Disability and escapism

[kat]

Hey guys, popping out from the shadows with a question.

How do the PWD here feel about escapism? Do you feel like you like to escape to the world of movies, TV shows, games etc. more than the average person? Do you feel any kind of special connection to fictional characters with superhuman abilities? And, most importantly, do you feel like any of this has anything to do with your disability?

I have some further thoughts on this, but I'd like to hear from you all first.

[joffy]

I use escapism a lot because I don't really feel like that I have a disability but the mirror and my body obviously tells a different story. So I read a lot of books where people either gets reincarnated or transported to another world, I like to think it's going to be me someday even if I don't believe in a god or the afterlife.

I'll gladly elaborate if you have any questions.

[djkream]

I believe that even the average "normal" person engages in escapism, whether it's to take a break from work, family responsibilities, or simply to relax. Personally, I spend a lot of time gaming it takes my mind off things.

[Braced4Impact]

Feb 7, 2024 1:36:02 GMT -5 kat said:

Hey guys, popping out from the shadows with a question.

How do the PWD here feel about escapism? Do you feel like you like to escape to the world of movies, TV shows, games etc. more than the average person? Do you feel any kind of special connection to fictional characters with superhuman abilities? And, most importantly, do you feel like any of this has anything to do with your disability?

I have some further thoughts on this, but I'd like to hear from you all first.

As a writer of both sci-fi and fantasy, escapism is a huge thing for me.  I have written disabled characters into my books, but it's fun to think of myself as a dashing, dragon-slaying knight or a survivalist in a post-apocalyptic world.  Whether it's reading, writing, video games, movies or TV shows, I think it's important to disconnect from the real world and live in a land of fantasy for a while.  The real world is grim, full of suffering, catastrophes, war, violence and ugliness.  It's nice to escape it all for a while and go on an adventure through escapism.  Even sports or going out into nature are escapist.  Doom-scrolling and constantly keeping up with all the horrid events in the world can be draining.  It's good to be informed, but sometimes, you just need to go slay a dragon once in a while.

[Sir Paul]

I was a huge movie and TV buff as a kid - not much has changed in my adult life. Some of my friends were as well. I think it was a pretty common thing in the 80's and 90's. That said, I can't be blind to the fact that I wasn't able to go with my friends to jump BMX bikes, go snowboarding, or go to dance clubs until 3 a.m.. In that way, on those occasions, there's no doubt that I relied on movies, TV, video games, and music as a form of escapism to fill the time and occupy my mind while my friends were out having more fun than I was. So, from a practicality standpoint, yes, my disability probably made this "reliance" stronger than usual. 

To answer the question that I think you're really asking - consciously, no. Subconsciously, possibly. No particular character or story sticks out as one I feel connected to. I was not one of those kids wearing a Superman cape to the grocery store. I didn't fantasize about breaking out of my leg braces or maneuvering my mobility scooter into a telephone booth to change into a superhero costume. Maybe I was an unimaginative child - but I've never been good at playing pretend! So no, in my case, my disability doesn't lend me to having more fantasies than normal. 



 

[Dani]

I hope it's okay if I reply even though I am not a PWD, but I've used escapism my entire life, I think. I still escape in the daily rut of life, and I guess it's what's called a dreamer. I'm a bit of a "half empty glass" kind of person when it comes to life and the world we live in, so I always consciously try to remind myself to see the little good things in my life. 
As a child and teenager, I either played in an imaginary world or wrote stories I had in my head while my friends were more interested in who they wanted to date and stuff. It was also a way to escape the not so great parts of my childhood and growing up.

[mikesmdachallenge]

During the winter months, I avoid going out unless absolutely necessary because I dislike the cold. So my form of escapism is gaming on my PC and I can do it for hours. The game I’m currently playing, called Snowrunner, doesn’t really have a character to connect to. It’s a truck driving simulator. For me, it’s the driving aspect I’m connected to because it’s something I can’t do in real life. I love being able to drive anywhere in the game and other driving games and being able to take the vehicles places that in the real world you’d either get arrested, destroy your vehicle, or end up dead. I think it definitely has to do with being disabled though, because again, it’s me doing something I normally can’t do because of the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

[celkan]

Hi everybody. I hope you are all well.

Since the longest time I can remember, I always escape life in fantasy, sci fi and video games. I was also attracted (not sexually) to those that were like me too. For like more than 30 years now, I play tabletop roleplying games like Dungeons and dragons for that reason. It allows me to be strong, fast or smart with special destiny or crazy adventure. Or it allows me to have flaws that I'll never have. Anything to be someone else and have fun with like minded people. Since like 10 years, I,m also a game master... Roleplaying will always be part of my life. So i can say I know what escapism is like for me.

[kat]

Interesting and varied answers here!

The moment this question popped into my head, I started to wonder whether it was a little bit ableist to think that there might be a connection. I mean, most of us are probably familiar with ableist viewpoints like "People with disabilities are all so miserable that they must want to escape their reality." But I don't think it's that "out there" to imagine that escapism might have more rewards for people with various kinds of limitations.

I'm also a huge escapist myself. Like djkream and Dani pointed out, there are plenty of other reasons to escape to imaginary worlds. I also find it cool to think about how our forefathers would be amazed at the kinds of things we get to experience through media nowadays.

[dutchdev]

I think escapism is fairly common, as a kid in primary school I was bullied, in hindsight I was the only straight A student that was also the only kid of a immigrant. Not a great combination. On top of that, not very interested in music or sports, I escaped in books. The library was my safe place. 

I read more books than there were days in the weeks, and to this day, I don't care in what country I am, or what the primary language is, entering a book store relaxes me. The only shopping I enjoy is in a bookstore (and the only digitalization I oppose is that of books). I have a kindle (where else to get my dev interests satisfied  ). Still, reading is my main form of relaxing, anything from the lowest smut to the highest literature, from comedy to history. 

I read, therefore I am. 

[justnick]

Feb 12, 2024 9:32:53 GMT -5 clrnts said:

Pretty interesting answers here! Reading books, daydreaming, music, chess and puzzle… this is how escapism is like for me. I found out recently that coloring books are a great form of escapism, a wonderful way to relax and free my mind. A glass of wine or two can help too!

Wine definitely helps!

[justnick]

It's not escapism for me but a distraction is nice. Life is a lot sometimes and it can feel a bit overwhelming. I never get to take a day off from being a quad and just the thought of that is a lot.

[swirlsss]

Hello,
I can't really say that I like to escape. I do wonder what it would be like if things were different but not just with my disability. Sometimes I think about what would be different if I chose a different career path or lived somewhere else. What if I had kids or had a girlfriend? I think everyone thinks this way from time to time. Not necessarily because of their disability but just because it is human nature. There are countless ways our lives could have gone and we have either chosen a path or in certain ways had a path chosen for us. Even if the path has been chosen there are still many different factors that come into play.
As far as movies and TV shows, while I watch my fair share, I do not do so as an escape, it is more for entertainment and enjoyment.

[loveonaroll2]

Great question ! I definitely would say I escape more than the average person into TV, movies, daydreaming reading music ect

[mnquad07]

I do it a lot. Movies, TV, etc. a lot more than before disability. Even though I have sleep insomnia, my favorite time of the day is when I am sleeping. Never paralyzed in my dreams.