People who stutter (PWS) are often portrayed negatively in entertainment, the media, and the news. We have a simple reminder to everyone: Stuttering is No Joke!
Stuttering is a disability that is still outwardly ridiculed. Think about that for a minute. In the entertainment industry, PWS are usually one of three sad stereotypes: the mentally-ill person, the comic relief, or the criminal. In the news and reporting, stuttering is often mis-characterized as a cognitive issue or blamed as a negative ‘personality trait’. And across the internet, from memes to videos, stuttering is the subject of joke after joke. But PWS have a different story to tell. And it’s time for us to be heard.
Are you ready to create awareness and debunk misconceptions of stuttering? Join our Instagram campaign #StutteringIsNoJoke and share your post or original video.
Join people from around the world on Instagram to let everyone know: Stuttering is No Joke
Make a video or share an image saying 'Stuttering is No Joke’
Post to your Instagram feed
Use #StutteringIsNoJoke to get the word out
Add your own thoughts about stuttering in the comments
Thank you to everyone who participated in the initial campaign.
Hundreds of PWS and friends of PWS participated in the #StutteringIsNoJoke campaign, reaching tens of thousands of people on social media. We believe that the power of design, combined with activism and an outpouring of support, can educate others while improving the lives of countless individuals. We know that this effort can make our world a better place for everyone who lives in it.
StutteringisNoJoke.org and the #StutteringIsNoJoke movement was founded because stuttering is a disability that is still outwardly ridiculed by many.
In entertainment, People Who Stutter (PWS) are portrayed as buffoons, idiots, and villains. From Porky the Pig in 1935 to 2017’s DJ in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the stuttering is used as a prop to make people look weak or amoral.
The derision doesn’t end with fiction. Throughout the 2020 election cycle, prominent politicians are vilifying and reinforcing stereotypes of PWS by shamelessly mocking opponents and using their speech to call into question their mental fitness.
This prejudice inspired the two professors to act. Assistant Professor Joshua Bodman with the help of a grant from Columbus College of Art and Design, support from Gregg Benedikt of the School of Visual Art, NY, along with our amazing volunteers developed the stuttering awareness campaign.
Bodman and Benedikt began planning for a social awareness campaign to launch on October 22nd, International Stuttering Awareness Day. Within a few days a plan was developed to create awareness, and the campaign went live on October 22nd, 2020.
When asked about timing, co-founder Prof. Benedikt noted, “October 22nd is International Stuttering Awareness Day. It is circled on my calendar because I too stutter. It has impacted my daily life, from personal to professional, where I often must overcome people’s assumption that I have a neurological or psychological disability.”
Prof. Bodman said, “This year, we will do our part to educate the public about the negative stereotypes around stuttering while empowering fellow people who stutter to speak up and join the movement. We want to show others that stuttering is natural in over 70 million people worldwide and that means it’s not a joke. We no longer want to allow ignorant people, media, or politicians to define who we are.”