[nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness

Sat Mar 23 01:55:44 UTC 2013

Carrie,

I don't want to give the impression that I think you are wrong to launch
your campaigns against media outlets you believe are portraying inaccurate
images of blind people. On the contrary, more power to you. If I'm not
mistaken, you yourself are a sighted person, and it's great we have someone
passionate like you on our side who understands a blind person's full
potential.

But, it's eHow.com, a forum that is by its nature a free flow of
information, as good as what you pay for. There are only so many hours in a
day, and we can either choose to live to staunch every mischaracterization
of blindness, or we can choose to live period. In my case, if it's not
blindness stereotypes I was fighting, it would be the fact that I'm Hispanic
or Republican or any number of things that could equally be misconstrued in
the public conscious.

We're agreed no basket will ever be made if we never aim and shoot. Yet, I
would submit it is hard enough being a positive ambassador for other blind
people without worrying about every slanted article or news clip produced
contrary to our advocacy. I would die trying to reverse the injustice and
still touch only a fraction of the crap out there.

Anyway, I'm beginning to exert the same pressure I accuse you of applying.
By all means raise hell if that moves folks, but if some of us choose to
view the whole thing as nonsense and think we could spend our energy on
other fronts, don't paint us out to be insensitive or misinformed. It's just
a game some of us choose not to engage.

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: Carrie Gilmer [mailto:carrie.gilmer at gmail.com] 
Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 7:24 PM
To: jsoro620 at gmail.com; National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness

I agree that publishing ourselves is a great idea. I cannot comprehend how
you consider "filing a complaint" contrary to freedom of speech. They were
free to write this, and are free it seems to disseminate false
information...except there may be a true question of knowingly disseminating
false information vs ignorantly doing so. One is always free to respond.
freedom of speech is a one way street in your study/understanding of
constitutional law? We can laugh at the ridiculousness to make ourselves
feel better, we can ignore as we are just tired of one more thing, or we can
ignore convincing ourselves that any correction sent in or protest will have
no effect....all of those maintain the status quo. no basket can be made, no
point ever scored, if you do not shoot. i hope some of you take a shot. I
am. 

A while ago, HBO had a commercial for the show The Sopranos that portrayed
blind people very badly. i wrote the CEO of TimeWarner. i rook great time
and care, I wrote a professional level letter with passion. He read it
himself. He wrote me back personally. The commercial was actually pulled,
something I did not even ask for. This man is putting policies in place,
including hiring, and training...and is aware of programming content and
purchase for a VERY large media company. His idea of blindness is forever
changed. That was no little deal. i was the only one, sometimes one letter
can touch a person in power.

Not long after, Tom Toles, a pulitzer prize winning political cartoonist,
made a cartoon that mischaracterized the blind, it was offensive and
perpetuated false ideas.  I wrote him a long, passionate, reasoned, proper
english, professional letter and told him how i felt, why it was a problem,
and it had ruined my morning. He personally wrote back and apologized.  An
assure you he will never again use a blind character in his cartoon that
gives false ideas about blindness.

How do you eat an elephant? one bite at a time.
Best to you Joe,
Carrie
Sent from my iPad

On Mar 22, 2013, at 5:16 PM, "Joe" <jsoro620 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Carrie,
> 
> My apologies. I used the word "dictate" in the context of submitting a 
> complaint to the website for publishing this content. We should by all 
> means correct the misconceptions, but filing a complaint because we do 
> not agree with a portrayal seems contrary to the freedom of speech you
acknowledge.
> Get on the website and publish your own material to drown out the 
> misconceptions that may have been published to the detriment of the blind.
> With all due respect, it would have a more profound effect than 
> preaching amongst ourselves about something we are all in agreement is 
> nonsense.--Joe
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Carrie Gilmer [mailto:carrie.gilmer at gmail.com]
> Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 2:38 PM
> To: jsoro620 at gmail.com; National Association of Blind Students mailing 
> list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness
> 
> Who is dictating Joe? Very strange terminology to me. When people are 
> stereotyped, generalized falsely, negatively, portrayed with bias, 
> etc...this is a country of free speech...protest, dismay, correction 
> is not only acceptable and the right of any respondent or charging 
> party, some have through history argued it is a moral responsibility 
> to discard silence in the face of prejudice and discrimination.
> Carrie
> Sent from my iPad
> 
> On Mar 22, 2013, at 12:55 PM, "Joe" <jsoro620 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> I will add my own support to the complaint, not because of the 
>> content but because people should not be quoated out of context.
>> Unfortunately, we cannot dictate how people are depicted, as negative 
>> and frustrating as that may feel, but we can put out our own material 
>> to combat misconceptions. I wrote my own piece a few months back and 
>> share it here in case anyone wants to promote their own positive
> portrayals about blindness:
>> 
>> http://joeorozco.com/blog_facts_about_blindness_according_to_me
>> 
>> Joe
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Carrie 
>> Gilmer
>> Sent: Friday, March 22, 2013 9:49 AM
>> To: Blind Kid Mailing List; National Association of Blind Students 
>> mailing list
>> Subject: [nabs-l] eHow internet article series on blindness
>> 
>> Hello all~
>> I discovered last night a series of articles written and posted on 
>> eHow concerning blindness. they are misleading at best, horrifically 
>> bad perpetuated falsehoods at worst.  I had only viewed four of them 
>> last night and had to stop, I was so upset. This morning a friend 
>> pointed out that I was mentioned and partially quoted in another one!
>> I was completely unaware, and found upon reading it, it is in the 
>> midst of misleading and mixed messages and not an accurate portrayal 
>> from the article or from our life!, I believe it was pulled from. The 
>> same is true for a friend of mine also "quoted" in the same article!
>> one of the articles is titled "How to set the table for a blind 
>> person", yes, seriously. "How to care for a blind person"...They are 
>> Just dripping with condescending dramatic language and ideas! They 
>> appear to name the NFB (named National Federation FOR the Blind) as a
> reference!!!!!!!!
>> 
>> I strongly encourage you to read the articles in the series and write 
>> complaints both individually and as groups, with reasoned argument 
>> specific to false points. There are multiple authors, so letters 
>> naming problems with each article are needed.
>> 
>> We must get these off the internet.
>> 
>> Contact for complaint for eHow:
>> 
>> I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE WHO HAS COMPLAINT OR KNOWS ANYTHING ACCURATE 
>> ABOUT BLINDNESS TO WRITE A FORMAL COMPLAINT TO EHOW!!!! I will be 
>> doing it one for each ridiculous article!! i believe if they get 
>> enough coherent and reasonable complaints they will take these down 
>> permanently...as per their policy on misinformation!:
>> 
>> Further Information If you have a complaint, you may contact us at 
>> eHow, Inc. Legal Department, 5808 Lake Washington Blvd. Ste. 300, 
>> Kirkland, WA 98033, U.S.A. If you are a California resident, the 
>> Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the 
>> Dept. of Consumer Affairs may be contacted at 400 R Street, 
>> Sacramento, CA 95814 or (800) 952-5210
>> 
>> Best,
>> 
>> Carrie
>> 
>> Sent from my iPad
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/jsoro620%40gmail.
>> c
>> om
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/carrie.gilmer%40gm
> ail.co
> m
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nabs-l:
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/carrie.gilmer%40gmail.co
m