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

Tue Dec 16 18:12:13 UTC 2008

   Well, I'm not sure that it's appropriate to call those in Baltimore 
crazy.  I'm sure everyone is doing what they believe is best.  As the 
largest organization of blind consumers in the nation, we are bound to have 
many differing opinions on things, so it is not that surprising that we 
argue about things sometimes.  Luckily we have list serves and other means 
of sharing our feelings and discussing which is the best way, as a group, to 
go about things.  That is why our national center encourages input from 
members all over the country.
   The employment issue is a very complicated one.  The Jernigan institute 
hires many blind employees, but it is not their responsibility to solve the 
nation's problems with blind employment.  It gets back to the comments I was 
making about how we as individuals have to go out, work hard, and prove that 
we can hold jobs.  That way societal impressions of blindness will change, 
and we can diversify blind employment everywhere.  The NFB is an 
organization and does many beneficial things, but ultimately it is a 
grassroots organization that depends on its membership, as all organizations 
do.  The responsibility rests with us, and we must do our best to chip away 
at the current blind employment rates.

Sincerely,
   Ryan

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "The BlindTechs Network" <info at theblindtechsnetwork.com>
To: "Arizona Association of Blind Students List" 
<arizona-students at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 3:48 AM
Subject: Re: [Arizona-students] National Federation of the Blind 
CommentsonSaturday Night Live Segment

>I can't believe you let those crazy people up in b-more represent you  all. 
>they are just a bunch of attentions hores up there writing and  releasing 
>press releases for the fun of it. and they still go on with  largest group 
>of blind people, are they out there damn minds. and oh  yeh, if they are so 
>big or bad, why not solve the employment issue.  they got millions of 
>dollars why not hire a couple of blind people  instead of hiring sighted 
>lawyers to go cause trouble all the time.
>
> Gabe Vega
> CEO
>
> The BlindTechs Network
> www.theblindtechsnetwork.com
> info at theblindtechsnetwork.com
> 623-565-9357 (voice)
> (206) 203-4400 (Fax Phone)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Dec 16, 2008, at 1:45 AM, Ryan Thomas wrote:
>
> 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 Americans blind
> 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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