Comments on: Ignorance is Blind http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/ The blog of a British freelance writer living in New York Tue, 7 Oct 2008 08:10:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: michael http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-117481 Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:12:42 +0000 http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-117481 I'm guessing most of the people posting comments from their moral high horse read only your excerpt, and not the full article. I can safely assume this, because the overall tone of Hamilton's piece is far from the mocking-the-afflicted tone you attempt to portray. But then, some people are always looking for someone they can feel morally superior to. I’m guessing most of the people posting comments from their moral high horse read only your excerpt, and not the full article. I can safely assume this, because the overall tone of Hamilton’s piece is far from the mocking-the-afflicted tone you attempt to portray. But then, some people are always looking for someone they can feel morally superior to.

]]> by: Jake Joehl http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-7506 Wed, 12 Oct 2005 19:59:04 +0000 http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-7506 Hi. Just came across your website through perusing www.afb.org/blog . I, too, read Ms Hamilton's article and was equally appalled. How could such a reputable magazine publish an article of this low quality? In my opinion this is just plain unacceptable. Regarding the comment about Mr. Magoo, I have this to say. I am too young to have ever watched an episode of Mr. Magoo. However, I know that there are visually-impaired people who themselves have criticized Mr. Magoo for "attacking the blindness community." I have to wonder how a group of visually impaired people could be offended so much by something which was only meant for entertainment purposes, and which presumably did not include any derogatory statements toward visually impaired people. I will save the rest of my rant about this particular blindness organization for another time. Hi. Just came across your website through perusing www.afb.org/blog . I, too, read Ms Hamilton’s article and was equally appalled. How could such a reputable magazine publish an article of this low quality? In my opinion this is just plain unacceptable. Regarding the comment about Mr. Magoo, I have this to say. I am too young to have ever watched an episode of Mr. Magoo. However, I know that there are visually-impaired people who themselves have criticized Mr. Magoo for “attacking the blindness community.” I have to wonder how a group of visually impaired people could be offended so much by something which was only meant for entertainment purposes, and which presumably did not include any derogatory statements toward visually impaired people. I will save the rest of my rant about this particular blindness organization for another time.

]]> by: Adrianna http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-7382 Tue, 04 Oct 2005 19:37:15 +0000 http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-7382 Hello, just came across your post on Gabrielle Hamilton's offensive article from the NYT Magazine -- what an insidious piece of writing. At the American Foundation for the Blind, where I work, we have been talking a lot the article on our blog (www.afb.org/blog). Last Monday, our president wrote a post entitled "New York Times Magazine Food Section Serves Up Bigotry for Breakfast" -- which has caused a flurry of comments on the site. Thought you and your friend Adam may want to check it out. Everyone here is curious to see the letters section in this Sunday's NYT Magazine... Thanks again for the post. Adrianna Hello, just came across your post on Gabrielle Hamilton’s offensive article from the NYT Magazine — what an insidious piece of writing. At the American Foundation for the Blind, where I work, we have been talking a lot the article on our blog (www.afb.org/blog). Last Monday, our president wrote a post entitled “New York Times Magazine Food Section Serves Up Bigotry for Breakfast” — which has caused a flurry of comments on the site. Thought you and your friend Adam may want to check it out. Everyone here is curious to see the letters section in this Sunday’s NYT Magazine… Thanks again for the post. Adrianna

]]> by: A Guy In New York http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-7277 Mon, 03 Oct 2005 10:26:00 +0000 http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-7277 <strong>Big Apple Blog Festival - October 3, 2005</strong> Welcome to Big Apple Blog Festival (BABF), a representative roundup of this week's posts by NYC bloggers. The Kitchen Review has a funny post ... "Corporate Potluck" ... with a link to "one of the greatest bad cookbooks ever -... Big Apple Blog Festival - October 3, 2005

Welcome to Big Apple Blog Festival (BABF), a representative roundup of this week’s posts by NYC bloggers. The Kitchen Review has a funny post … “Corporate Potluck” … with a link to “one of the greatest bad cookbooks ever -…

]]> by: alison http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-7008 Thu, 29 Sep 2005 13:11:55 +0000 http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-7008 I actually love non-p.c. humor. I adore Sarah Silverman, who I think makes fun of p.c. AND racism all in the same breath. I also love many jokes against the disabled - I think the cartoon "Family Guy" does a pretty good job at making fun of everyone, including the over the top heroic paraplegic police officer neighbor. I've actually never seen Mr. Magoo, so I'm not sure what to say about that. However, I don't think Hamilton is making fun of bigotry or is making any sort of statement regarding the policing of p.c. values. I think instead, she is exposing her own bigotry and meanness towards a visually impaired person. I actually love non-p.c. humor. I adore Sarah Silverman, who I think makes fun of p.c. AND racism all in the same breath. I also love many jokes against the disabled - I think the cartoon “Family Guy” does a pretty good job at making fun of everyone, including the over the top heroic paraplegic police officer neighbor. I’ve actually never seen Mr. Magoo, so I’m not sure what to say about that.

However, I don’t think Hamilton is making fun of bigotry or is making any sort of statement regarding the policing of p.c. values. I think instead, she is exposing her own bigotry and meanness towards a visually impaired person.

]]> by: William http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-6980 Thu, 29 Sep 2005 05:12:22 +0000 http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-6980 As an article in a newspaper it is certainly in very poor taste. But if it is just quoting an excerpt from a book, then I suppose there are plenty of offensive books quoted in newspaper articles. Still, can you imagine if the author chose any other minority group to bash? "The first thing I noticed when he arrived was that he was <i>black</i>" would not have gone over well. Keep in mind that, at one point, it was okay to make fun of blind people. The old cartoon, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Magoo" rel="nofollow">Mr. Magoo</a>, did an excellent job at that. And while the cartoon was created during a very non-PC time, in 1997 it was remade into a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1558908412/104-4212503-4487148?v=glance" rel="nofollow">Disney feature film</a> of the same name, starring Leslie Neilsen. I guess if Disney thinks it's alright to make fun of blind people, it must be kosher. And it's still okay to make fat jokes, but why? As an article in a newspaper it is certainly in very poor taste. But if it is just quoting an excerpt from a book, then I suppose there are plenty of offensive books quoted in newspaper articles. Still, can you imagine if the author chose any other minority group to bash? “The first thing I noticed when he arrived was that he was black” would not have gone over well.

Keep in mind that, at one point, it was okay to make fun of blind people. The old cartoon, Mr. Magoo, did an excellent job at that. And while the cartoon was created during a very non-PC time, in 1997 it was remade into a Disney feature film of the same name, starring Leslie Neilsen. I guess if Disney thinks it’s alright to make fun of blind people, it must be kosher.

And it’s still okay to make fat jokes, but why?

]]> by: alison http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-6962 Wed, 28 Sep 2005 21:55:50 +0000 http://pdberger.com/ignorance-is-blind/#comment-6962 Oh hell, I had always wanted to try "Prune" but now that Ms. Hamilton has displayed herself to be such an insipid and insensitive person, it will be impossible for me to go there. This is so obviously offensive I am deeply surprised that several editors failed to catch this. But it seems that such attitudes towards those who are physically different are pervasive. I had an awful time with Ann Althouse at her blog as she and most of her readers panned the Alison Lapper sculpture, mostly because of the "shocking" imagery of a disabled and pregant woman. Now, I don't mind a bit of ignorance as I have demonstrated in my life more than a bit of ignorance in my contact with those who are different from myself. But Hamilton was not just ignorant, she was downright mean. Imagine if the piece had been about a Mexican immigrant with limited English skills sitting in the basement peeling parsely? Of course, we would all be horrified, and the piece would never have been published. Oh hell, I had always wanted to try “Prune” but now that Ms. Hamilton has displayed herself to be such an insipid and insensitive person, it will be impossible for me to go there. This is so obviously offensive I am deeply surprised that several editors failed to catch this. But it seems that such attitudes towards those who are physically different are pervasive. I had an awful time with Ann Althouse at her blog as she and most of her readers panned the Alison Lapper sculpture, mostly because of the “shocking” imagery of a disabled and pregant woman. Now, I don’t mind a bit of ignorance as I have demonstrated in my life more than a bit of ignorance in my contact with those who are different from myself. But Hamilton was not just ignorant, she was downright mean. Imagine if the piece had been about a Mexican immigrant with limited English skills sitting in the basement peeling parsely? Of course, we would all be horrified, and the piece would never have been published.

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