Friday, October 17, 2008

Denis Leary Ignorant Comment

Just another entertainer to boycott...

Story taken from http://autism.about.com/b/2008/10/16/denis-leary-calls-out-autism-parents-will-you-join-the-fray.htm?nl=1

Denis Leary Calls Out Autism Parents; Will You Join the Fray?

Thursday October 16, 2008
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A few months ago, shock jock radio host Michael Savage received an extraordinary amount of publicity by calling out autism dads:
"I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.' "
True, Savage lost some advertisers, but as the credit card ads say - "ads? $5,000. publicity all over the net and on primetime TV? priceless!"

Now, Denis Leary is tapping the same keg - and while I had hoped to avoid blogging on the subject, I was surprised this morning by seeing mention of Leary's ridiculous rants front and center on - AOL! AOL is nothing if not mainstream, so it seems that Mr. Leary has already succeeded in making a nickel off the backs of frustrated autism parents. Here's what he has to say (through the eyes of the Huffington Post):

In his new book, "Why We Suck: A Feel-Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid," the joke-slinging "Rescue Me" star writes about the brain disorder: "There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumb-ass kids can't compete academically, so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks . . . to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don't give a [bleep] what these crackerjack whack jobs tell you - yer kid is NOT autistic. He's just stupid. Or lazy. Or both."
Autism Speaks has already run a response, which seems to me to be measured and appropriate:
We are deeply disappointed that television personality Denis Leary would misuse his celebrity, compromise his reputation, and exploit the real challenges of individuals with autism in making his recent extremely disrespectful and hurtful comments. His words reflect a complete ignorance of and lack of sensitivity to the true plight of families facing autism. Autism is not a joke. It is very real, especially to the families and caregivers whose lives are forever changed when their loved one receives an autism diagnosis. Autism is recognized globally as an urgent healthcare crisis. Unfortunately, in a country built on the tenets of freedom of speech, sometimes people with access to the media are able to spread harmful mistruths. ...
Of course, this measured response isn't what Leary's looking for. By directly insulting US, the autism moms and dads, and suggesting that our kids are, in fact, lazy and stupid, he's appealing to our lowest instincts. What he wants is a good, solid, knock down drag out fight. Preferably in front of plenty of TV cameras, face to face with Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey - so the story will be presented front and center on every TV station in America.

What worries me is this: Denis Leary may get precisely what he wants.

The Best Husband Ever


As mentioned earlier I was in Minnesota last week. I had driven myself to the airport on Monday since I had such an early flight out and was going to have a late flight back home on Saturday. As I was standing in baggage claim waiting for my luggage, I feel someone touch my arm and say "Hi Mom". I was shocked to see Samantha there. I turned to see Benjamin and John joining us. John knew it was going to be a long travel day for me, so he picked up my favorite sushi rolls (Shannon, Hetti, and Julie) from Oishi Sushi, along with an Iced Tea and some Edamame. That man is the best thing to ever happen to me. He always seems to know exactly what I want or need. He never complains about my running around scrapbooking, or going up to the MN office. He even brings me sushi when I've been out of town. How Wonderful is that?!

Another Week in Minnesota


Well, I was in the Minnesota office last week for Customer Service Week. It's always nice to see everyone. Connects me with my fellow co-workers. Working from home is great, but it's nice to actually see people, too. On Friday my supervisor, Darrin, took the Billing support team to eat at Whiskey Creek. It was yummy. After we all went bowling. It was a riot. Here's a picture of us at Whiskey Creek. L-R: Wendie Engebretson, me, Darrin Wiest, Angie Gamradt, Sarah Anderson, Daina Lowe. (missing were BobbiJo Matt and Micky Clark). I must confess... I love working with these guys. My team rocks!