Episode 79: This Feels Like A Good Omen

TRANSCRIPT OF “THIS FEELS LIKE A GOOD OMEN”

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MALE VO [00:03]
This is Bad Attitudes.

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LAURA [00:20]
Hello friends and strangers! Welcome to another episode of Bad Attitudes: An Uninspiring Podcast about Disability. I’m your host, Laura.

Is this a good omen? It feels like a good omen.

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As always, I want to remind you that disability is not a monolith. My experience as a disabled person is going to be different from the experiences of other disabled people. I am one voice for the disabled community but I am not the only voice.

[01:44]
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If you haven’t watched Good Omens season 2 yet, I can’t particularly blame you. If you’re anything like me, your to-watch list is a mile long, and you may never catch up on all the content you want to consume. That being said, if you want to avoid any potential spoilers, it might be a good idea to skip this episode until after you’ve watched.

Good Omens is based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett, and follows earth-bound demon Crowley and angel Aziraphale. In season one, we follow the duo as they attempt to circumvent Armageddon, as they have both become rather attached to earthly existence.

At the beginning of season 2, we find Crowley and Aziraphale still enjoying earthly existence, but both are cut off from their former dominions. Shit gets interesting when the archangel Gabriel shows up on Aziraphale’s doorstep with no memory of who he is or why he’s there.

Plot is not pertinent to this episode. What is pertinent is the introduction of a new angel, Saraqael, played by Liz Carr. Why is this important? Because Carr is disabled and requires the use of a power wheelchair. Which means, so does Saraqael. Oh yes, an angel of heaven is [gasp] DISABLED.

The best part? NOBODY MENTIONS IT. In all six episodes of season 2, no one talks about Saraqael’s wheelchair, disability, or accessibility needs. NOT EVEN THE HUMANS. It is simply accepted that this celestial being uses a wheelchair. The only time we see even an acknowledgement that her disability exists is when Aziraphale performs a minor miracle to create a ramp inside his bookshop.

They don’t discuss it ad nauseam. No one feels the need to explain the how or why of Saraqael’s disability. No one makes a big deal about making the bookshop accessible. (Although it’d be nice if the bookshop was accessible anyway, but I digress.) Her disability is just an accepted part of Saraqael’s existence, like her hair color or her dry personality.

And because Saraqael’s disability has nothing to do with the story, this is exactly as it should be. Have you ever noticed how if a story contains a disabled character, that disability suddenly becomes the central focus? Like, we don’t need a blow-by-blow medical history of a character who happens to use a wheelchair. Especially if it isn’t the central character, and their disability story isn’t central to the plot.

I blame non-disabled people’s insatiable need to know the medical history of any disabled person they encounter. Take a hint. You don’t HAVE to know why a disabled person is disabled. You don’t DESERVE to know. You aren’t ENTITLED to know.

A person can exist without our knowing their entire history. In the same way, a disabled character can exist in a universe without our being given the history of their disability.

Most people I’ve seen have been really stoked to see a disabled character included in the Good Omens universe. Even more so because the character is portrayed by a disabled actor. But some have been a little iffy on what it means.

I posted on social media a promotional image of Liz Carr as Saraqael along with a caption that read, in part, “Disabilites in heaven, confirmed!” Some people I found weren’t especially thrilled with the concept because, they said, they would be disappointed to find they arrived in heaven and still needed a wheelchair or were still sick.

While I can certainly understand that feeling, that wasn’t the story being told here. In the first place, Saraqael is a being OF heaven, not a human mortal who has died and ascended to heaven. There is no indication that humans who ascend will remain disabled in this version of heaven. But, also no indication that they won’t. I think what’s more important here is that Saraqael’s disability indicates that disability is a heaven-sanctioned way to exist.

Considering how most major world religions have historically treated the disabled, this is kind of a big deal. For most of history, various disabilities were viewed by religious communities as punishments for sin or demonic possession. Now, in stark contrast, we are seeing a heavenly being with a disability. A being created directly by God. In case you haven’t picked up on it, the heaven/hell dynamic in Good Omens is based in Judeo-Christian tradition.

Interestingly, we haven’t seen any of hell’s demons with a disability. Now, I don’t know if this is purposeful, or just the way things have worked out in terms of casting and story, but, regardless, it sends a bit of an interesting message. Disability in heaven but not in hell? Maybe disability ISN’T demonic or a punishment or a form of torture. Certainly, something to consider.

The important thing to think about here isn’t whether a human who is disabled on earth will be disabled in heaven. The important thing is that if a disabled human IS disabled in heaven, then it should be perfectly acceptable.

We’ve all probably heard dozens of times in our lives how our bodies will be “whole” when we get to heaven. The point is to emphasize the glory of heaven, but often what it actually emphasizes is that disabled people are not considered whole people. We are found to be lacking because of the state of our bodies.

Now, I’m all in favor of eliminating pain and sickness and injury in heaven. Does that mean all disability is eradicated? From the available evidence, Saraqael doesn’t experience any extreme pain or illness. She simply uses a powerchair to move her body through space. If the pain and injuries and other side effects of my osteogenesis imperfecta were removed, would it be so bad to use a wheelchair in heaven? Assuming heaven is as accessible as one would expect heaven to be, probably not.

The Good Omens version of heaven is pretty empty, but the wheelchairs float, which I think would make surroundings much more accessible than our mundane, gravitationally challenged versions. Now that I think of it, they only show elevators into heaven. Nary a stairway to be seen. Makes that song seem kind of irrelevant.

I think the most common expectation of heaven is that it’s a kind of utopia. And to a lot of people, utopia does not include disability. (Oooh, hey there, eugenics.) But, what if utopia DOES include disability, and what it DOESN’T include is inaccessibility?

Thanks for listening and I’ll talk to you in the next one.

[09:10]
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