Monday, March 2, 2009
Special Olympics Campaign
Today I watched a snippet of the Bonnie Hunt Show . I never get to watch a show in it's entirety! The part I saw was her interviewing John C. McGinley from Scrubs. He has 11 or 12 year old son with Downs syndrome and he was wearing a shirt that read "Spread the Word End The Word" and the date 3/31/2009 was at the bottom. Here's a quote from the Special Olympics website.
"Our choice of language frames how we think about others. It is time to respect and value people with intellectual disabilities.It is time to accept and welcome us as your friends and neighbors."
Apparently during the Special Olympics a guest on Bill O'Reilly used the "r" word and these kids heard about it! They have some sort of summit for the kids at the games and asked them what they'd like to achieve or something like that and what they want is to put an end to the "r" word. John McGinley helped them draft a letter which they sent to O'Reilly and he did apologize. Although I watched the video where O'Reilly "apologized" and he says something like Dick Morris who used the word was talking off the cuff but we do recognize the sensitivity to the word. I'll be honest I am not an O'Reilly fan, and this is one blaring example why. It just felt to insensitive. Like he thought it was frivolous but he knew he better apologize.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
i'm certainly conscious of people's sensitivities, but at the same time i'm very leery about banning language. i don't think that's the road we want to go down.
also, i think it depends on context. there was that frankly funny scene in Tropic Thunder that used the 'r' word. some groups were offended, but i think most people realized it was not done in a spirit of meanness.
(Sorry I google searched for 3*31*2009 John Mc. and your blog came up and I felt compelled to comment. So ya I'm a lerker in this instance, but I also have a son with C/P.)
We're not talking about banning language, we're talking about people actually thinking about what they are going to say before they open their mouths. There is a difference.
In NO context is calling someone a retard alright. It is demeaning to those with challenges and just plane rude to all involved. That "funny scene" in Tropic Thunder was not so funny to me. I cried. Whatever "spirit" it's done in is wrong.
Post a Comment