Writer: Palin running to get more ‘retarded people’
July 3rd, 2009On the Huffington Post, Erik Sean Nelson reacts to Sarah Palin’s remarks about her son Trig in her resignation statement. An excerpt of the piece, entitled “Palin Will Run in ‘12 on More Retardation Platform”:
She said that the “world needs more Trigs, not fewer.” That’s a presidential campaign promise we can all get behind. She will be the first politician to actually try to increase the population of retarded people. To me, it’s kinda like saying the world needs more cancer patients because they teach us such personal lessons.
Her first act as President: To introduce a Pre-K lunch buffet that includes lead paint chips.
Nelson is identified on the site as a fiction author and comedy writer.
Editor’s note: Nelson’s column was last seen by me at about 7:00 p.m. eastern. By 10:10 p.m., it had apparently been taken down.
UPDATE, 5:39 a.m., July 4: Here’s a screenshot of the full Erik Sean Nelson piece, as it appeared on the Huffington Post, and here’s the full text. It includes the lines:
Her policies will increase jobs because Wal-Mart is building new stores each day and someone has to be the greeter.
This will lead to smaller government because fewer Americans will have the cognitive ability to hold a government job.
Readers, what’s your opinion? Was this funny, or did it go too far? And who can explain why was it taken down?
UPDATE #2: Here’s a link to the Twitter responses to Nelson’s piece, many in full outrage mode.
UPDATE #3: An apology from Erik Sean Nelson has appeared on the Huffington Post website, stating that he took down the post after receiving two complaints. Trouble is, his apology has a time stamp of 6 p.m. Friday night, and I viewed his piece on the site at 6:52 p.m.
Here’s the text of Nelson’s apology in its entirety:
A Post Apology
I wrote a piece making fun of the fact that a Trig Palin joke was given as the reason that Sarah Palin left office. I wrote jokes that were offensive but my intent was for them to be ironic and therefore not offensive. I was wrong. Within ten minutes of my post I received some emails from the loved ones of the retarded and I saw that my piece was hurtful. Therefore, I removed the post right after receiving the first 2 emails.
I removed it immediately because I saw that it did not come across as I intended. I apologize to all of those who were offended.
UPDATE #4, 11:12 a.m., July 4: The link that originally led to Nelson’s piece, entitled “Palin Will Run in ‘12 on More Retardation Platform,” now leads to his apology. Have not found any official explanation, apologetic or otherwise, from Huffington Post’s editors on their site.
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on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 9:21 pm and is filed under Down syndrome, NOT2BEMISSED, humor, intellectual/developmental disabilities, politics.
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July 8th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Please stop using the R word. It is mean, rude and disrespectful, and makes me want to hide!!!!!!! It is time to society to start being nice to us!!! We are people, too.
July 7th, 2009 at 5:36 am
I was a poster on the Huffington Post well before the last election. I’m a liberal Democrat. During the primaries, I was shocked by the Hillary Clinton trashing: HuffPost posts rumors, they get picked up by the New York Times. I would occasionally post (reasonable) criticisms of what was posted about her – those posts were ALWAYS censored. How strange.
Then Sarah Palin came on the scene and the HuffPost went ballistic. Naturally as a parent I was appalled by all the idiotic comments posters made (and posts have to be ‘approved’ by the HuffPost) about people with Down Syndrome. The HuffPost was the central for spreading rumors that Trig was the son of Sarah Palin’s daughter. But try posting something – reasonable – to contradict what the blogger or some other poster says, it does not get posted. Try complaining about some post which uses derogatory language to describe people with Down Syndrome.. you get ignored.
At his first press conference, President Obama called on a ‘reporter’ from the HuffPost and since then a Vanity Fair article claimed that the Obama administration uses the HuffPost to leak unsavory items (about Sarah Palin?) into the mainstream press.
July 6th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Mr. Nelson’s apology is laughable…
The fact that he even thought of such vile, mean-spirited,
attacks on our children is frightening. He is nothing but a coward, picking on the most defenseless in our society for the sake of “comedy”. He’s not fit to wipe my son’s shoes.
And I will not use this as a “teachable” moment. I’m tired
of being nice when things are said about the disabled population. Things like “Tropic Thunder”, comments by Ben Stiller, even by our own President, make it seem like being disabled is somehow less than human. That it doesn’t hurt.
Well, it does … and I for one am tired of “accepting apologies” … enough already!
July 6th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Sean is a total dweeb. Unbelievable, I am ashamed that he lives in the same country as I do. Words do not express my outrage about this guy. Nuff said, the next things that I may write would not be fit for family consumption.
July 6th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Should we treat this as a ‘teachable moment’ or use it to attack those who some consider political rivals, painting with a broad brush those who are much more likely to join us in advocacy efforts for our sons and daughters?
I strongly agree with Jawanda — what you wrote in five sentences says it all for me.
My admiration goes to those who are expending energy and effort to educating communities and politicians about the terrible effects of cutting support for adults with disabilities and early intervention for children right now.
We should be able to share Nelson’s article with decision-makers to illustrate how much further we need to go to change attitudes and keep moving toward civil rights and human rights for individuals with developmental disabilities. Acting on the assumption that anyone who reads a publication that publishes such rubbish agrees with it is beneath us as advocates.
July 6th, 2009 at 8:58 am
The post was certainly ignorant. The apology seems sincere. I hope Mr. Nelson gained some understanding. We all need to watch our use of terminology — we all slip. The word “idiot” has historical usage and should be used with discretion. From dictionary.com: “Idiot – a person of the lowest order in a former classification of mental retardation, having a mental age of less than three years old and an intelligence quotient under 25.”
July 5th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
The apology is inadequate and unacceptable. His lack of sincerity is only rivaled by his lack of understanding of people with Down syndrome. If you read it carefully, he only admits that he was wrong about how people would interpret his work. He is not apologizing for his ignorance or lack of consideration at all.
July 5th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
This ‘writer’ – and I use that word loosely – is nothing but a bigot in its purest form. The fact that Nelson has been welcomed by the Huffington Post and provided a forum to spew this type of hatred is not only disgraceful, but also illustrates what type of character, or lack there of, is held by its editors. They obviously know nothing about people with Down syndrome, nor are they interested in learning. These are the types of people that keep our country from moving forward.
July 4th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
I can’t even fathom how this could have ever been funny. I have no words. This was shameful.
July 4th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I am disabled. I am so mad aboout what Nelson wrote that I can not form thoughts about it without unacceptable language. I’ll leave it at that.
July 4th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Pat should we be shocked that such reporting would come from the Huffington Post? Come on people get on Twitter and start RT these links! Don’t let it just fade away. With social media there is an opportunity to create some attention here. Go to the The Huffington Post fan page and join and post your dislike. Go to twitter and RT, blog about it, send emails.
Mr. Nelson has apologized and that is fine. I need to see some more action going to forward to know he is sincere. He obviously does write fiction and is not a good comedy writer.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Appalled doesn’t even begin to describe my reaction to Nelson’s remarks. This isn’t about Sarah Palin. This continues to illustrate the much deeper ignorance and insensitivity of the general population toward individuals with cognitive disabilities. Ironic that as we celebrate our freedoms, individuals with disabilities still are not part of the “we the people”. May God have mercy on all of us, starting with Mr. Nelson.
July 4th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Firstly, huge disappointment at Huffington. I’d expect more professionalism. Secondly, anger at this mockery by a train-hopper who is clearly neither an author nor a writer. I have no time for SP’s politics, and I consider satire in that regard to be open season. These are elected, accountable people, so if another American wishes to have a go, so be it. But to use people who have disabilities in this small way shows Erik Sean Nelson to be an idiot from the top shelf of Idiorts ‘r’ Us. Cheap, irrelevant and unfunny. Just like his article. Any sign of a Huff apology?