. In other words, I was born prematurely, with low birth weight. I was placed in an incubator where too much oxygen was used, which took away most of my sight. I had other issues going on, which resulted in eye surgeries, glasses, and contact lenses at a very young age. Over time, I developed glaucoma, which resulted in several unsuccessful laser surgeries. Even in the last two years, I have lost more sight, and now have no useful vision in my right eye.

I reveal this personal information to emphasize that I am at both ends of the spectrum in vision loss since I had congenital (present at birth or soon after) low vision and I am still losing sight. That’s why this movie upsets me. It depicts us in a wildly stereotypical light. It presents blindness as a catastrophe that causes people not only to become helpless, but to lose their dignity, indeed, their humanity. If I were newly blind, and didn’t know better, I would be scared to death! I wouldn’t want to live if what happened to newly blind people in “Blindness” were to be my fate.

Those of us in the Blind/low vision community know better. When I was a child, I was mainstreamed and taught how to take care of myself and how to get around. In school, my assignments were converted to large print. When I was a young adult, and was still losing sight, I was given mobility training, and taught to use a cane.

I worked for a time at the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, where people who are blind or who have low vision were taught independent living skills. Most of the staff were either blind or had low vision. During this time, I trained myself to get around without the white cane. Recently, as I have lost even more vision, I have been provided talking watches, thermometers, and a computer that talks! I have tactile buttons on my microwave and oven at home. Although I only see light and blurs, I get around well at work and home, and am able to ride the bus by myself anywhere I want in the city without getting lost. Until I met my partner, I lived alone with no problems.

Do you get what I’m saying? This movie, “Blindness” creates an image of blind people that is patently false. Once someone who is blind learns something, it never goes away. The very nature of blindness means that one has to be organized in thinking and habits. People who are blind are every bit as adaptable as the next person, and no less cultured and refined. While losing one’s sight is certainly scary, people who are newly blind can (and do) adapt and learn to be independent and successful.

With all of the agencies and groups out there to assist someone who is newly blind, or losing their sight, why wasn’t this researched by the film makers? Yes, I know that the movie is based on a book written in 1995 by a Nobel prize winning author, but even he should have known better. The spectre of the breakdown of civilization due to this kind of epidemic could have been possible back during the days of Neanderthal or Cro Magnon peoples, or even the dawn of Homo sapiens civilization, but not in 1995, and certainly not 2008! There is too much technology out there.

In my opinion, this illustrates the prejudices of our society in that it is ok to demonize, make fun of, or to present false information about people with various disabilities. What’s more, those of us who are part of these communities are told that we have no right to get angry when this is done because “it’s only satire”, or “it’s not meant to harm or offend you”, or, in referring to the movie, “it’s a courageous parable about the triumph of the human spirit when civilization breaks down.” Sorry, but making a movie where civilization will break down only because people are going blind is insulting at best. Think about it. Here in New York, we have a governor, David Paterson, who is legally blind. He uses technology to aid him in his daily tasks, but he is able to think for himself, and govern an entire state!

Surely, the film’s screenwriters, et al could have turned this into something more positive, showing how the town was able to be governed, and run successfully by its blind citizens. But of course not! The film industry apparently makes more money on presenting negative images of people with disabilities. It isn’t interested in depicting us as well-rounded, complex, talented, independent, and interesting people, at least, not consistently. Still, after “Tropic Thunder”, you’d think Hollywood would have learned a lesson about angering folks with disabilities. I guess it hasn’t, and as a result of this inability to learn, theatres around the country who show this movie will be dealing with well-deserved protests.