http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rez0WzGzzo
This hurt, yep it cut us like a knife when we heard Finn use this word. So much so that Kerith and I looked at each other and immediately paused the TV to reflect on what it meant to us. We decided to continue watching and see where they went.
Sue is known for being extremely outspoken and rarely at a loss for words. She did not, however, fly off the handle in typical Sue fashion. She instead stormed out in silence. Uh oh. Now she is REALLY "ticked."
Ok before we finish our discussion on our feelings about the usage of our kids, and this word, let me point out a huge factor in our optimistic thinking.
How many "household name" TV shows are out there advocating for our kids?
Let me put it differently. Noahsdad.com is one of our community's leading advocacy pages online. He has over 23,000 fans, which is INCREDIBLE!!! Glee's season 4 premier showed rating of 8,100,000 (8.1 MILLION) and that was DOWN 17% from their season 3 premier. I would guess that noahsdad.com and most advocacy pages online are mostly viewed by families already in this fight, on our side. Glee is reaching everyone. Most of Glee's viewers are not in it just for the advocacy. This kind of makes us really hope that Glee is going to resolve this issue in a multi-episode conflict between Sue and Finn. Do we know that? Heck no, but we sure HOPE so.
This show does something else we have yet to see by another current show. This show has a character named Becky. Becky is a chearleader, is known by the kids at school, and is generally sweet. Becky has Down Syndrome. Becky is also shown as kind of a "b****" at times. What does this mean to us? To us, this makes Becky a person. An individual more than just the stereotypical sweetheart we tend to see portrayed more often in people with DS on TV. Are we saying she is the first and only? No, but to our knowledge this is the best current portrayal of a person with DS as an individual that is "more alike than different."
Becky is not the only character with DS, making her seem even more relevant. Sue also has a sister with DS, and as confirmed in last night's episode, a baby with Down Syndrome. The general population seeing this many people with DS in one show, kinda shows them that this isn't some "super-rare" situation unique to a select few poeple. It is out there more often than typically thought.
This new baby is who Finn referred to as "retarded." Yes Finn, the 19 yr old ex star QB, ex Glee star, currently lost young man trying to find his place in the world made this horrible mistake. Is this show depicting this in an unrealistic, negative light just for ratings? We don't think so. This was shown in a real life context that, in our opinion, was not intentionally demeaning Sue's child.
Definition of "retarded:" slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic progress
-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retarded
Finn used the word in it's literal context while comparing the child to and underdog that people should root for. In our opinion, the main reason we are advocated for our children, is that they are kind of underdogs. While we expect lots from our children, the reason we advocate is that society as a whole does not see them in that light. Some of society sees our kids being different and sort of "below" other people, and that is what we fight to correct.
Could the show have done this without using the word? Sure, but would it teach the lesson for people not to use the word? How could it?
Now our line of thinking still stems back to an optimistic prediction that this is going to be spread out across at least 2 episodes to show it's importance. If the issue is never addressed again on Glee, than we feel it was poorly done. But in the interest of awareness either way. I do not see ANY way for Glee to gain ratings over this. I see it as a risky move that could lose rating by advoactes everywhere, by more effectively reaching those who are not already sensitive to this word. Basically, the people who are numb to this word already, wouldn't be impressed by it's use, but the producers attempted to make THESE people feel our pain.
This made a HUGE impact on us when it was said, and would have no matter the producers work, but would people who are not as "touched" by DS be "offended" by the use of this word? I doubt it. The producers of this show made it a BIG DEAL. All motion stopped. The whole room froze. Sue is so mad she can not speak to Finn. Finn was immediately apologetic for saying that word. I honestly thought this was going to be her last episode as she may have slapped him. To us, they did that good making it a HUGE point in that moment.
What about after that moment? Should Will have reprimanded Finn? Absolutely. No question about it. But at the end of the day, the show has done more than most to make a solid point about using that word already. Remember, this is the same show that landed Lauren Potter, an amazing self advocate who has spoken before congress, as an actress. I don't think she would approve of random exploitation for ratings.
All in all, these are just our opinions, and we are just hoping to shine a bit more optimism on what could be viewed as an otherwise gloomy day for our community.
Wow, now that's enough seriousness for one day! So here's a picture of a future self-advocate being awesome @ CHP when she was recovering from her procedure!
