Sarah Palin continued today to position herself as President Obama’s 2012 election opponent by releasing a statement that hammered Obama’s comment about his bowling and the Special Olympics last night on The Tonight Show. Palin said that she was shocked by Obama’s comment.
Palin, herself managed to insult and patronize the disabled. “I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics. This was a degrading remark about our world’s most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world.” Governor Palin thought she was defending the disabled, but as a member of the disabled community, I can tell you that disabled people do not like to be patronized by described with terms like unique, special, and precious. It is an insult.
Most disabled people don’t want to be precious or special. They only want to be treated and viewed in the same manner as everyone else. I hope she doesn’t have this same attitude with her intellectually disabled son, but I have a bad feeling that she does. The last half of Palin’s statement was much more appropriate, “These athletes overcome more challenges, discrimination and adversity than most of us ever will. By the way, these athletes can outperform many of us and we should be proud of them. I hope President Obama’s comments do not reflect how he truly feels about the special needs community.”
Turning this into a political issue is a terrible thing to do. I prefer the position that Tim Shriver the chairmen of the Special Olympics has taken. Shriver accepted Obama’s apology and urged that this incident be used as a teachable moment, “This is a teachable moment for our country. We are asking young people, parents and leaders from all walks of life to engage in conversation and help dispel negative caricatures about people with intellectual disabilities. We believe that it’s only through open conversation and dialogue about how stereotypes can cause pain that we can begin to work together to create communities of acceptance and inclusion for all.”
Maybe I am so offended because I have spent time with some intellectually disabled persons in the past. Obama made an insensitive remark that is sadly all too common in our society. I am glad he apologized, but I am not happy that his apology was not posted in the White House blog. I shudder at the idea that Palin is positioning herself again as the candidate of those with special needs. Her attitude about the disabled is old fashioned and straight out of 50 years ago. There are many degrees of disability so it was unfair of Palin to generalize the way she did.
Something tells me that you’re a democrat, since you seem far more offended by Palin’s statement than you are about 0bama’s clueless joke.
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When I read about Obama’s remark I rolled my eyes and shook my head, but I wasn’t insulted cuz I “got” where he was coming from even if I did realize that average American comments like that should really be avoided by a US President.
When I read Palin’s patronizing and paternalistic reaction, I nearly snapped my eyeballs out of their socket and neck off its hinge. That woman didn’t give a damn about the Special Olympics until she’d produced a future competitor. Now she’s some kind of “expert” on disability, mental retardation AND energy.
Yeah, right.
I spent a few months in a wheelchair after getting wrapped around a tree while wearing a VW Bug and I wasn’t impressed by how the presence of that chair made able bodied people into complete idiots who assumed I was likewise an idiot.
I had a blind roommate for a couple of years after attending college with him and have worked at a group home for MR/DD adults, as well as served as a tutor to a number of blind students and a supervised telephone operators for the deaf & hearing impaired (after taking a couple of years of ASL).
But my primary experience with the disability community has been as the elder sister of a mentally retarded sibling. I learned to fight in the streets defending her from the genuinely cruel taunts of those who don’t understand.
The one things I’ve most consistently seen in my friendships with people dealing with physical/mental/emotional problems is a desire to just be another person… not this “most precious and unique” condescending and dehumanizing crap.
I’ve met some disabled people who may have been “unique” but they sure the hell weren’t particularly “precious.” To lump everyone into one pastel package held together with happy face stickers and a not-so-subtle sense of superiority is way worse than Obama’s misunderstanding the bowling skills of Special Olympic participants.
At least Obama was ultimately being self effacing! He should have compared his bowling score to mine, then he’d have been in the right demographic. Fortunately, they serve beer at most bowling alleys, so nobody needs to long remember a score they don’t like.
BTW — my sister can probably beat Obama’s score, too. But she wouldn’t make a very good president. Or even governor.
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if you want to be treated like everyone else then don’t call it special olympics. if you don’t want to be treated different why are you disabled. if you are disabled then deal with it. just be happy your breathing. if you can’t do everything a normal person can do so what. i’d rahter be disabled than dead. oh, i’ve been disabled most of my life. it’s not such a big deal.
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I can’t understand being called special and unique would offend a person.
Many people have special talents and each individual is unique. My question to you is what other word would you choose to call, “SPECIAL OLYMPICS”? We are just becoming too hung up over trivialities of words. I am quite sure Sarah Palin knows how very special her son is. However, to actually use the phrase as Obama did jokingly is in very poor taste. Sarah is one hundred percent right on that score. He needs to keep his teleprompter with him at all times. And, yes
I am a Democrat!!
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Darklady..apparently you can’t see the forest for the trees…Palin is obviously referring to disabled persons born with mental and/or physical deficiencies..these are truly special people…she’s not referring to someone who wrapped their VW around a tree
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One of the hardest parts of living with a disability is not the disability itself. Obama’s joke was stupid, but Palin’s attitude is what holds many people with disabilities down. People do perceive those with disabilities differently. It is an old cultural attitude. Is it special or precious that a person with a disability gets a job or can live independently? I don’t think so. Palin’s remarks are an example of the notion that accomplishment for those with disabilities is set at a lower scale. A special person to me is someone who lives a good life, is an asset to their community, and helps others. Specialness should not be a category for people.
My answer to those who are trying to divide this along partisan lines is that both Palin and Obama should have kept their mouths shut, but they both showed a great deal of ignorance about the subject. Their difference is in degree. Obama made an insensitive joke about himself, but Palin demeaned an entire group of people, by describing them using an stereotype. Neither remark was good or defensible.
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I find Palin’s comments more dangerous. Obama’s outright disrespect is up front. Very disappointing to me as a democrat, because it was stupid, but probably not a value he would act on. Given a moment to think he would be more politically correct.
But Palin’s comment is a more clear statement of where her values really lie. Given time to think about it, she still managed to convey a second class citizen status to people who have disabilities.
Would you rather be mocked for a perceived lack of physical prowess or discounted as “precious”?
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How one becomes disabled makes no difference; you would not be able to tell the difference by looking. Special Olympics allows all to particiapte and it is so called because that is the name given by the founder.
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I worked with the developmentally disabled for 9 years. I would agree that most would rather just be treated the same as anyone else. Just like the rest of us, there are some ’special’ people you like and some you don’t. Some of them are extremely violent people. Which is why we needed to be certified in the methods of restraining these individuals. Many hurt themselves, the other people they live with in the group homes, or the staff that look after them. Many are indeed ‘unique.’ It’s not everyday you witness someone eating their own feces, or drinking their own urine.
Now if Palin is referring to ALL persons with disabilites as ’special, unique, or precious,’ that is another story. I myself am working towards getting labeled as ‘disabled,’ as I have spinal problems and fibromyalgia. My condition doesn’t make me ’special, unique or precious.” It makes me in pain 24/7. Believe me that’s not precious. While I believe most disabled individulas would like to be treated the same as everyone else, I also believe we would like to be treated with respect, sympathy, and understanding. That old phrase “don’t judge until you’ve walked a mile in someone’s shoes,” is very fitting for the disabled. Because I don’t look like I’m disabled, many people cannot understand. I had a friend who was an epileptic. He had a handicap placard and he would tell me stories about how people would judge him because he didn’t look handicapped. He had someone say to him “you’re too young to be handicapped.”
Another saying that is fitting here is “treat others like you would like to be treated yourself.” If we all just followed that advice and the one about ‘don’t judge until you’ve walked in their shoes,” what a wonderful world this could be.
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it was unfortunate that President Obama used the participants in the special olympics to convey his feelings about his ability. It was a big mistake that I think he will learn from. I know he didn’t mean to offend the special olympic group, but he opened his mouth and said the wrong thing.
If he was not the president of the United States, this could be overlooked very easily. I don’t think we should further embarass the group by continually hammering on this issue. They need to be remembered more for their triumph over challenges than that the president insulted them unwittingly by making a thoughtless reference.
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So the name “Special Olympics” (which probably wasnt made by the disabled..) is the justifying factor when it comes to calling them precious and bringing them down below us? The Special Olympics were made in the late 60’s.. A time when we were a little less open-minded to people who may not be the same as us on all levels. So forget about the name and focus on why its here. Palin is an idiot. You say you are disabled… Stop feeling sorry and jealous that they can beat your ass in any sport. You are attacking people you should be united with.
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I’ve worked in the DD community for years and also have a son who is developmentally disabled. I have never before heard the phrase “intellectually disabled.” Where I am from, we have adults and children with disabilities, developmental disabilities, and acquired brain injuries. Has anyone heard the term intellectually disabled before? I think it sounds insulting. Was this the term Palin used or the one used by the commentator? Although I am definitely NOT an Obama or Palin supporter–I do realize that sometimes people are just people and they dont always know what language may or may not be proper or offend others. I would be terrified to be in a public office with the requirement of always being politically correct as I am sure I would fail–miserably.
As far as what Obama said on Leno. It was pretty bad. You may or may not be surprised by how many times I hear family or friends (people I love and respect) make fun of something by calling it/them RETARDED. The word retarded has become a something horrible and for the people labeled as such, instead of just dealing with a difference, it can be devastating.
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