The movie "Door to door” tells the story of a man who was determined to overcome physical disability and earn a living. Bill Porter has cerebral palsy which gives him a paroxysmal walk and oddly shaped posture. However, Porter is determined to get a job and earn a living rather than survive by acts of pity due to his disability. For many years, Porter searches for an opportunity without success until his sense of humor and resilience lands him a job at the Watkins Company as a door to door salesman. The position of a salesman requires Porter to supply household items to homes. Thus he has to walk miles every day. Porter faces hostility for people and slammed doors, but he does not give up. Over time, porter charms his way into the hearts of his customers making him the top salesman year after year. For forty years, Porter walks over ten miles each day making sales and proving the impossible has he overcame the odds of his physical disability (Macy & Schachter, 2002). The "Door to door" movie illustrates the life of families with disabled members their stresses, struggles and how it affects the lives of all family members. A look at the door to door movie helped show family relationships and stresses, social capital networks role and prejudices individuals with a disability and their families' experience.
Social capital networks refer to the social structure surrounding people with disability including family, friends, companions and the society in general. Social networks are fundamental structure of human relations whether disabled or not. However, people living with disability have faced discrimination and exclusion from social structure due to their conditions for years. Therefore, disabled individuals often have poor social capital networks (Dimakos et al., 2016). In the movie door to door, Porters has a solid social capital network. Porter has supportive family and friends who look at him as a real person and human being and do not treat him like a disabled man. Porter’s mother encourages him and assures him that he can do anything in spite of his disability. The relationship between Porter and his mother is warm, and she enthusiastically supports him. The movie also presents characters who are Porters customers that grow into him and become friends and see him in the light of normal person as opposed to an item of pity. To his family and friends, Porter is one of their own living with them and working to earn a living as anybody else does. Porter has a social network that is evident in his mother's love and advice to remain persistent and in the developed relationship with his customers (Sue, 2011).
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Porter does face hostility, prejudice and is underestimated because of his condition. The movie shows that Porter struggled to find a job because of his condition. The family also does go through some stresses as they have to sacrifice to support people with disability. For instance, Porter’s mother drives him through the town as he tries to find a job. When Porter finally lands a position at Watkins, his boss feels that a salesman position is too demanding for a man with such physical disability. The customers and neighbors insult and dismiss porter and some children even refer to him as a retard (Horsley, n.d). Porter has trouble landing customers at the beginning as people dismiss him and he has to deal with people's hostility towards him because of his posture and his altered speech. Porters abilities limit him as he gets older forcing him to hire an assistant. Porter has struggles leading his day to day life having to walk miles a day and encounter hostile discriminating people. It is resilience, patience, persistence, and willingness that drive Porter to get through the prejudice and become successful.
In conclusion, there is evidence of social capital network and the role it plays in the lives of people with disability. In the case of Porter, his mother's encouragement, love, and support give him the courage to persevere as he does not want to disappoint her. Eventually, Porter develops some friends with some of his customers as he chars their hearts with his sense of humor. Therefore, family relations and social networks contribute a great deal to the attitude and perception of the disabled and their approach to the world. Struggles, prejudices and lost opportunities are unavoidable as the disability may limit capacity to perform. However, with a reliable support system and the will to succeed, Porter is a character example of disability is not inability.
References
Dimakos, C., Kamenetsky, S. B., Condeluci, A., Curran, J., Flaherty, P., Fromknecht, J. ... & Williams, J. (2016). Somewhere to live, something to do, someone to love: Examining levels and sources of social capital among people with disabilities. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 5 (4), 130-180.
Sue. (2011) Door to door. Movie Rewind . Retrieved on 4 July 2018 from https://movierewind.com/2011/door-to-door/
Horsley, B. C. (n.d). Door to door. The City Review . Retrieved on 4 July 2018 from http://www.thecityreview.com/door2door.html
