Let’s go on reviewing movies that talk about diversity and, particularly, disability, with a classic filmed in 1980 by one of my favourite directors ever: the magnificent “The elephant man” by David Lynch, inspired to the true story of Joseph Merrick (renamed John), a men suffering from the very rare Proteus syndrome, which had severely altered his face and body. In the movie as in his real life, Merrick is discovered by chance by a famous doctor during a show, where he was exposed as a freak, exploiting his “monstrosity” to enrich his cruel exploiter. The doctor takes the man with him and, gradually, helps him to include himself into the community, giving him back the human dignity that, ‘til that moment, had been neglected and allowing people discover, beyond the “monster”, a sensitive and cultured man.
Of course, his story rapidly spreads all over London, even lighting on to Queen Victoria’s ears. She, moved by the story, sets up a trust, to fund his medical cares. Is everything fine, then? Forget it! John’s jailor succeeds finding and kidnapping him, getting back to exploiting him in his freaks circus. But the other freaks help him escaping and getting back to London. Here we see the most moving scene in the whole movie: at the railways station, Merrick, while running to escape from the vexations by a group of kids, accidentally hits a baby girl and, for that reason, risks to get lynched by the crowd. But the man, to stop them, screams out: “I’m not an elephant! I’m not an animal! I’m a human being!”. Finally safe, again with the doctor who had already helped him, Merrick lives another “moment of glory”, attending a performance during which he is honoured with an ovation. Got back to the hospital the man dies, at last in peace and with his heart heated by the awareness of having had, during his life, at least a friend: the doctor.
“The elephant man” isn’t a mushy tale indulging with pietism. Quite the contrary! David Lynch, with his dry and essential style, lets us understand how, going beyond the appearance of physical traits, we can catch the real essence of people, including “monsters” like Merrick. Evil doesn’t lie in who is “different”, but in the community, that, not knowing how to include him, marginalizes him for fear.
such inputs. Yet, something is changing in our advertising as well. For instance, the picture issued on the Milanese edition of the national newspaper “la Repubblica” on November 1st, to advertise 
Today, I’ll talk about an Australian 1998 movie that I found out about thanks to 
But Paralympic Games are also an opportunity to reflect on the way Paralympic athletes are presented and seen. Mostly starting from London 2012, it- luckily- seems that we’ve finally overcome the “pietistic” view that had been almost dominating for decades: Paralympic athletes aren’t “minor”, but respectable athletes who train, compete, break records, etc.
Children have a natural inclination not to discriminating the “diverse” ones, unless an adult they trust teaches them to do it: we all have seen children different for culture, race, conditions playing together without any issue, because what they see in the other one is simply someone to play with, not a stranger, a different skin colour, a disability. It’s essential that school helps strengthening this natural inclination to include, promoting continuous exchanging, living together and sharing among able-bodied and disabled children.
Also mass media can and must have an important role in establishing the disability culture, first of all using the right terms and manner when talking about disability: less “pain TV” and disabled people shown as they were caricatures or freaks, more disabled people in tv shows (even as presenters, in addition to being hosts or spectators, why not?), in movies, commercials, on glossy magazines’ covers and in TV series. Not necessarily as the “poor sods” or the “heroes”. Nor as the “good guys” by definition. We can’t take for granted that a disabled person is good, generous, helpful with everyone or, in one word, better than a non-disabled one. Disabled people, just like anyone else, can also be “asshole”, bad, vindictive, selfish and more.