[Arizona-students] National Federation of the Blind Comments onSaturday Night Live Segment

Tue Dec 16 08:45:44 UTC 2008

Hello all,

   Frankly I agree with Allison.  I watch SNL every chance I get.  It is 
purely satirical.  That is the purpose of the show itself.  I saw the skit, 
and though it wasn't flattering toward the blind I would never have thought 
to call it an "attack on the blind".  I'm sure it wasn't meant in that vein 
and that it shouldn't be recognized as such.
   Weekly Bush, Texans, all manor of political figures, minority groups 
including those divided by race and other criteria are poked fun at.  I 
really don't feel that this is that big of an issue.  I feel that it is 
important to dissuade people from using negative stereotypes, but as was 
done with the movie blindness, I feel that the NFB's current attitudes are 
far more indicative of a sort of censorship which is not our role as an 
organization.
   Furthermore, the governor was not only "attacked" for his blindness.  It 
made definite references to cocaine usage.  It also pointed out that his 
inexperience in political office is great enough that he's unsuited for his 
current position.  We can't live in fear when people talk about blindness 
because it will always be in the media.  The NFB should not be seen as an 
organization that declaims every minor dissemination of misinformation 
because such micromanaging only makes the organization as a whole appear 
ineffective and unprofessional in my mind.
   The best I feel we can do is to go after what we feel is truly harmful 
and work everyday to do what we wish, because such small efforts change the 
opinions of everyone around you.  As students I think that pursuing higher 
education is a worthwhile goal and that simply working toward a degree is 
doing something in the larger scale to help people take notice of the blind 
and realize that we are first class citizens.  I feel that those who come in 
contact with hard working, independent blind individuals wouldn't even think 
twice about the brief skit on a comedy show when you have set such an 
encouraging example.  Other thoughts?

Sincerely,
   Ryan

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Allison (NFB of Arizona)" <nfbarizona at gmail.com>
To: "Arizona Association of Blind Students List" 
<arizona-students at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 12:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Arizona-students] National Federation of the Blind Comments 
onSaturday Night Live Segment

And yet... doesn't Saturday Night Live make fun of everyone?  It's comedy,
so that's kind of the point.  I understand that with the high unemployment
among the blind that this sort of humor could maybe negatively impact us
more than most groups, yet if we complain about shows that are clearly comic
in nature, we run the risk of not being taken seriously when there are much
worse, and more serious,  depictions of blindness.  Meaning that, if this
show had actually been
meant to be taken seriously, then I would be a lot more concerned.  Believe
me, I don't like blindness portrayals of this nature and would prefer them
not to exist, but
since they do, I feel that I have to carefully pick and choose which
instances I react to.  I choose my battles and, while something like the
Blindness movie may have been worth my opposition, SNL is just not.

We can go back to the old argument that if this had been another minority
group depicted in this sketch that no one would stand for it, but I don't
think that argument has proved very effective for us in the past.  And I
think it would be less effective in this case because there are many groups
that SNL makes fun of in their shows.  I imagine that some group or other
feels offended by this show every week.

Allison

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Freeh,Jessica (by way of David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com>)"
<JFreeh at nfb.org>
To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 11:45 AM
Subject: [Arizona-students] National Federation of the Blind Comments on
Saturday Night Live Segment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Public Relations Specialist

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

<mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org>cdanielsen at nfb.org

National Federation of the Blind
Comments on Saturday Night Live Segment

Largest Organization of the Blind Criticizes Attack on Blind Americans

Baltimore, Maryland (December 15, 2008): Chris
Danielsen, spokesman for the National Federation
of the Blind, said: "The biggest problem faced by
blind people is not blindness itself, but the
stereotypes held by the general public about
blindness and blind people.  The idea that blind
people are incapable of the simplest tasks and
are perpetually disoriented and befuddled is
absolutely wrong.  This misconception contributes
to an unemployment rate among blind people that
stubbornly remains at 70 percent.  That is why
the National Federation of the Blind is
disappointed that Saturday Night Live chose to
portray Governor Paterson in a comedy routine
that focused almost exclusively on his
blindness.  Attacking the Governor because he is
blind is an attack on all blind Americansblind
children, blind adults, blind seniors, and newly
blinded veterans returning from Iraq and
Afghanistan.  The National Federation of the
Blind urges the producers of Saturday Night Live
to consider the serious negative impact that
misinformation and stereotypes have on blind
people before continuing in this unfortunate vein of humor."

###

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