Reuters reports that ''Comedian Jerry Lewis said the handgun seized from his baggage by airport security in Las Vegas last month was an engraved gift given to him during his annual telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.The 82-year-old entertainer, who was detained by police after the incident at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, explained why he was carrying a firearm in an interview with the TV show "Entertainment Tonight" airing on August 14. The unloaded .22-caliber handgun was found by airport screeners on July 25 while Lewis was on his way to an appearance in Michigan with his manager, Jeff Low, he told the TV program."
But Lewis in the news reminded me that his much-hated telethon (at least hated by most disability rights activists) is about to occur once again this Labor Day. Yuck!
Last year disabled writer Ben Mattlin wrote a nice op-ed in The Washington Post about his experience as one of "Jerry's kids" and why he dislikes the telethon's "cure" mentality: "For the past 30 years, the message of the disability-rights movement has been as consistent as it is simple: We're fine as we are. We don't need fixing. We need access. We need respect. We need work. In other words, we need the same things everybody else does."
And the late Harriet McBryde Johnson wrote a FAQ about telethon protests, which she led for 16 years in her native South Carolina: "We believe that disability is a natural part of life. It's part of who we are. Cures, if they come, will be in the future. We can cure prejudice and discrimination -- the real 'killer diseases' -- right now." RIP, Harriet!
And if you want to educate yourself more about why the MDA telethon stigmatizes people with disabilities, you can watch a video about writer Mike Ervin, who formed a group called "Jerry's Orphans" to protest the telethon. "THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT" is a half-hour documentary by director Kerry Richardson about Ervin. Its Web page also has a discussion guide and other anti-telethon materials.
