When my “Wakanda Forever & Haiti” article went viral as the number 1 most viewed article on The Varsity’s website, I was a tad bit annoyed that it would be that article of all articles to gain 23 K views, as it was supposed to be my fluff article, in compared to my serious disability content.

Finally, I can say that one of my disability posts actually is going viral. Even though it is not an article, but a less edited Instagram post, I’m just glad some disability content is circling the internet and is starting a conversation on an important topic: Captions.

When we talk about accessibility, most of us already see the benefit of it and don’t question it. I mean, when was the last time you heard someone who downright hated the idea of elevators?

There are some accessibility features that do get into frustrating conversations, such as abled-bodied people questioning wheelchair users and other people with disabilities if they deserve to use the disability parking, just because they don’t look disabled. It speaks to this overall misconception people have of what a disability is, restricting it only to physical types.

Captions however are interesting, because there are some people who are irate at the idea of having captioned films in theatres in particular. The idea of putting captions directly on the screen really turns off a lot of people. In this case, this rift between the hearing loss community and certain movie-goers isn’t about some misconception people have about disability, or how they view people with hearing loss, but their ableist hatred for captions and how it supposedly ruins the cinema experience; even though captions is an important accessibility feature.

Today. captions have become expected in the streaming and online world, through the popularity of streaming platforms and international media such as anime and Kdramas. In my conversations with people from India and Mexico, places where English is the standard, having captions in the local language is not a debate but a necessity.

But why is it so debated in the West? After all the early Silent films had captions because they had no sound. What changed?

My assumption is the West’s obsession with individualistic culture.

In the West, more so in North America, our culture is individualistic. You succeed based on your own merit. You are not expected to get a handout, nor should you beg for one. Which is what some people may view as accessibility. Why should I accommodate you? What have you done to deserve it?

Providing captioned films seems a tad bit “socialist” for some people. Even though it is a feature that would help a lot of moviegoers. This summer, I’ll do a deep dive into the topic.