# a new TV show called blind justice

Category: Cinema 31

## Post 1 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Tuesday, 01-Mar-2005 15:00:57

Starting Tuesday March 8, ABC will have a show on at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time called Blind Justice. It is about a cop who was injured on the job resulting in blindness. As usual, the actor playing the part is not really blind, but I read that they are using a blind consultant to help make the show seem realistic. It will be interresting to see the show and how well it is done.

## Post 2 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Tuesday, 01-Mar-2005 15:56:32

Isn't that typical of any movie or TV series ever made? I mean there has been one actor and one actress ever with a disability that they played someone with that same disability on a movie or TV series. Does anyone here know who this actor and actress are? I bet you don't. And the funny thing is, that they have both received awards for their performances. The actor was born blind and the actress was born deaf. Anyone knows or even remembers them? I do, but I will withhold their names and see first if anyone else knows who I am talking about. If you can also name the movie they played in you win double. Let's see who replies on that... Star

## Post 3 by Cristobal (Veteran Zoner) on Tuesday, 01-Mar-2005 20:17:57

The consultant is Lynn Manning. I know him and his wife. They're both blind. Lynn was in fact blinded by a gun shot received in an altercation back when he was 23 if memory serves me right. He's pretty well known out here in the Los Angeles community for some plays that he's written and other projects he's been involved with...
I doubt that I'll watch the show though. Cop drama series aren't my thing. Regardless the angle they try to use...

## Post 4 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Wednesday, 02-Mar-2005 6:59:36

Star: I think the blind man you are referring too is Tom Sullivan, and the deaf woman is Marle Matson (or something like that?) Am I right?

## Post 5 by krisme (Ancient Zoner) on Wednesday, 02-Mar-2005 9:08:09

I usually don't like shows where sighted people try and protray blind ones, because they usually get stuff wrong. When I saw Daredevil a few years ago, I went planning to write a nasty letter to the studio about any mistakes they might make. (they didn't end up making many but I still can't say I liked the film) I might watch this show just to see how it goes. I will admit it's an interesting route for a cop show to go.

## Post 6 by Goblin (I have proven to myself and the world that I need mental help) on Wednesday, 02-Mar-2005 9:29:51

this could very well be the 5th time this subject has arisen...where's the originality

## Post 7 by Goblin (I have proven to myself and the world that I need mental help) on Wednesday, 02-Mar-2005 9:30:29

this could very well be the 5th time this subject has arisen...where's the originality

## Post 8 by happy (Generic Zoner) on Wednesday, 02-Mar-2005 18:07:19

I 'm looking foreword to watching this program but I hope they're sincere and sensitive to everyone. There are not many programs on tv that target in on those who are disabled in any way. This is a good way to encourage people that are disabled to go foreword.Good Luck I'm looking foreword to it.
Carol

## Post 9 by CatWoman721984 (the Zone BBS remains forever my home page) on Friday, 04-Mar-2005 19:24:21

Tom Sullivan trained Ben Affleck for his role in Daredevil.

## Post 10 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Saturday, 05-Mar-2005 2:48:25

Cat lover you are right!!! The blind person is Tom Sullivan indeed and the deaf person is Marlee Matleen. Tom Sullivan played a blind piano player in Airport 77 and Marlee Matleen played Sara a deaf woman in Children of a Leser God! Wow!!! very cool cat lover, I am glad I am not the onlyone here who knew their names.

## Post 11 by Caitlin (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 05-Mar-2005 20:36:25

Is htat the one where the cop's like, "I smell gun smoke, someone was killered here?"

## Post 12 by CatWoman721984 (the Zone BBS remains forever my home page) on Wednesday, 09-Mar-2005 14:49:39

I saw it, It was alright not the best show. I might watch it again. I'm not into those coppy shows LOL I didn't care for NYPD Blue which this is replacing.

## Post 13 by Godzilla-On-Toast (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 11-Mar-2005 23:30:53

Well, what interests me about this show is how blind people are reacting to it. Can't say I'm the best critic of cop shows whether they have blind folks in them or not. But even when all we had for info about the show were press releases, it seemed there were blind folks who said that the blind character wasn't going to be portrayed absolutely accurately and this portrayal will surely affect any sighted folk who watch the show including potential employers and how it might affect attitudes toward the blind in real life. There are others who thought most sighted folk can tell TV from reality and not translate the one into the other and basically say it's just a fictional show so you can take liberties. What do you think? Personally, I don't like that blind folks are sometimes portrayed as a stereotype, but I also think that it's not TV's job to portray everybody exactly as they are in real life. This is entertainment, and the most important thing in TV is to get ratings and make money from advertising revenues. It's not TV's job to replace our own efforts at trying to educate the public. Whether it's helping or hurting is probably a matter of opinion.

## Post 14 by Caitlin (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 11-Mar-2005 23:57:57

Good poitn Lab. Well I think TV helps in some ways by educating, but hurts in creating stereotypes sometimes and also confirming some peoples' beliefs. Dunno. i don't watch TV much, and people will think what the will despite what TV shows.

## Post 15 by Susanne (move over school!) on Saturday, 12-Mar-2005 16:51:40

Actually, I think this show in particular (or the first episode, at least) did a fairly good job at addressing the guy's blindness. Sure, there was some "super blindie" stuff in there, but on the other hand, but it was mostly tied to his profession as a cop, and who would want to watch a job about a completely averagely talented cop? As to O&M and daily living skills, they were shown with much more accuracy than I've ever seen any show portray them. You have to expect some bulls*** along with any decent information/portrayal you will get, after all, it's TV *smile*.

## Post 16 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Saturday, 12-Mar-2005 23:28:18

I watched the pilot of Blind Justice not because I like cop series (eventhough I am addicted to Law and Order) but out of curiocity to see if it will be another "super blindie" or just a regular man who happens to be blind. Also, how stereotypical would it be.
My conclussion: 1. That "I can smell gun smoke" thing was bull****! A person does not all of a sudden after X amount of moths (not even years) ofbeing blind suddenly has a sharper sense of smell. Now if the other cop had smelled also something but could not identify it, them I would say OK. Either this is a blind super cop or the female cop with him is a dumbo which makes things just as bad since I dislike having women professionals portrait as inferior to men. 2. He has a guide dog, and a collpsible cane that he has hardly used. He get around in is office by memorizing the lay-out and on the street hanging on his partner's arm. Now how independent is that and what actually message does it send out? 3. He wears a pir of dark glasses wich he constantly takes off and puts on again. I was annoyed. If a blind person decides to use sunglasses then its because either the person's eyes are deformed and doesn't want other to see them or because he has light perception and the sun glare is bothersom. None of the above applied here. The sunglasses, I feel, were a true stereotypical thing which I did not like or accepted as realistic. OK that was it for now and this was just the first episode LOL. Star

## Post 17 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Saturday, 12-Mar-2005 23:30:52

I am sorry about all the typos in above message. I was typing fast and didn't notice them at first only after I posted it and reread it. Star

## Post 18 by Jess227 on Sunday, 13-Mar-2005 5:18:10

I didn't see the show nor will I. I can watch CSI on occation but a cop show in particular I just don't have t he patience for it like Jag (a military judge advocite general who tries to be the best in the military's court of law.). CSI (It's about crime scene and finding the killer. It can be very interesting.) Law and Order (I never had interest.) NYPD Blue (Never had interest) Cops (Now that's a guy show.). So it's pointless to me to watch these shows let alone have interest in them.

## Post 19 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Friday, 18-Mar-2005 4:56:49

Did anyone watch the episode this week? Was it any better?

## Post 20 by asdfghjkl (Account disabled) on Friday, 18-Mar-2005 18:30:10

This is just my opinion, but I think that blind plus fantasy plus TV equals stereotypical stuff all the way. All blind people do not wear sunglasses, although that is not a problem, all blind people do not use those weird red and white canes, all blind people do not touch others' faces, and the guide dog in that show is always heeling. What's up with that? I thought he was a, guide dog. Come on! It was very disappointing, and I don't like the fact that everyone assumes that blind people have "super powers," meaning they can smell, feel, taste, and hear better than sighties. No, that is simply because of the fact that we pay attention to our other senses more because we don't have our sight. That's all, end of rant, LOL.

## Post 21 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Wednesday, 23-Mar-2005 1:00:36

What also strike me with this Blind Justice is that they paired this cop with a disability with a woman. It is something I can't get over with. Like saying well, they are both a bit LESS than a man without a disability so the two of them can work together and help each other.
Why? A male cop couldn't work with another male cop who is blind? would it feel like he is "babysitting" if he was paired with someone 'inferior'? But to pair him with a woman is OK since, well... women are inferior as it is so it's no big deal pairing her up with a "babysitting" job (besides she is a WOMAN, she SHOULD be home with the kids as it is, what the heck is she doing being a cop????) But no one seems to notice such details.
Ah, they say it is entertainment, some couple of thousand viewers will watch it, feel sorry or maybe intrigued with how a blind person can handle being a cop and the ABC will get its ratings and all is well. But is it well? What social issues are being here perpetuated? Anyone can guess? Anyone???

## Post 22 by Godzilla-On-Toast (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 27-Mar-2005 20:13:31

Well, guys, it's TV, so everybody is going to be stereotyped in one way or the next. I also never thought of the angle about pairing him off with a female cop instead of a male one. I'm not sure really if the writers for th e show even thought of the implications of that angle, but there yo ugo. Besides, it seems there's at least some antagonization on behalf of the other male cops in his office, especially I believe his name is Marty as you might ahve seen on episode three. Dunno if there's any deep implication under that either, but there ya go.

## Post 23 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Wednesday, 30-Mar-2005 10:46:59

I agree with many of your statements. The one thing I do like about the show after watching three or four episodes is that he is still not being easily accepted by the other cops or by some of the other people he comes in contact with. I think if the writers had made it as if no one questioned his abilities that would have been just too unrealistic.

## Post 24 by Nem (I just keep on posting!) on Wednesday, 30-Mar-2005 11:01:47

Star that kinds of borders feminast inequality. I don't think the writers had putting women down in mind when they put him with a women. From episode one you could that the writers were making an anger for romance between those two. as for the man woman and the blind man measuring up to a whole man, of corse the blind man has to proove himself. In episode one we see that before she was paired with him she was working high profile cases she was not happpy to be paired with thim. She like he, had to earn their respect he will have to do the same. and the dog not working. At the beginning and the end of episode one the dog was working, and in episode two the dog was working, and matter a fact the dog left Jim standing in the middle of the street. As for super blink powers. sighties will always think blindies will have super powers. They just don't understand and few want to. As far as I am concerned I would rather them think I have super powers then think me inferior.

## Post 25 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Sunday, 03-Apr-2005 3:16:58

Dragonfire, then let me ask you: if sighties think you have super powers and you don't use them to become a super blindie won't they think of you as a lazy blind person who is using up the social security instead of becoming a super hero? Mismeasurements no matter what direction they go (super blindie or inferior blindie) are dangerous. What I am trying to say about movies as such is that the issue becomes whether the BLIND person is this or that and not whether the PERSON is this or that. The whole weight of the situation falls on the BLIND! I also want to say that if the female cop was a cop working on high profiles why was she chosen to work with him? Why not his old partner? Why not another male cop? If before he became blind he had a male partner why not also AFTER he became blind? Why now by being blind should he be paired with a woman? My take is that since he is leser than a non disabled man and a woman is also seen as leser than a man (in spite of the fact that she was working on high profile cases) they fit together. Also, how come and her partner didn't complain saying "hey, why are you taking away my worthy partner here? choose someone else" Not a word. Everyone saw it as a perfect solution, the best solution actually. Now all male cops work only with male cops and the 2 leser ones work together. Perfect! If movies are here to teach us values and open society's eyes and create acceptance for both professional women and people with disabilities then it is the males that need to be taugh first and what better role model that seeing a white male work successfully with another male who has a disability or working with a female. By the way the idea of romance between him and the female cop is vague because the blind guy is married.

## Post 26 by Flidais (WISEST IS SHE WHO KNOWS THAT SHE DOES NOT KNOW) on Sunday, 03-Apr-2005 17:05:25

damn cristobal you beat me to the punch....like ages ago. Haha I saw this topic and was gonna tell em that Shirley's husband was the one helping out but fine I"m slow ok? haha I know he also toured the foundation for training with Marie in ILS.

## Post 27 by The Wicked Witch of The East (we deserve each other) on Sunday, 03-Apr-2005 23:23:45

I know this is a very old topic but anyways...... Star, you forgot Deane Bra. She's a wonderful deaf actress who plays sue thomas in Sue thomas FB eye. She's a very nice person too. She has a very warm heart and accepts everyone. She was great to chat with. Also Christy Smith is a great deaf actress. She was on surviver a few years ago also one of my very good friends. She has a kids TV serious on PBS kids. And by the way, marlee matlin is a bitch! I was very disapointed when I met her. And I've met her a few times. Way too many times......

## Post 28 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Wednesday, 06-Apr-2005 3:01:02

Thanks for the info fieldhockeysignlanguage! I have heard from others that Marlee Matlin is a bitch LOL. I didn't know about Sue Thomas and Christy Smith. I will will keep an eye out for them. But back to the topic at hand, what do you think of this series Blind Justice and how a person with a disability is portrait? Hope to hear from you. Star

## Post 29 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Wednesday, 06-Apr-2005 6:59:46

I watched again last night (April 5), and I think the development of all the characters is coming along nicely. In last night's episode, Jim finally had a case that caused him to start doubting his abilities to be a cop as a blind man especially when it came to protecting his partner. We also saw more interaction between him and his wife. There may be some unrealistic parts to this show, but what show on TV is totally realistic? And don't say rreality shows, because in my opinion, they are the most unrealistic.

## Post 30 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Saturday, 09-Apr-2005 18:46:32

Cat lover I was thinking the same thing after the April 5 show. I was even wondering if the directors go to websites like the zone and read the comments (blind) people write about the show and them take them into consideration. I still hope that there will be at least one episode that the woman cop will be replaced -even temporarily- with a male cop to show that a man with a disability can do equal work as a man without a disability. And if my suspicion is correct, and the directors read these comments well, here is an idea for them LOL! Star

## Post 31 by CatWoman721984 (the Zone BBS remains forever my home page) on Sunday, 10-Apr-2005 18:40:10

Okay I was wrong, The more I watch the show, the more I love it.

## Post 32 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Monday, 11-Apr-2005 2:00:05

OK! I guess I know now why CatWoman is never on the Zone on Tuesdays between 10 and 11pm EST! *smile* Star

## Post 33 by bruceallmighty (Account disabled) on Monday, 11-Apr-2005 9:40:14

To tell you the truth, I haven't even seen the show. From what I've heard though, it's not worth it. For one thing, the guy that is playing the roll of a blind person, isn't even blind. Why aren't there more blind actors, or actresses? They can never portray us blind people right. They're always getting something or other wrong.

## Post 34 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Tuesday, 12-Apr-2005 1:31:02

Bruceallmighty my answer is because A - there are very few bling actors out there so the selection list is very small. Maybe they coul dnot find a blind guy with the features like age, looks, etc. that the directors wanted. B - Why aren't there more blind actors and actresses: well, I don't know. The few that are out there probably wonder the same thing. The is an acting theater company in New York that is a mix of blind, visually impaired, and sighted actors. There are other actors like Lynn Manning mentioned here who do mostly theater productions than TV or movie films. C - It is easier to have an actor who can see play a blind gut that having an actual blind guy. I know it is not fair but it is the ruth even if I personally do not agree with this kind of discrimination. Star

## Post 35 by shea (number one pulse checking chicky) on Tuesday, 12-Apr-2005 14:15:00

hmmm, star are you saying you don't think a women cop is equal to a man cop? if so why do you think that? I am so interested to hear your points. In this i mean you said you hope he gets pared up with a man so he can show he is equal. What are you trying to say? smile- angel

## Post 36 by swigjr23 (Newborn Zoner) on Tuesday, 12-Apr-2005 19:10:12

I have watched blind justice and I don't think it is a bad show, but I haven't watched it that much. So I am stioll out to vote on it. I don't the blind cheractor is potraydd all that badly.

## Post 37 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Wednesday, 13-Apr-2005 1:45:31

Hi Angel, I am not saying that a woman cop is not equal to a man cop what I am saying is that the message that this series sends by pairing a woman cop to a blind man cop is that they are both in a way at the same level and that level is LOWER than a man cop who has no disability. Actually, I was upset that the male cop who the woman cop was at first paired with (before the blind cop came back to work at his unit), never protested. Now if it was a male cop that the male cop was loosing to the blind cop, he would have protested. What I am saying is that in a way it was shown as OK, normal, socially acceptable for a woman cop to be paired with a male blind cop but not for a MAN cop to paired with a male blind cop... do you get my point? Star

## Post 38 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Wednesday, 13-Apr-2005 1:50:39

I also have to admit that as the show goes on, the blind character is shown more and more realistically. Which I think is good for the image of people who are blind and are holding a job and for people with a disability in general. The more 'normal' the blind character the better a lesson for society to understand that people with a disability are not either superheroes or objects of pity and sympathy but noral people with strengths and weakenesses like everyone else. I am also beginning to wonder if society would be ready for a blind woman cop... hehehe, I will open that discussion later as I feel there is lots and lots to be said on that. Star

## Post 39 by shea (number one pulse checking chicky) on Wednesday, 13-Apr-2005 13:14:47

hmmm, star i guess I don't see it the same as you. He had to be pared with someone and so did she didn't she? Why is it any different that they are paired together? You are acting like you don't see them all as equals? am i reading this wrong? I hope so. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. smile- angel

## Post 40 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Thursday, 14-Apr-2005 23:47:05

Yeah the blind guy did have to be paired up with someone. But the woman cop didn't have to be paired with someone she already had a different partner. She had to leave the other partner to be with the blind guy. So my question was why not pair a man cop with the blind guy? Because women have a lower status than men that is why. A woman and a blind guy have both a lower status than a man who has no disability. That is why they were paired together. Do you get it now??? Star

## Post 41 by Star (Honorary Bitch of the Zone) on Saturday, 30-Apr-2005 3:45:56

Am I one of the few who watch this program? Cause I think its very interesting how a social issue, is being addressed and presented by the media. Unlike many of the topics here, I also feel that this issue affects many people's lives and how they will be viewed as professionals in a society that is very insensitive to person's needs. Yet, an issue as this is given much less attention and much less debate than other pointless issues on these boards. Does this fact reflect people's mentality? intelligence? interests? Anyone who would like to discuss this issue more and debate about it in an intelligent and serious way? Star