Editor: ‘Obama doesn’t get it’
March 23rd, 2009
‘Disabled aren’t a joke’
By Chicago Sun-Times executive news editor Zach Finken:
My son is a joke to the president of the United States.
That’s how it feels after President Obama told Jay Leno his woeful bowling skills are “like Special Olympics, or something.” The most powerful man in the world scored some cheap laughs on “The Tonight Show” by mocking people like my autistic 8-year-old.
… My son is just a second-grader, and he’s already an outcast among his classmates. What do the normal kids in my son’s class learn from Obama?
They learn that my son is a punch line.
(Photo from Chicago Sun-Times)
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March 23rd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I agree with you that President Obama’s remarks and apology show that he “doesn’t get it”, so I sent him this letter:
Dear President Obama,
I am compelled to write to you in response to your remarks on The Jay Leno Show. I am stunned, and so very disappointed to learn that your casual remark regarding your bowling score was both derogatory and offensive to people with disabilities, including my daughter, Amina. I have been a long time supporter of you and your message of hope, change, and the spirit of “Yes We Can”.
Those messages resonate a profound sense of patriotism in me that I had not felt in many years, and your presidency instilled in me a renewed faith in what America can become once again. But your words were crushing to me, my family, and my friends and community.
You see, my daughter, Amina, is 4 years old and has Down Syndrome. I can not even begin to describe the sheer joy that she has brought to our lives. She is smart, strong, and so very capable of so many things. Her brothers, her father, and I have always treated her with the dignity and respect that she deserves and include her as an equal.
When you made that reference to Special Olympics in the context that you did, you sent a cultural message, whether intended or not, throughout our country that implies people with disabilities are inferior and less capable than the rest of us, and it’s okay to make fun at their expense.
It’s just heartbreaking to me because I am so proud of my daughter and all that she has accomplished –- just like all of us, she has strengths and weaknesses, and just like all of us, she has feelings and emotions and deserves respect. She, and all those who participate in The Special Olympics, deserve to be accepted and valued by our society, starting with our President.
I am sincerely appreciative of recent funding that you have supported for Special Education and Advocacy, so I remain optimistic.
However, there are consequences for your demeaning words, so I hope that you will step forward and acknowledge the hurt that your words caused, and let our country know that it is unacceptable to laugh at someone else’s expense, including both those with and those without disabilities. Please do the right thing for my daughter and for our country, please bring back hope, and show America and the world that we are truly a united nation.
Sincerely,
Jeanne Dallahi
Londonderry, NH