sad is the day that i will no longer watch Chelsea Lately. funny, clever woman that i thought she was, she choose a lazy, ill suited stab at innocent, hard working people with intellectual challenges. completely unnecessary, completely disappointing . . . i thought she was better. i hoped she was better. when will comedians understand - there's nothing funny about the "R" word. there's nothing funny about making light of their life struggles. if someone who stands in front of thousands, setting a standard for what's funny, tells tasteless jokes, how are the people who laugh along with her expected to understand it's not alright?
she was an honest, laugh out loud, funny girl. i always enjoyed her. no subject was off limits. until now. she went there. first off mistakenly saying that people with down syndrome are not intellectually challenged. she tried to divide the population of people with ID, as if would someway make the joke alright. it's not alright. it's so unimaginative i think. really? a comedian with a big name? using the "R" word? really? you can't think of anything better? something actually funny? i thought you were paid to be more creative than a 7th grade boy. (no offense to 7th grade boys, i actually think, please i hope, that children are being raised differently then even the short while i ago when i was raised)
i no longer need to waste my time. waste my energy. i had her books on my list to get and indulge in, now it looks like my reading list has a little more space on it. perhaps for something a little deeper. definitely for something a lot less offensive.
since she wasn't big enough to stand up against it. i ask you to. change the channel. toss the book. silently make the stand if you cannot stand on a soapbox and say it outloud.
all this an hour after watching "what would you do?" where actors staged an angry supermarket customer berating a hardworking young man with down syndrome who was bagging their groceries. it was emotional night for me. the show was interesting. by far the hardest thing to watch is the actor saying such awful things. having such horrific things pass their lips. as my adrenaline was rising i had to keep reminding myself that these were lines. these were actors. they were trying to get a rise out of surrounding customers. most were disappointing. few were inspiring. i have to think that in the heat of the moment some might just be scared to get confrontational. in my little world there would never be someone who would speak so ignorantly. but i know that's not true. i also have to think that those whose lives have not been touched by intellectual disability just might not fully understand. and that's ok. i didn't fully understand once too. but once you know better you do better right? so spread the word. spread the education. and if you're ever faced with setting someone on the right path i hope you do. i hope you step up and fight for my son. fight for everyone whose living a life, not that they choose, that they have been given, and live with with all their heart.
