Fw: And so it begins....

[Guest guest]

Hmmm, interesting response from Mack Rawden....I'm thinking about how to respond to him...he's playing the 'I've got friends who are disabled' card...you know, like when a white person is trying to prove they aren't a biggot and say 'I have friends who are black'.

See below.

Re: And so it begins....

Dear ,I read your email twice, and I sincerely hope you will read my response in its entirety before deleting and/ or responding.I fear you, and many others, have entirely misunderstood both me and the point of my column. I worked for an entire semester in an under-funded, intercity school as a special education assistant. I was the assistant coach of a developmentally disabled basketball team. I volunteered in high school for two years as a peer tutor. I once threw a student up against a locker for making a sweet little girl with Down Syndrome feel bad about taking awhile to tie her shoes. My mom has worked for the last twenty years as an Occupational Therapist. I know all about the joys of working with both mentally and physically handicapped students. I have never, and likely will never, experience anything near the euphoria I felt when helping kids with both Down Syndrome and other conditions achieve things they never thought possible.I have never and would never refer to anyone with a handicap as "retarded." It's extremely selfish and ignorant to make people feel inferior because of a condition they have no control over. But censoring a grossely offensive word from either Hollywood or the press is simply not the right answer. In the case of developmentally-impaired children, the real root of the problem is parents not teaching their children to respect and love those with differences. I was lucky. My mother spent a lot of time during my formative years showing me the pleasures you can have by both assisting and befriending those who are different.I'm sincerely sorry my column touched a nerve, but screenwriters pretending people don't use the word "retard" or "nigger" or "faggot" is not the right way to achieve tolerance and acceptance. And from what I understand (I didn't have a press screening to "Tropic Thunder" but many of my co-workers did), the movie's use of the word "retard" is largely to bash Hollywood actors who think playing someone with a developmental disability is an easy way to win fame and the praise of their peers.By the way, I worked for a few years with a kid who had severe communication disabilities, as well as an undiagnosed condition which impaired his mental functioning. He was a huge football fan, and his mother fought for several years to get him his own letterman's jacket and spot as a special assistant on the football team. I never quite saw him as happy as when he was out there on the sidelines. Keep fighting for your son, even when it feels like no one else will.Sincerest Regards,Mack RawdenSection EditorCinema Blend

Oh Mack, I have never read you before, but your incredibly insightful column was emailed to me by a friend so I ready every intensely insulting word.

My son is in high school and the word 'retard' is bantered around like a volleyball on the beach. My son happens to have Down syndrome and the word doesnt' bother him...because he doesn't think that he 'is' retarded...because the word now means 'stupid' and he knows he isn't stupid.

One of my friends was at the school one day during lunch. Her son also has Down syndrome...a student threw down an empty water bottle at her son's feet and demanded her son pick it up and throw it away. He said, "That's what our retards do here, they pick up our trash." Can't wait till THAT kid 'goes full retard'.

Being retarded today holds a death sentence. Over 90% of parents who have a pre-natal diagnosis of Down syndrome abort their babies..why? Because the doctors tell them their baby will be 'retarded'.

So, it's not really funny to make fun of people who are intellectually disabled...not to the people with the intellectual disabilities, and not to their parents who DO want to protect them from the bullies of the world....DO want to protect them from ignorance that keeps them from getting jobs...ignorance that is keeping my son from being one of 20 football assistants this year...even though he is perfectly capable of filling a water bottle for a jock...probably because he is 'full retard'. Discrimination and biggotry --- not funny---not cool.

Write about injustice because of ignorance, instead of promoting more ignorance that only breeds prejudice against my son.

McElwee-- Mack RawdenCinemaBlend.com

[Guest guest]

Kind of hypocritical, don’t you think? (“Pay no

attention to the man behind the screen’’’ (a la Wizard of Oz)

He is sure singing a different tune than what he said in his article.

I just posted this on Bauer’s site:

I really do ‘get it’ that the movie is SUPPOSED to

be jabbing at Hollywood’s portrayal of people who have cognitive

disabilities, mental retardation….etc etc. I agree that some of the portrayals

by Hollywood have been truly dreadful (“Radio” springs immediately

to mind;-) But what some people don’t seem to

understand that THAT is NOT the take home message that people will take home

from the movie….what they WILL take home from the movie is the

‘clever’ one-liner..”Never go full retard, man.” THAT

is what is going to be the new insult. For those people who say that we are

just whiners, and are worried that we are trampling on their ‘Freedom of

Speech’ rights,,,,I just want to remind them that ‘rights’

carry with them ‘responsibilities’…yes, you have the RIGHT to

say ANYTHING that you want…but in a functional society, you also have the

RESPONSIBILTY to not harm anyone while exercising your ‘right’.

So,,,to your way of thinking, your right to use the word ‘retard’

trumps my child’s right to be treated with dignity and respect. I

disagree.

Since when is it ‘politically correct’ to be mindful

of the feelings of others? I thought that was just common decency.

From:

DownSyndromeInfoExchange

[mailto:DownSyndromeInfoExchange ] On Behalf Of

McElwee

Sent: Friday, August 08, 2008 4:22 PM

To: DownSyndromeInfoExchange ; Down Syndrome

Subject: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] Fw: And so it begins....

Hmmm,

interesting response from Mack Rawden....I'm thinking about how to respond to

him...he's playing the 'I've got friends who are disabled' card...you know,

like when a white person is trying to prove they aren't a biggot and say 'I

have friends who are black'.

See

below.

-----

Original Message -----

From: MackRawden@...

To:

McElwee

Sent: Friday, August 08,

2008 10:11 AM

Subject: Re: And so it

begins....

Dear ,

I read your email twice, and I sincerely hope you will read my response in its

entirety before deleting and/ or responding.

I fear you, and many others, have entirely misunderstood both me and the point

of my column. I worked for an entire semester in an under-funded,

intercity school as a special education assistant. I was the assistant

coach of a developmentally disabled basketball team. I volunteered in

high school for two years as a peer tutor. I once threw a student up

against a locker for making a sweet little girl with Down Syndrome feel bad

about taking awhile to tie her shoes. My mom has worked for the last

twenty years as an Occupational Therapist. I know all about the joys of

working with both mentally and physically handicapped students. I have

never, and likely will never, experience anything near the euphoria I felt when

helping kids with both Down Syndrome and other conditions achieve things they

never thought possible.

I have never and would never refer to anyone with a handicap as

" retarded. " It's extremely selfish and ignorant to make people

feel inferior because of a condition they have no control over.

But censoring a grossely offensive word from either Hollywood or the press is

simply not the right answer. In the case of developmentally-impaired

children, the real root of the problem is parents not teaching their children

to respect and love those with differences. I was lucky. My mother

spent a lot of time during my formative years showing me the pleasures you can

have by both assisting and befriending those who are different.

I'm sincerely sorry my column touched a nerve, but screenwriters pretending

people don't use the word " retard " or " nigger " or

" faggot " is not the right way to achieve tolerance and

acceptance. And from what I understand (I didn't have a press screening

to " Tropic Thunder " but many of my co-workers did), the movie's use

of the word " retard " is largely to bash Hollywood actors who think

playing someone with a developmental disability is an easy way to win fame and

the praise of their peers.

By the way, I worked for a few years with a kid who had severe communication

disabilities, as well as an undiagnosed condition which impaired his mental

functioning. He was a huge football fan, and his mother fought for

several years to get him his own letterman's jacket and spot as a special

assistant on the football team. I never quite saw him as happy as when he

was out there on the sidelines. Keep fighting for your son, even when it

feels like no one else will.

Sincerest Regards,

Mack Rawden

Section Editor

Cinema Blend

Oh

Mack, I have never read you before, but your incredibly insightful column was

emailed to me by a friend so I ready every intensely insulting word.

My

son is in high school and the word 'retard' is bantered around like a

volleyball on the beach. My son happens to have Down syndrome and the

word doesnt' bother him...because he doesn't think that he 'is'

retarded...because the word now means 'stupid' and he knows he isn't stupid.

One

of my friends was at the school one day during lunch. Her son also has Down

syndrome...a student threw down an empty water bottle at her son's feet

and demanded her son pick it up and throw it away. He said, " That's

what our retards do here, they pick up our trash. " Can't wait till

THAT kid 'goes full retard'.

Being

retarded today holds a death sentence. Over 90% of parents who have a

pre-natal diagnosis of Down syndrome abort their babies..why? Because the

doctors tell them their baby will be 'retarded'.

So,

it's not really funny to make fun of people who are intellectually disabled...not

to the people with the intellectual disabilities, and not to their parents who

DO want to protect them from the bullies of the world....DO want to protect

them from ignorance that keeps them from getting jobs...ignorance that is

keeping my son from being one of 20 football assistants this year...even though

he is perfectly capable of filling a water bottle for a jock...probably

because he is 'full retard'. Discrimination and biggotry --- not

funny---not cool.

Write

about injustice because of ignorance, instead of promoting more ignorance

that only breeds prejudice against my son.

McElwee

--

Mack Rawden

CinemaBlend.com

[Guest guest]

sandra, did you post your response to the website or directly to Mack?

I don't see that your comments were added to the website and neither

were mine.

[Guest guest]

I sent directly to Mack...didn't see where you could post on the site.

, Mom to 14, DS, Southern CaliforniaTo succeed in life,you need three things:a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.~ Reba McIntyre

Diagnosis Down Syndrome: A Site of Hope for New Parents or Parents with a Prenatal Diagnosishttp://www.leeworks.net/DDS/What to Say to Parents of a Child with a Diagnosishttp://www.leeworks.net/DDS/speech.html

[DownSyndromeInfoExchange] Re: Fw: And so it begins....

sandra, did you post your response to the website or directly to Mack?I don't see that your comments were added to the website and neitherwere mine.

[Guest guest]

His response...typical, turn it back on the 'attacker'. I'm not even going to respond...he obviously doesn't 'get it' and I love 's tag line:

"Never try to reason the prejudice out of a man; it was not reasoned into him and cannot be reasoned out." Sydney 1771-1845

I believe it applies here.

Re: And so it begins....

Dear ,I read your email twice, and I sincerely hope you will read my response in its entirety before deleting and/ or responding.I fear you, and many others, have entirely misunderstood both me and the point of my column. I worked for an entire semester in an under-funded, intercity school as a special education assistant. I was the assistant coach of a developmentally disabled basketball team. I volunteered in high school for two years as a peer tutor. I once threw a student up against a locker for making a sweet little girl with Down Syndrome feel bad about taking awhile to tie her shoes. My mom has worked for the last twenty years as an Occupational Therapist. I know all about the joys of working with both mentally and physically handicapped students. I have never, and likely will never, experience anything near the euphoria I felt when helping kids with both Down Syndrome and other conditions achieve things they never thought possible.I have never and would never refer to anyone with a handicap as "retarded." It's extremely selfish and ignorant to make people feel inferior because of a condition they have no control over. But censoring a grossely offensive word from either Hollywood or the press is simply not the right answer. In the case of developmentally-impaired children, the real root of the problem is parents not teaching their children to respect and love those with differences. I was lucky. My mother spent a lot of time during my formative years showing me the pleasures you can have by both assisting and befriending those who are different.I'm sincerely sorry my column touched a nerve, but screenwriters pretending people don't use the word "retard" or "nigger" or "faggot" is not the right way to achieve tolerance and acceptance. And from what I understand (I didn't have a press screening to "Tropic Thunder" but many of my co-workers did), the movie's use of the word "retard" is largely to bash Hollywood actors who think playing someone with a developmental disability is an easy way to win fame and the praise of their peers.By the way, I worked for a few years with a kid who had severe communication disabilities, as well as an undiagnosed condition which impaired his mental functioning. He was a huge football fan, and his mother fought for several years to get him his own letterman's jacket and spot as a special assistant on the football team. I never quite saw him as happy as when he was out there on the sidelines. Keep fighting for your son, even when it feels like no one else will.Sincerest Regards,Mack RawdenSection EditorCinema Blend

Oh Mack, I have never read you before, but your incredibly insightful column was emailed to me by a friend so I ready every intensely insulting word.

My son is in high school and the word 'retard' is bantered around like a volleyball on the beach. My son happens to have Down syndrome and the word doesnt' bother him...because he doesn't think that he 'is' retarded...because the word now means 'stupid' and he knows he isn't stupid.

One of my friends was at the school one day during lunch. Her son also has Down syndrome...a student threw down an empty water bottle at her son's feet and demanded her son pick it up and throw it away. He said, "That's what our retards do here, they pick up our trash." Can't wait till THAT kid 'goes full retard'.

Being retarded today holds a death sentence. Over 90% of parents who have a pre-natal diagnosis of Down syndrome abort their babies..why? Because the doctors tell them their baby will be 'retarded'.

So, it's not really funny to make fun of people who are intellectually disabled...not to the people with the intellectual disabilities, and not to their parents who DO want to protect them from the bullies of the world....DO want to protect them from ignorance that keeps them from getting jobs...ignorance that is keeping my son from being one of 20 football assistants this year...even though he is perfectly capable of filling a fucking water bottle for a jock...probably because he is 'full retard'. Discrimination and biggotry --- not funny---not cool.

Write about injustice because of ignorance, instead of promoting more ignorance that only breeds prejudice against my son.

McElwee-- Mack RawdenCinemaBlend.com-- Mack RawdenCinemaBlend.com