He had thought about it before, communication coach and podcast creator Lars Duursma tells RTL Nieuws. This week he decided to draw attention to it in his multimedia podcast and in a personal thread Chirping.
The immediate cause was a comment that announcer Gordon Heuckeroth made as a guest at the table on Op1. Among other things, he has been invited to promote the new season of Down the Road, which will be broadcast on SBS6 later this year.
At the table discussion, he said, “If only we all had a little down, the world would be a much better place.”
‘down is not fun’
When asked what he meant by that, Gordon added, “The sincerity, the honesty, the purity, the love, the pure human being without prejudice.”
The comment was completely wrong with Lars Duursma. “The world definitely wouldn’t be better off if we all had a little bit of depression. It’s a limitation, which is not a nice thing to have at all.”
Duursma has seen it up close for almost all of his life. “My little brother Jesper spent the first year of his life almost exclusively in the hospital. He has heart problems. Later he also had depression and testicular cancer. All things that are seen more often in people with Down syndrome.”
And he continues: “The people portrayed in the programs are – let’s say – the Champions League. Intelligent, easy to understand. Viewers often find them very moving: look at how many beautiful people with Downs”.
You don’t see people who can’t talk, aren’t potty trained, have major behavior problems or are stuck at a two-year-old’s level of thinking, Duursma wrote on Twitter.
Television treasure
Down with Johnny, Upside Down, Down for Dummies and then Down the Road, a whole list of titles that have appeared on Dutch TV in recent years, in which young people with Down syndrome are generally the protagonists. “They’re real television darlings.”
For parents of people with Down syndrome, many of these shows are downright confrontational: “On TV they constantly see people doing all kinds of things that their child will never be able to do. It hurts. And from the environment , comments like : You are lucky to have such a nice person in your family.”
Laugh?
His own parents are watching knowingly, but not at all: “Why so many programs about Down syndrome and much less about other mentally handicapped people? Can you sometimes laugh more at people with Down syndrome, they ask. While they are taken care of them for life: what is happening to our child when we can no longer take care of him?”
Jesper doesn’t belong in that ‘Champions League’ you usually see on TV: “My brother is super sweet and down to earth in so many ways. He can Facetime, for example. And he sends apps, although sometimes you have to decipher what exactly he means. But purely “Looking at his IQ, he’s not that smart. He needs a lot of help and guidance. He can talk, but it’s not easy for everyone to understand.” Lars points out, “My parents look after him with great love, but it’s a heavy task that rests on their shoulders.”
Reaction host Gordon: ‘Integrity is key’
“We are aware that there are graduations, even very serious cases. And this is a large group. I realize it must be a difficult task for parents when a child needs so much care,” said presenter Gordon Heuckeroth when he was asked on the phone.
“I’d really like to make a beautiful documentary about that group, show what Down syndrome is like. I welcome that. Because it’s not just peace and quiet.”
The presenter therefore understands the criticism that the various TV shows together deliver a one-sided cliché picture: “The bass is perhaps presented too high.” He says of his show Down the Road: “We don’t exploit people for entertainment, integrity is key. I think it’s great to be able to show how this group can participate, fall in love, want to get married.”
Everyone a little down?
The program is close to his heart, says Gordon: “In the new season, Daphne tells her parents that she has decided not to have children. Because she sees – she says – what she herself ‘did to her parents.’ visualize the dilemmas”.
Regarding his comment ‘everyone was just a little down’, Gordon wants to say: “If you see the group on my show: honest, sincere and yes, happy too…then I think society is soured, but don’t bother them at all That’s what I wanted to say. Finally, laughing: “That group gives me more love than what I get during a year of walking in Amsterdam.”
SBS also underscores good intentions in a response and states: “Down the Road revolves around young people with Down syndrome who – each in their own way – tackle topics such as adventure, friendship, love and new experiences” .
‘must be understandable’
Regina Lamberts is director of the Down Syndrome Foundation. “We often get requests for help finding people to do a TV show about. So the requirement is invariably: They must be able to speak intelligibly. And preferably also be able to answer questions well.”
But then many people drop out. Lamberts: “About 80% have difficulty articulating or finding words, or both.”
Whether it’s because of “one-sided” TV shows or not, he certainly acknowledges that there is a misrepresentation of people with Down syndrome. “Those children with Down syndrome are always so happy, you hear often. Then I think: yes, hello!”
And that can certainly be annoying for parents: “If you have a child who doesn’t fit into the picture, you spend the whole day explaining that your reality is different.”
All different
She continues, “There is simply no such thing as ‘the person with Down syndrome.’ They are people who have some of the same characteristics in appearance, but are otherwise very different. They resemble their parents.”
They all have a disability and they all need guidance, Lamberts says. But, “It goes from a little bit to 24/7 and everything in between.”
A few thousand likes, hundreds of retweets and many approval reactions from parents and health professionals: the story of Lars Duursma does not seem to stand on its own.
Honest is better
“As a mother of a beautiful Down child with a very low ABP, I often come across that incorrectly painted image, someone replies on Twitter. “A fairer image would be better for people with Down and their caregivers” .
Another writes: “From the professional field I’ve seen them come and go: the enthusiasts who enjoy working with people with Down syndrome. Drink coffee together and cuddle a lot. Until you know the other 99 percent.”
No ill will
So Duursma loosens things up. He is keen to point out, “I think the people who make such programs are not doing it with ill will. They sincerely want to make a good program. But the misleading clichéd image created by all those programs together is really harmful.”
He makes the comparison: “Let’s say you want to get to know the Chinese community in the Netherlands. Do you know them if you have seen five programs about Chinese families who all have their own oriental restaurant? Or do you think that all Chinese in the Netherlands hello foe yong hai yes you are preparing?”
No cabins
So more sense of reality please, is his message. And also: “As a program creator, be aware that it is your responsibility to paint the right picture.”
Regina Lamberts adds: “As a society, we have a great need to pigeonhole everything and everyone. But people are different and that’s okay.”
