Although the disability blog world has been full of posts and outrage at the Tropic Thunder movie, I haven't had a chance to express my personal feelings of disgust. However, even though I was consumed with the issues and challenges of the severe disabilities conference I attended last week, that didn't mean I wasn't thinking about Tropic Thunder.
I decided Sunday morning that I would compose my post on the subject, but then I found an article in my morning newspaper that spoke to the subject better than I ever could.
John Franklin Stephens, a 26 year old man with Down Syndrome, wrote a piece for the Sunday commentary section of the newspaper. John is a Special Olympics Virginia athlete and a global messenger for the Special Olympics. He is also a young man with a voice that needs to be heard...
The Term "Retard" Is a Big Deal to People Like Me
4 comments:
Wow---what a powerful message. Thanks so much for posting this!
thank you for sharing this!!!
You are right. Who better to speak about it than someone with Downs.
Again, I sit here in my ignorance at the shock that I feel at how cruel the world really is out there. I don't get it: I have never treated people as such - it was just never within the thought process.
What a truly incredible young man Mr. Stephens is and I hope that his message humbles people.
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