As I began to read the article for my husband, I got no further than the headline before he blurted, "Oh, for Boston Legal, huh."
Which surprised me because I am a huge Boston Legal fan and watch it every Tuesday -- which means he has seen nearly every episode as well. So I said, "Really? You'd think of Boston Legal? I find the characters to be treated very warmly, created with integrity. Sure, they have funny quirks, but they are high-functioning & interesting, certainly not treated or created in 'ick'. And, besides, Boston Legal is ABC."
(I'd also like to hereby state that the matter of 'warm, interesting, high-functioning characters created with integrity and warmth' is a problem afflicting many shows, regardless of any connection to Autism.)
Anyway, back to the news story.
The complaint with CBS is over a recent Big Brother episode.
On that episode, a contestant named Adam, who claims to work for an autism foundation, said he would spend his winnings on a hair salon for people with developmental disabilities "so retards can get it together and get their hair done."
His partner, Sheila, told him: "Don't call them that."
Adam responded: "Disabled kids. I can call them whatever I want. I work with them all day, OK?"
Isn't that the fear of any parent, any family member? That some jack-ass is going to take the pay and be snide and heartless as they walk away? I wonder just how Adam does deal with the kids each day...
I doubt that CBS can be held liable for 'contestants' on reality shows... I'd think the whole freedom from a script thing combined with the nature of such games would have some sort of contracts with riders protecting themselves from just such stupidity. But CBS ought to do something in responsible response.
Just not another one of those PSAs which suck. Do something real & meaningful for Pete's sake.
If not, then it makes me wonder if CBS has some sort of impairment which affects their ability to perceive and deal with emotions...
Naw, it's just a sign of being mean, heartless and money-grubbing.
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