Breaking Bad’s RJ Mitte’s Oct. 3 talk was a great moment for Carleton students to get educated about issues surrounding disability and media. Both Mitte and the character he plays suffer from cerebral palsy.
It is common in media to have actors without disabilities play those with them. In Degrassi, the rapper Drake played a character with a disability.
Mitte said he wants this representation to change and brought the story of his success to share with students.
Less high-profile speakers regularly attend Carleton with equally important messages about social justice.
As students we should educate ourselves about social justice issues surrounding race, sexuality, gender, class, and disability. A great way to do it is exposing ourselves to the experiences of others. The lessons they teach are often more powerful and inspirational than what is found in a classroom.
Heather Jarvis, the founder of SlutWalk Toronto, doesn’t have the international star power of Mitte but gave an equally compelling talk about ending sexual violence.
The speakers brought in by various faculty and groups on campus make these issues accessible and have the ability to turn abstract concepts found in textbooks to real humans.
Events like Mitte’s also allow students to ask questions and interact with the speaker. This takes learning from the page or the classroom and makes it more conversational. It allows for honest discussions on difficult topics—something that our university should pride itself on having.
