[nabs-l] National Federation of theBlind Comments onSaturday Night Live Segment

Wed Dec 17 14:34:13 UTC 2008

Thanks J.J.! That's cool.

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of J.J. Meddaugh
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 10:12 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] National Federation of theBlind Comments onSaturday
Night Live Segment

There was a major character in the CBS comedy Becker for starters who was 
blind.
And don't forget about BLind Justice.
There's more as well.

J.J. Meddaugh - ATGuys.com
A premier licensed Code Factory distributor

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sarah Jevnikar" <sarah.jevnikar at utoronto.ca>
To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 4:56 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] National Federation of theBlind Comments onSaturday 
Night Live Segment

> Hi,
> Sorry for the anger. Where have you found such characters? I'm definitely
> willing to be proven wrong.
> Sarah
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
> Behalf
> Of J.J. Meddaugh
> Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 2:37 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] National Federation of the Blind Comments onSaturday
> Night Live Segment
>
> That's far from the truth. There's been several instances of blind
> characters on television portrayed in the way you're hoping for.
> Personally, I found the skit funny.
>
> J.J. Meddaugh - ATGuys.com
> A premier licensed Code Factory distributor
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Sarah Jevnikar" <sarah.jevnikar at utoronto.ca>
> To: "'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 3:21 AM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] National Federation of the Blind Comments onSaturday
> Night Live Segment
>
>
>>I agree with you Joe but at the same time this whole thing is hurtful too.
>> Why is it that every time a blind person is on TV they're acting stupid 
>> or
>> are incompetent. I'm glad they did this but did they have to make it look
>> like he was bumbling around, squinting, and in the way of the camera for
>> other skits? Surely they can poke fun at him without all of that.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>> Of Joe Orozco
>> Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 11:36 PM
>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] National Federation of the Blind Comments 
>> onSaturday
>> Night Live Segment
>>
>> Wait, are we talking about the video clip or the press release?  ...
>> Kidding, Santa will surely drop coal in my stocking for taking it there,
>> but
>> it seems to me that just as the New York governor has a certain amount of
>> political capital, the NFB has an equal amount of publicity quota.  I 
>> have
>> never known the organization to feel so sensitive about every little 
>> thing
>> that is thrown around about blindness.  We should not make official
>> statements for comical nonsense that will be forgotten in a few days and
>> reserve those for when statements are required to drive real impacts 
>> about
>> real issues.  I, for one, found it gratifying that SNL informed millions
>> of
>> people out there that a blind person is capable of becoming a governor.
>> As
>> for the humor, I found it gratifying that the producers thought blind
>> people
>> important enough to be swept up in jokes just like any other member of
>> society.  Next time I hope Dr. Maurer is invited on the show.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Joe Orozco
>>
>> "Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity."--James
>> M.
>> Barrie
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf
>> Of T. Joseph Carter
>> Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 6:39 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] National Federation of the Blind Comments 
>> onSaturday
>> Night Live Segment
>>
>> Well that was five minutes of my life I'll never get back.
>>
>> That was supposed to be funny?  It was just stupid.
>>
>> Joseph
>>
>> On Mon, Dec 15, 2008 at 04:43:37PM -0500, pyyhkala at gmail.com wrote:
>>>Hi,
>>>
>>>Here are some more articles, and a link to the skit.  I also have an
>>>article I liked on Facebook, see below.
>>>
>>>NY Times:
>>>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/nyregion/15skit.html?_r=1&ref=todaysp
>>>aper (the article has more detail on the controversy)
>>>
>>>You can also watch the skit in question at this link:
>>>http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/update-gov-paterson/
>>>881501/
>>>
>>>You can read what the public is saying on Twitter at the link below
>>>that does a real time search:
>>>http://search.twitter.com/search?q=snl+blind
>>>If using Jaws on the above Twitter page, if you press the number 2 (for
>>>heading level 2) it will take you directly to the comments that people
>>>post.  Twitter is a micro blogging service.
>>>
>>>Best,
>>>Mika
>>>Twitter Micro blog:
>>>http://twitter.com/pyyhkala
>>>Facebook:
>>>http://profile.to/mika
>>>
>>>On 12/15/08, Linda Stover <liamskitten at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> Could someone provide more info or links to more info concerning this
>>>> particular situation?  I think it would be extremely helpful to
>>>> understand if this is a spoof directed specifically at blindness, or
>>>> if the spoof is more directed to certain "blindisms" that the
>>>> governor frequently exhibits.  I know that when I was watching
>>>> segments of this nature concerning the election on the show, certain
>>>> quirks/phrases/mannerisms were used to excess to perhaps heighten
>>>> humor/absurdity.  Keeping this in mind, I'm wondering as I said what
>>>> exactly the comics were paridying.
>>>> Courtney
>>>>
>>>> On 12/15/08, Beth <thebluesisloose at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> Ijust watched CNN and they said something about this segment of SNL.
>>>>> I don't watch SLNL, but I support Paterson, and someday I want to be
>>>>> Governor, so there's no excuse for attacking Gov. Paerson for any
>>>>> reason.
>>>>> Beth
>>>>>
>>>>> On 12/15/08, Freeh, Jessica <JFreeh at nfb.org> wrote:
>>>>>> 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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>>>>>
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