Representation: Class, Ethnicity and Disability

recall the class system

A: high ranking managers in jobs like law/medicine
B: middle managers in companies, health or education
C1: junior managers or supervisors
C2: skilled manual workers like carpenters or electricians
D: unskilled manual workers
E: the unemployed or others in low income casual work

examples of the class system in ST

A: dr brenner
B: jim hopper
C1: ted wheeler
C2: benny hammond
D: joyce byers
E: lonnie

what is the disability representation in ST?

• dustin has cleidocranial dysplasia (extra teeth, no collar bones)

• he is bullied over this, called a 'freak'

• his friends use comedic relief to reduce the tension 'it's like a superpower'

• can seem like it's trivialising the disorder

• lack of disability representation

what is the ethnic representation in ST?

• only 3 poc (lucas, officer and principle)

• very little ethnic diversity (american is very diverse, it isn't represented well)

• lucas' race isn't a plot point which isn't accurate as racism was still very common (slightly shown with bullies)

• lucas isn't typcasted (doesn't go through big race problem)

what is gilroy's post colonialist theory?

• 1500-1900 there was colonialism (countries going to other countries, claiming them and running them)

• gilroy believes it impacted our current media (other ethnic minorities are dehumanised and see as 'other')

• lucas has little storyline surrounding him unlike the other boys