Bloggers Protesting Pity

Posted on 10 January 2009. Filed under: Advocacy | Tags: autism, Autistic, award, Bad Cripple, Bauer, DAWG Oregon, Dora Raymaker, empathy, facebook group, Jerry, Jerry Lewis, Laura Hershey, Media dis&dat, Muscular dystrophy, Oscar Awards, oscars, Patricia, Patricia Bauer, Patricia E. Bauer, petition, petition campaign, pity, pity destroys, ReunifyGally, social equality |

A growing number of bloggers have been joining the protest against Jerry Lewis’ humanitarian award. If you didn’t already know, Jerry is receiving a humanitarian award for his work in fueling pity against people with disabilities–pity that has undermined progress toward social equity and human rights. (Of course, what they say is that the award is for his work in raising money for charity. But it works out to the same thing.) Read and sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/jlno2009/petition.html, or join the Facebook Group coordinating protests against his undeserved award at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4053839. Follow the various links below to see what other bloggers have said about Jerry’s award. The oldest links are at the bottom, and the newest are at the top.

https://reunifygally.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/protest-pity/
Here at ReunifyGally, I discuss the difference between “pity” and “empathy” and why pity is always harmful whereas empathy is not. Links to the petition campaign.

http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.com/2009/01/petition-available-to-protest-jerry.html
The Media dis&dat blog has come out in support of the petition. Explains how Jerry has been consistently derogatory, not only toward people with disabilities, but also gay people and women.

http://autism.change.org/blog/view/petition_to_protest_hersholt_award_choice
Author Dora Raymaker appeals to people on the Autism spectrum to support the petition campaign also.

http://dawgoregon.blogspot.com/2008/12/jerrys-kids-or-jerrys-orphans.html
Written before the petition was available, DAWG Oregon protests Jerry’s award.

http://badcripple.blogspot.com/2008/12/protest-jerry-lewis.html
“Bad Cripple” writes about how Jerry’s pity undermines the search for social equality.

http://www.patriciaebauer.com/2008/12/11/jerry-lewis-oscar/
It’s worth checking Patricia E Bauer’s post for its multiple links to more articles on why people with disabilities have been so consistently enraged toward Jerry and the manner in which he fuels pitying attitudes toward people with disabilities.

http://www.laurahershey.com/?p=53
This is the earliest blog post I could find on this topic. Not surprisingly, its author, Laura Hershey, is the woman who created the Facebook group dedicated to protesting Jerry’s award.

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