Representation Of Disability In 'The Inbetweeners'

The clip is funny because any social taboo that people know they should not find funny is just tackled head on in this programme. If this happened in real life then the group of lads would be expected to apologise straight away and they certainly wouldn't be expected to laugh. Another reason why it is funny is because the situation is so, so awkward that the viewer would never want it happening to them. People enjoy seeing others put in the situations of their worst nightmares and the result is inevitably laughter.
The disabled girl is represented as laughable, pitiable and pathetic. These are some of the most common representations of the disabled in TV dramas. She is seen with her carer by her side which indicates her vulnerability to the viewers and also that she can't be responsible for herself.
Will is the 'butt' of the joke because he is the one who has just thrown a 'frisbee' at the disabled girl. We laugh at him because he has just been put in an awkward and horrible situation that we would not like to be in ourselves, the fact he had no intention of doing so makes it even funnier.
Different aspects of the media has meant that as a society we have been 'drip fed' the notion that we should pity the disabled. The representation of them on television and the things we sometimes read in the newspapers mean that our opinion and stereotype of the disabled has been decided for us through our unconscious. And so, our reaction is to laugh.

We may know that it is wrong to laugh at incidents such as this but because we know that others watching at home will be laughing then we convince ourselves that it is acceptable on this occasion; which is the same for all the things we witness throughout this television series.