How To Become Batman

Podcast: How To Become Batman
Show Producers: Alix Beagle and Lulu Miller

The NPR show producers argue that the emotions, beliefs, assumptions, and expectations of others can have an effect on our lives. They start the podcast by asking several people to predict which one of the rats they felt would make it through the maze the quickest. It turns out that the rats they thought looked smarter made it through the maze a lot quicker. They go on to provide evidence of this by interviewing a man who believes the expectations of his mother helped him be able to see. His mother supported his use of echolocation to be able to navigate his environment. The mother did this against the wishes of his educators who said, "Clicking is not socially acceptable in school." Had his mother accepted these beliefs, she would not have encouraged this ability, and independence, depriving him of a normal life.

This is a very powerful message in that it sheds light on how the beliefs, and expectations of society can influence our behavior or who we become, "People's beliefs, emotions, ideas shape our lives."  The high or low expectations of others can affect what we can or cannot accomplish in life. This podcast reminds me of the article by Pedro Noguera, when the principle says, "Do you see that boy? There's a prison cell in San Quentin waiting for him. Kids like him just can't be helped." The school did not expect much from him, therefore they didn't bother with him, depriving him of the opportunity to learn, and the possibility of becoming someone. This mentality is a social construction, just like "Blindness is a social construction." The low expectations of organizations for the blind are not allowing the blind to reach their full potential, just like the low expectations of certain educators/administrators are not giving certain children the opportunity to reach their full potential.

As I was listening to this podcast I was reminded of a scene in the Ray Charles movie Just because your blind, doesn't mean you're stupid. In this scene Ray's mom finally comes to terms with the fact that Ray would not be able to see again, and she tells him that he is blind not stupid, that he should learn to use his other senses to make his way around the world. She tells him that she will teach him how to do something once, help him if he needs help the second time, and he is on his own the third time, "When you lighten up someone's load you don't allow them to expand." Ray's mother did not give up on him, and she didn't allow him to give up on himself. She expected him to be able to live a full, normal life.