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

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi all,

I didn't get to watch the SNL skit but I've read a  synopsis  of it as
well as a couple of news stories about it and of course the posts on
NFBNet. I'm not pleased with the portrayal of blindness and I am glad
that the NFB expressed an opinion about it especially since there was
already a controversy with Gov. Patterson's office complaining.
However, for the most part I don't think this is a big deal or an
"attack on blind Americans" in the same way that the Blindness film
was. The Blindness film used blindness as a metaphor for the end of
the world and paired blindness with images of fear, filth and moral
disgust. The film was intended to frighten, shock  and disgust viewers
and used blindness as a means of  doing so. I believe the Blindness
film presented real dangers both in the intentions that underlied it
and in the negative associations that it could have elicited in
viewers. On the other hand, SNL is not supposed to make people feel
sick to their stomachs or scared that tragedy might strike them.
Viewers either laughed or thought the sketch was stupid and tuned
out--so I think the comedic portrayal is much less likely to instill
negative associations with blindness. Of course it's also true that
comedy shows in general tend to parody anyone in the public eye and so
the vast majority of viewers are unlikely to take the specific
blindness portrayal seriously.

I also think there's some value in being able to "take a joke" and
accept being teased as a sign of cultural acceptance. Let's  face it,
as blind people we make funny mistakes all the time and it's hard to
survive some of them without a good laugh. And I think most of us
would agree that it's more dignifying to be teased along with everyone
else than to be gently stepped over and told nothing but praise
because of our blindness. When I was growing up teasing a disabled
child was a big taboo in my school, so I escaped most of the bullying
that happened to my peers. But, in exchange for this "protected"
status I often wasn't included in peer group activities and people
were often afraid to make fun of me or even point out when I  made
mistakes. For example, until I was about ten, I actually thought I was
a decent artist because no one had the heart to tell me that the
pictures I drew in art class made no sense. As I grew up I often found
I connected more with others (sighted and  blind) who were willing to
throw a joke or occasional mean comment at me rather than hiding their
feelings and treating me in a "fake nice" way. In a similar vein, I
think it would be dangerous if we as the organized blind insisted on
only being portrayed positively in comedy, or not at all. As equal
citizens we deserve the same rights, the same responsibilities—and in
American culture, the same vulnerability to ridicule as anyone  else.
Political figures are even more vulnerable to ridicule than the
general population and if we're going to encourage Bush and
Palin-bashing on SNL I don't think we have the right to exempt
ourselves just because we are blind.

So while I agree  with the general sentiment of the NFB's press
release, I also agree with Ryan's compelling argument about us making
a difference by going out and following our ambitions as individual
blind citizens. He's right that our success is going to ultimately
matter more than a five-minute TV sketch. I also think that those of
you who feel strongly about the NFB's actions, whether about the
Blindness film, SNL or any other issue, should not be afraid to write
a letter to Dr. Maurer at the National Center expressing your views.
The NFB is made up of all its members, not just the staff in
Baltimore. We have a right to ask the organization to act in
accordance with our wishes and to convey our unique experiences and
perspectives to them. Contrary to popular belief, the NFB is made up
of a diverse member base that doesn't agree on every issue, as we've
shown here, and the leadership must balance all of the members' views
when making decisions that it deems best for the blind.

Writing this from a snowy 5-degree day in Boulder!
Arielle