Monday, December 15, 2008

Taking the Funny Too Far???

This past Saturday, Joey B, his friend Michelle and I watched Saturday Night Live - one of my very favorite pass times - following a day of shopping and a lovely dinner at Pequod's with Jason Fab.

I have always been a fan of edgy humor, and have been known to toe the line on many occasions but when Fred Armisen appeared as NY Gov Patterson on Weekend Update, I actually gasped.

It is one thing to make fun of the Governor for his, very well publicized, over the top confessions (regarding his past cocaine use and extramarital affairs) on taking office, following the sex scandal that ended the political career of his predecessor, Gov Spitzer -but they went much further than that. Whether they intended to or not, much of their mockery centered on the impression that due to his disability (the Governor is blind) he is a bumbling idiot. Time and again they made fun of the fact that he couldn't see by having Armisen hold up signs upside down and wander into camera, following his official segment.

The reality is that only 37% of persons with disabilities in the country are employed and they earn, on average, far less than individuals without disabilities who have the same level of education. As of now, the producers for SNL have no comment, but I think I can anticipate their rationale. They would say that, by making fun of Gov Patterson, they are treating him as they would anyone else. I will admit, there is some truth in this. I am not offended by the fact that they mocked him, but by how they chose to mock him. This particular skit, at least for me, reflected a sad time (not too long ago) when being different was, in and of itself, considered funny. I'd have hoped we'd grown since then, but maybe I'm just naive. I'll ask Amos and Andy - they'll set me right, I reckon.

Take a look and let me know what you think:

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