Calling Out Cho

Almost 2 years ago, I wrote about comments that Jennifer Aniston made on the Regis and Kelly show. The comments included the R-word. Well it has happened again. Comedian Margaret Cho made similar comments on a Bravo show.

One of my favorite bloggers, Phoebe from the Herding Cats blog, did an excellent job of calling Ms. Cho out for her comments. You can read her blog entry here.

There is one difference though between Ms. Aniston's comments and Ms. Cho's comments. Margaret Cho issued what seems to be a heartfelt apology. You can view that apology at the end of the Herding Cats blog post.

Thank you, Phoebe, for your immediate response to Margaret Cho, and thank you, Ms. Cho, for your sincere apology. This is exactly the way to get a discussion started, and to educate people as to how offensive and hurtful their words can be.

TGIF - Take 2

Heather shared this link in a comment yesterday, and I believe it is well worth sharing with all of you...

The Wolves, the pig and the retarded bunny

Really George?

Here we go again - yet another movie and movie star who feels it necessary to make a joke at the expense of people with intellectual disabilities. Yep, it's the 'R' word AGAIN, this time in an Oscar nominated movie.

The movie is The Descendents,and the movie star is George Clooney. I know he has enough clout in the industry to demand a change in the script. Yet he didn't, so in my book that means he agreed with using the R word as a punch line.

Here is the exact dialogue exchange as taken from the book on which the movie is based, and the movie lines are almost exactly the same:

"Stop it," I yell. "Stop touching each other."

"Whoa," Sid says. "Maybe that's why your wife cheated on you if you're so against touching."

I snap my head around to face him. "Do you get hit a lot?"

He shrugs, "I've had my share."

I face my daughter, "You know you're dating a complete retard. You know that, don't you?"

"My brother's retarded, man." Sid says. "Don't use it in a derogatory way."

"Oh." I don't say anything more hoping he'll interpret my silence as an apology.

"Psych," he says and now kicks the back of my seat. "I don't have a retarded brother!" His little trick is giving him a great amount of amusement. "Speaking of the retarded," he says, "do you ever feel bad for wishing a retarded person or an old person or a disabled person would hurry up? Sometimes I wait for them to cross the street and I'm like, 'Come on already!' but then I feel bad.

So needless to say, I will not be seeing this movie and I will be encouraging others to not see it. I'm sure it has already made a gazillion dollars and may probably win an Oscar, but it won't make my $7.50, and neither will any future movie in which Mr. Clooney participates.

I'm really, really tired of this.

LOVE THIS!!

Really, Jennifer

Dear Ms. Aniston,

I really liked the character you played on Friends. And, although I haven't seen many of your movies, you know, the ones where you play pretty much the same Rachel character, I did feel bad for you when things didn't work out with Brad and John and Vince.

Your newest movie looks interesting, especially the concept of women having babies even without being married or in a relationship. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that you have decided to find a sperm donor and become a parent yourself.

However, if you do become a parent, I really, really hope for the sake of your child, that he/she is born without disabilities because I really don't think after your comment on the Regis and Kelly Show that you would be a good parent to such a child.

Just saying,

Ashley's Mom