[Nfbf-l] ABC News on the Paterson Saturday night live skit

[Sherrill O'Brien]

Hello all,

Here's an article from ABC News about the fallout from the Saturday Night
Live skit involving Governor Paterson, and a couple readers' comments.  If
you care to, you can google this and read all comments...there were 154 of
them when I visited the site.  So you can see it is a controversial topic.
I clicked on the skit, but it's pretty visual, so I didn't get the full
impact of the spoofing, except to hear that he was holding a chart upside
down.  Read on.

Sherrill

ABC News: NY Governor Says SNL Parody Mocked the Disabled
NY governor's rebuke of 'SNL' parody surprises those accustomed to his
self-deprecation
ALBANY, N.Y. December 15, 2008 (AP) The Associated Press
154 comments FONT SIZE
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SHARE Advocates for the blind take issue with sketch mocking N.Y. Gov. David
Paterson.Legally blind New York Gov. David Paterson lambasted a "Saturday
Night
Live" skit for portraying him as an aimless bumbler. But those who have
watched
the sharp-witted Paterson over his two decades in public service know how he
might have deadpanned in the past: I didn't see it.
The skit that aired Saturday featured "SNL" cast member Fred Armisen as
Paterson, who must appoint someone to replace Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Armisen said he has three criteria for filling the job: economic experience,
upstate influence and someone who is disabled and unprepared for the job —
like
himself. He held up a chart illustrating the state's job losses upside down.
"I don't mind that they make fun of me, but I thought it was important of me
to
stand up for people who don't have a voice and don't have a job," Paterson
said.
Marc Liepis, a spokesman for NBC, which broadcasts "Saturday Night Live,"
said
the network would not comment.
Paterson has used
self-deprecating humor for years, riffing on his own blindness regularly,
even
on national television. The patter has only increased praise from advocates
for
the disabled black man who worked his way through Albany's stodgy Senate to
be
elected lieutenant governor and in March take over as governor.
Some of Paterson's greatest hits:

— At his inauguration after taking over for Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned
amid a sex scandal, Paterson joked that he was brought in early the first
time
he spoke in the Assembly Hall to get used to the massive podium "so I didn't
break anything."
— In a September appearance on "The Colbert Report," he was asked whether he
would waive host Stephen Colbert's traffic tickets and replied: "I don't see
traffic."
— When running for lieutenant governor with Spitzer in 2006, he described
Spitzer as the idea guy and himself as the legislative technician, "because
I
sure don't have the vision."
Lee Miringoff, director of The Marist Poll, which regularly gauges public
reaction to politicians, said the reaction to the SNL skit seemed out of
character for Paterson and potentially unwise for any politician.

Comments
I am a legally blind elementary school teacher in New York City. On a daily
basis I see how the attitudes of misinformed people affect their opinions of
my
abilities. Administrators, parents and students do not understand what a
"blind"
person can actually be capable of. I have been successful in my four years
and
enjoy my work very much but it's not always easy to "assure" people of my
competence. Skits such as the one about Gov. Patterson perpetuate the
stereotypes that blind people are incompetent and cannot speak
intelligently. No
sight does not mean low intelligence but portrayals such as this reinforce
the
stereotypes of the general public. We need to have humor but it should be
about
things that people can control such as political views, personality or
policy,
not a physical disability.
lalia28 Dec-16 The segment on SNL about blindness was stupid & the worst
part is
that many people that watch SNL & have not known a blind person themselves
actually think that a blind person gets easily disoriented and/or don't know
what or how to do things on their own. I have an 18 yr blind daughter & have
seen throughout her short life how people(all ages) think & immediately
believe
& assume that they cannot do anything, exactly as they're being portraid on
SNL.
She was mainstream into a regular school, did all the same work & took all
the
same tests/classes as all the other students & did much better than many
sighted
students, & even those same sighted students watched her go thoughtout the
school campus walking on her own w/her cane, turning in all the same
assignments
as they did, those same students still think that she cannot think or do
things
for herself, so watching this stupid ignorant segments like this makes them
believe they're right! THEY'RE more blind themselves becuase even SEEING
still
are more blind. To applaude segments like this is of very poor taste. We can
take jokes, we laugh about blind things/people's jokes but this portraits
blind
people as dumb & it was not only on NY Gov. it was on all blind people, that
really bothers me, SHAME ON SNL writers. A MOM
ladraelena Dec-16 SNL isn't funny. They haven't been for years! Now, they
make
fun of the disabled???? Iit's still not funny; but now it seems cruel, as
well
Etwie Dec-16
View All Comments (154)
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