In case you haven't seen it, Special is a new Netflix series where the main character has cerebral palsy.
It opens with the main character falling over. Rather like me sometimes.
It is a comedy. At the same time, on the plus side, it is educating the public about CP.
I
don't want to give any spoilers away. But for me, it's great that
Netflix have commissioned this series. A thing like this is long
overdue.
However, it should be just the beginning.
Mostly the only famous people with CP are comedians. Is that the best we can do? Laugh at ourselves?
It
does remind me of the days 100 years ago when the only way black person
could become a celebrity was to become a singer or a comedian, laughing
at themselves.
Am I being unfair?
I would like to see actors with CP and other disabilities playing regular parts in regular dramas.
I'd like to see actors with CP playing lead parts, heroes and heroines, looking cool, and being great role models.
Then
we will know we've really arrived and not just being treated with a
little corner of broadcasting time to "educate" the public with a
laugh-sugared pill.
