Talk, Talk, Talk

I think that “Talk” is a brilliant video. Not only does it show the difficulties that disabled people face, but it also emphasizes their ability to do. Yes, the video is aimed at abled people, encouraging them to do something, but the video also shows disabled people doing something. In other words, it shows them in action. It shows their capabilities to dance, work, have sex, or do anything at all if they are given adequate means by which to do these things. These means include the elevator to the building of the job interview, the bus for people with wheelchairs, and the brail documents. All of these things allow disabled people to be active.
Thus, the meaning of the emphasis on doing rather than talking becomes a twofold urging for us to take action: to ensure that we make these helpful means a part of our society so that “disabled” people will be able to do. And when disabled people are doing, as they are in the video, they are no longer disabled people but just people.
This divide between disable and abled people is evident throughout the video. In the work meeting, disabled people are talked about as a sort of “other.” There are no “others” who work in this building, or my cousin is one of those. These others are looked at like another species. The boss asks the main guy to do research on these people and present his findings like he is researching animals at the zoo.