Obama's recent State of the Union speech tried to address, among other things, the problem of wealth inequality in America.* Charles Blow's New York Times column** the day before Obama's speech described how hard (and expensive) it is to be poor. While much of the reaction to Obama's proposals focused on wealth-transfers, other redistribution efforts, and increased government regulation, some of it dealt with more abstract notions of how people are compensated in various ways in society. … [Read more...]
Disability Freak shows——Hits and misses.
Perhaps you saw the "Side Show" song and dance number during Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year production. It intrigued me how the two female leads were able to stay "conjoined" at the hips or shoulders through the difficult dance maneuvers. Conjoined twins. "Side Show"— not-so-disabled twins. Perhaps you've also seen episodes of "Freak Show," part of the American Horror Story anthology broadcast on the cable television channel FX in the United States. It features a variant on a … [Read more...]
Bullies steal prized NFL football from cleft lip Kid
It saddened me to hear that Nationall Football League star Gordy Soltau just died. Football legend Gordy Soltau. A member of the 49ers Hall of Fame, he scored 24 touchdowns and 70 field goals in his career, only one of three players in NFL history to have ever done this.The great receiver and kicker, who died of natural causes at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California was born in 1925, and played an important role in my life. The following, excerpted from my memoir, Cleft Heart, … [Read more...]
Oscar Pistorius’sentencing suggests he’s a psychopath.
Finally, the other shoe has dropped. And the judge has answered our question . . . sort of. The question asked several Pistorius blogs ago was, does Oscar have psychopathic tendencies like Lance Armstrong and OJ Simpson? Because I felt I knew less about Oscar than Lance and OJ and because a different culture and criminal justice system was at work, I decided to let the judge determine Oscar's mental state. Psychopath? By sentencing Oscar to five years—much less than the ten years she might … [Read more...]
Gaga’s Disabilities Foundation Under fire.
Gaga in dodo over disabilities song lyrics? As promised, I'll provide some information about Gaga's beleaguered "Born This Way" Foundation (BTWF) and her mother who cofounded it with her. But first, a few words about the "Born this Way" song, which stirred controversy when she released it. Besides the expected negativity from those who hate gay-friendly lyrics, several … [Read more...]
“Bully” —an anti-bully film—on PBS
Classic anti-bully film. Over 13 million American kids will be bullied this year, making it the most common form of violence experienced by young people in the nation. Bully, directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch, brings human scale to this startling statistic, offering an intimate, unflinching look at how bullying has touched five kids and their families as they cope in different ways with relentless cruelty while trying to fit in. Filmed over the course of a single … [Read more...]
Disabilities and Lady Gaga’s anti-bully lyrics.
Lately, news reporters have been writing about Lady Gaga's foundation to combat bullying. Because so much of the foundation is linked to the recording artist's words in "Born This Way," it's important to look at the lyrics. Disabilities mentioned. What's exciting to me, besides the anti bully message, is Lady Gaga's use of the word "disabilities "about two-thirds into her song: "Whether life's disabilitiesLeft you outcast, bullied, or teasedRejoice and love yourself today'cause baby … [Read more...]