The “Blindness” Controversy

 The Miramax film “Blindness” is due out Friday, Oct. 3. However, not everyone is excited about the release of this movie, which is based on the Nobel Prize Award-winning book “Blindness” by José Saramago. In fact, some are angry enough to pull out picket signs.

In “Blindness”, a mysterious contagious illness has spread among people in an unnamed city. The city quarantines people to a desolate mental institution. Food becomes hard to come by and people, in their newly blind state, become unable to care for themselves. The facility becomes filthy and people form gangs to extort supplies from others who have also been affected by the “white sickness”. Guns are pulled and sense of order is lost.

“[In the movie] they are unable to do even the simplest things like dressing, bathing and finding the bathroom,” said Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind.

The movie’s portrayal of people who are blind is founded on fears of becoming blind.

“The movie ‘Blindness’ is a demeaning depiction of people's reactions to losing their eyesight," said Mitch Pomerantz, president of the American Council of the Blind.

People who are blind are able to achieve the same goals and lifestyles as their colleagues and peers.

“…we are teachers, lawyers, mechanics, plumbers, computer programmers and social workers,” said Maurer. “We go to church, volunteer our time for worthy causes, raise children, operate businesses and engage in recreational activities, just like everyone else.”

The National Federation of the Blind press release: http://www.nfb.org/nfb/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=368

The American Council of the Blind press release: http://www.acb.org/press-releases/press-release_Blindness_the-movie.html

How do you feel about the movie? Are you protesting? How and where?

Maurer touches on employment in the NFB press release: “Portraying the blind on movie screens across America as a little better than animals will reinforce the unfounded fears, misconceptions and stereotypes in the general public about blindness. It will exacerbate the unemployment rate among the blind, which is already higher than 70 percent because of public misconceptions about the capabilities of blind people.” Do you think this movie will impact employment like he says? How?

Have you read Saramago’s book? Tell us what you think.