BillHobbs.com is a frequently updated blog of original reporting and commentary by Bill Hobbs, a longtime Nashville journalist and media relations adviser. I am currently serving as communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party, a job I began on Oct. 29, 2007.
The national office of Special Olympics has issued a statement condeming the disgusting flier distributed by a Democratic campaign office in Tennessee. I reproduce if for you in its entirety...
STATEMENT IN REGARDS TO DEROGATORY PORTRAYAL OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETES IN POLITICAL FLYER
From the office of Timothy P. Shriver
Chairman and CEO, Special Olympics
We at Special Olympics are astounded and appalled by a political flyer being distributed in Tennessee, showing the head of President Bush superimposed on the body of a Special Olympics athlete, saying, "Even if you win, you're still retarded."
We see this communication as an egregious, gratuitous insult to our almost 2 million athletes in over 150 countries around the world and a stunning affront to the more than 200 million people in the world who have intellectual disabilities.
We cringe at the thought that any one of these capable and courageous athletes would ever have to endure the agony, embarrassment, pain and suffering that this flyer would certainly cause.
We hope that the person or persons responsible for this outrageous political advertisement would come forward, identify themselves, and explain to the people of Tennessee and everywhere else why they would choose to denigrate the spirit, courage, and accomplishments of the Special Olympics athletes.
Sadly, this type of ignorance and bigotry is not uncommon. Comedians in the United States regularly mock people with intellectual disabilities; a common playground taunt even today is “retard”; people with intellectual disability remain the last to be respected or included in our schools, health care institutions, and society at large.
Our commitment in this political season and in every other is to reverse this ignorance and bigotry and to replace them with the stunning realization that many people with intellectual disability are, in fact, among the most gifted within our communities. Their valuable skills for promoting acceptance and understanding are most desperately needed in the political process and in the world today.
There is no reasonable and legitimate defense of this hateful material. We would expect those responsible to make an abject public apology and a sincere, determined effort to clear the public domain of this offensive material.
These are the same people who pretend to believe that sexual orentation should not matter. Yet twice during the debates thought it necessary to point out the sexual orentation of the daughter of the Vice President.
These references to a private individual were made in a context that could not by any strech of the imagination be construed to refer to the private life of Dick Chaney's daughter.
I would refer you to the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, for an apt description of these people.
"slimey things with legs did crawl upon a slimey sea."
Posted by: Allan Yackey at October 13, 2004 11:34 PM
As a handicapped person i found the ad despicable. I would hope the Tennessee Democrats have issued an immediate apology and withdrawn the ad. Any hesitation or failure to do so would show a lack of class on their part.
Comments Policy: Your comment is subject to deletion if it is off-topic or includes foul language or personal attack. Readers, please email me if you find comments that include egregious violations of this policy. Comments may not post immediately - do not post twice!
