Bauer Reports: Jerry Lewis Receiving Humanitarian Award
at '09 Oscars for MDA Telethon
Patricia E. Bauer’s excellent disability news blog reported today on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scientists plan to grant its major Humanitarian Award to comedian Jerry Lewis this Sunday during the annual Academy Awards (the Oscars) broadcast for his work with the Muscular Dystrophy Assocation Telethon. The “Trouble with Jerry” group, a collation including 33 disability rights and advocacy groups will protest Lewis’s award this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in advance of the Oscars.
Lewis's MDA Telethon has received heavy criticism from a variety of disability groups for its negative portrayals of people with disabilities. As the Trouble with Jerry website notes, "'Lewis has described disabled individual is 'half a person' and referred to a wheelchair as ' steel imprisonment.' For more than two decades, disability rights advocates have objected to Lewis’ portrayal of life with a disability as tragic and pathetic. In response, Lewis snarled, “You don’t want to be pitied because you’re a cripple in a wheelchair? Stay in your house!”
RELATED:
The Big Picture- Patrick Goldstein on the collision of entertainment, media and pop culture: Jerry Lewis on live TV: Julius Kelp or Buddy Love?http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2009/02/oscars-scariest.html
22 comments:
I can’t believe people are so ignorant and rude. How can he refer to somebody as a “half person” just because they are in a wheel chair? I don’t think he should be receiving a Humanitarian Award. To make things worse, his response that people in wheel chairs should stay home if they don’t want to be pitied…I think he just want to make people angry. By the way, it’s working.
I think that Jerry Lewis should myabe reconsider hosting his show and get some who cares. Yes its a great cause, but he needs to be a little more considerate if is going to be funding for the disabled. I do understand if he does not understand the first person concept. But like I said if he is going to host a tv show to raise money for the disabled it doesnt hurt to learn.
Leah M.
I think that Jerry should reconsider what he decides to say when talking about people with disabilities. Portraying them as "half a person" is such an inappropriate and rude thing to do. He shouldn't be using such negative words because although he may not mean to be rude it is to other people especially those with a disability. Although i think the way we portrays people with disabilities is demeaning his work with the Muscular Dystrophy is a good and positive thing of him to do. Priscilla F.
Well if this information is true I feel bad for Jerry Lewis, he has done so many marathons trying to help people with disabilities and for him to go against what he is doing and say such meanful things. Honestly he is just being a hypocrite. How will anybody ever believe him now. For many years people looked up to him for everything he was doing and to find out all this information hurts and angers so many people that they have decided to protest against him and the fact that he is going to receive an award. They don't think he deserves this award and it should not be given to him. I don't blame them I would feel the same way and I would fight for what I believed in and continue to fight until I got some kind of positive feedback and I think these protesters should do the same.
R. Hernandez
Jerry Lewis to me has been a very good guy. He has done many things for Muscular Dystrophy. It might seem that he is a hypocrite but I sure he means well. This is the first I have heard of Jerry Lewis to be so mean and degrading to people with disability. Its just a shame that so many people are angered by him. In my family there is a family member with mild type of Muscular Dystrophy when she read the the blog her response was I still like him, so I am guessing not everyone is affected by this.
Joana J.
I think that he should not make such statement “half a person” because many would consider him just that for being rude and judgmental. I think that another person should have won that award, someone whom really believes in what he’s doing. I’m there are many whom are very prideful and would not except anything (help) in less they really meant it.
~ Violet M ~
I think that Jerry Lewis should of passed on the award. Personally he was a good comedian,acotor, writer and director. I never thought that he would get a humanitarian award. In his first movies he made he would mock people with disabilities and the whole nation would laugh with him.Just by refering to people as half people, it should automatically be enough to take the humanitarina award from jerry lewis. Isn't the humanitarian award given to people for being good to humans.
-Francisco N.-
It is really sad to see him say those things about people with disablities. As for the award I don't think he should have received it. He is really offending people who are in wheelchairs and people with disablities in general. He is gonna get alot of feedback from angry people and it's not gonna be pretty. He has really shown his ignorance and that he is not a mature adult.
I dont think Jerry Lewis is helping so many people by heart. I would say his main reason is money. If he was doing all those marathons because he cared, he would be a little more carefull with his words. If he doesnt like People with disabilities than what is he doing on the marathons??? the people from the award should be a little more careful when choosing the receipients. People not always sponsor events because they care or rally want to help.
Grace R.
Mr. Lewis should seriously reconsider his choice of words when directing people with disabilities. This use of language goes against person first language which is to address the person first and the disability second. I can understand why many people in America are upset and angered by Mr. Lewis saying such things, and this just goes to show how much stigma is in the world on people with disabilities.
JudithW
Growing up I always heard comedies or comedians taking about “Jerry’s kids.” I never really knew what this meant but as I got older I came to understand the meaning of it and why they were talking about it. I believe that Jerry Lewis did a great thing for people with Muscular Dystrophy and it is no surprise that that Academy Awards would honor him with this award. I think it is a great thing that Jerry Lewis used his fame to help raise money for people with muscular dystrophy during his infamous telethons. I think that because of his actions and capabilities to be able to use his fame to do things like this the public is more aware of what muscular dystrophy is.
On the other hand, being a comedian himself, I do not think that the behavior of Jerry Lewis was appropriate for the cause he represents. I do not think that he realized that portraying people with disabilities in the way that he did would offend anyone. He offended more than just the people with the disabilities but he offended their friends, and family. He did not have to take it as far as he did by using some of the malicious words he used when describing people with disabilities. This angers me.
Aissa S.
Jerry Lewis does not diserve to got the award. He is very ignorant of people with disabilities. He should think about what he is saying about people before he says, before he offends more people in the future.
Jerry Lewis has done some good with his telothones, but he usually does say things that can get him into trouble. He is very ignorant and should reconsider hosting the telothone if he is making comments like that if he doesn't want offend people in the future. It doesn't look like it will change though.
Gerardo G.
Jerry Lewis needs a refresher course on respect. Times have changed and he needs to get with it. It is really sad to know how ignorant he is. Hopefully he will learn.
That is so rude, i don't beleive that in this day and age that there are people who are still so ignorant.
He should not be receiving any kind of award talk less of Humantarian award, he is not human.
How can you call somebody "half a person" is such an inappropriate and rude thing to do.
Anthonia .F.
It is very strange to see the different aspects of what Jerry Lewis is doing, on one hand he is doing marathons and other events for people with disabilities. On the other, he uses inappropriate terms to refer to people with disabilities. While his words border on the incredibly rude and hurtful, he still advocates. I don't agree with his language and the way he thinks of people with disabilities, and it is a shame that all the work he does do for people is tainted by this manner of speaking which reflects the way he thinks of people with disabilities. Leivy S. Resendiz
WOW!! Has he even talk to a person with a disability? Does he know that they DON'T see a wheelchair as a "steel imprisonment?" What kind of people would grant him the Humanitarian Award? What a jerk!! How does he have it in him to say these things? He should actually take the time to talk to a person with a disability to see how they really feel before he blurts things out and acts like he knows. He is seriously doing things to try to make himself look good when little does he know he doesn't even have his facts straight.
Vanessa M.
I understand the disagreement from disability groups toward granting Jerry Lewis the Humanitarian awarded at eh annual Academy Awards broadcast and I also understand that protesting is one of the only possible means to express and demonstrate their disapproval towards the matter. But, at the same time people with disabilities defend their reputation, and advocate their participation in society. However, I think despite all the efforts from the disability community to demonstrate they exist and to demand consideration from the public unfortunately, ignorant people over numbers them and people simply does not have any empathy will always exist too. Esly B.
I think that if Jerry Lewis is going to continue to have marathons for people with disabilities then he should educate himself first before going on national television and calling people in wheel chairs "half person". There are many different ways to help raise money for people with disabilities, he should not portray people with disabilities as being useless and hopeless so that people can donate money. I think that people with disabilities should be shown as capable individuals so that people can feel motivated in wanting to contribute to their independence.
-Berta J.
I believe that Jerry Lewis should not get the Humanitarian award at the Oscars because he does not say positive things about people with disabilities. How can someone that works for a charity for Muscular Dystrophy say such rude things like “half person” that is just wrong how can he say that about a person that is in a wheel chair. I just do not believe the fact that an award should be given and for insulting people that use wheel chairs. And I understand why people with disabilities are so upset. They have the right to be angry at a person that makes rude comments.
Brenda Hernandez
Wow! I cannot believe Jerry Lewis actually said that about people with disabilities. Last semester I read an article on Jerry Lewis and his MDA Telethon. Although he has done a lot for people with MD I don’t understand how he can say something like that. Perhaps someone should teach him about person first language. A part of me feels that he does deserve this award but then a part of me doesn’t feel. But who am I to judge.
people shoul mbe more considerate when talking about people with disabilities. they wouldnt like to be made fun of for any reason so y should it be different with people with disabilities.i feel it is a great cause what they were doing but need to be moe considerate with what people say. people with disabilities arent any different than any others without them..
justin r.
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