Argumentative Analysis: 'Distasteful Language In Gilmore Girls'

The juxtaposition of a witty and entertaining cast and the idyllic town of Stars Hollow makes "Gilmore Girls" a fan favorite for people of all ages. The series, which aired from 2000 to 2007, centers around a single mother, Lorelai, and her teenage daughter, Rory. Lorelei is a strong independent woman who left her home at the age of 16 to raise Rory. She overcomes personal and professional obstacles to support Rory’s dreams of attending an Ivy League college and becoming a world-renowned journalist. "Gilmore Girls" has been a feel-good show for myself over the years. Upon first watching the show in middle school, I envied Rory’s close relationship with her mom and the friendships that unraveled throughout the seemingly perfect small town.

Critiquing language through the lens of disability is essential to crip linguistics. Ultimately, it challenges societal attitudes towards disability. The language used in "Gilmore Girls" has a history of justifying the distasteful treatment of individuals with disabilities. It is not enough to argue that "Gilmore Girls" is reflective of the time period it was produced in. Challenging the harmful language is necessary to advocate for a more inclusive society, especially when the show still has great popularity. Building upon the articles explanation of Crip linguistics is the recognition of intersectionality. Disability intersects with a multitude of other forms of oppression such as racism, homophobia and sexism. For Lorelei and Rory and many of the other characters in Stars Hollow, their white privilege intersects with their able-bodied privileges to create advantages and opporutnities. Ableist attitudes are reinforced through the vastly white cultural norms and standards which are often exclusionary for people of diverse backgrounds or disabilities. These attitudes intersect seamlessly with raciolinguistics. From a raciolinguistic perspective, the non-white characters tare limited and are portrayed in stereotypical ways. For example, Michel, the French-speaking black concierge, is portrayed as standoffish. Another example is the way Emily, Lorelei's wealthy mother, treats her multitude of “replaceable” maids, most of which are women of color, not empatheticlaly. She is demanding and expects the maids to fulfill every request with no complaints. Portrays like such fail to accurately depict the diversity of the real world and highlight the ways diverse individuals are undervalued in society. Language representation of race like such exemplifies how language