[stylist] My comment to the editors of Oprah

[Aziza]

Good job Angela.
Aziza
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Angela fowler" <fowlers at syix.com>
To: "'NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 5:31 PM
Subject: [stylist] My comment to the editors of Oprah


> If you're interested, here's the comment I submitted to the editors of
> Oprah's magazine.
>
> As a totally blind woman, I was shocked and appalled by your magazine's
> review of the movie BLINDNESS, which states in part: "Blindness conjures a
> world where an ordinary gal has a uniquely menial kind of greatness thrust
> upon her, where the drudgery of mopping and laundering is a noble calling
> and procuring groceries is a do-or-die blood sport-a test of leadership, 
> in
> fact. Who would have thought it:
> women's work as the stuff of movie heroism. -J.W."
>
> For your magazine to praise this movie for featuring a female hero is a
> gross misrepresentation of the way women are actually portrayed in this
> disgusting film. In fact, women are portrayed as objects of sex, 
> possessions
> of their husbands. Apparently the writer of this review did not see the 
> part
> of the movie when "The Doctor's Wife," "The Wife of the First Blind Man,"
> and the rest of the women offer sex in exchange for food for the rest of 
> the
> internees, essentially prostituting themselves. Is this the way we would
> have women portrayed if we want to get rid of gender-based stereotypes?
>
> The sexual objectification of women in this film is degrading, but even 
> more
> degrading to me is this movie's portrayal of blind people. In vivid 
> detail,
> this movie portrays blind people as helpless, unable to do so much as find 
> a
> bathroom or take a shower without the help of a sighted person. The 
> message
> is that blind people are sub-human, depending on the care of others for 
> our
> every need and have not the basic self respect required to so much as
> relieve oneself in a bathroom.
>
> Oprah is supposed to be a friend to minorities, an enemy of societal
> discrimination. How could this magazine possibly endorse something which 
> is
> so blatantly discriminant against not only women but blind people? You 
> have
> made a big mistake, misleading your audience and insulting the 
> intelligence
> of those of us who actually have seen the movie or read the book.
>
> Thank you
>
> Angela Fowler
>
> fowlers at syix.com
>
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