Blinded by snark

Why exactly is it OK for Saturday Night Live to keep using Gov. Paterson's disability, blindness, as the basis of an ongoing series of skits that depict him as a clueless bumbler?

It's only a joke? Right. It's also the main exposure many Americans have to David Paterson, the product of an iconic comedy franchise, in an era when entertainers like John Stewart are our most influential political pundits. I think Michelle Paterson is correct that it has done substantial political damage. It is possible to raise legitimate questions about the governor's disability, and Sen. Diane Savino was unfairly criticized recently for doing that. But as anyone who's ever seen Paterson knows, the SNL view of him has no basis in reality. It's true that he doesn't try to hide his near blindness, for example bending down to almost touch the paper as he tries to see where to sign a bill. Is that up for mockery too?

I say this as someone allergic to political correctness, an LCA show performer who didn't vote for Paterson and isn't likely to. Nor do I agree with the governor's implication (since withdrawn) that racism is part of the reason for his bad press. But what SNL is doing does have something in common with the old Hollywood view of blacks in the Stepin Fetchit era: creating the impression that there is something inherently ludicrous about a certain category of people, in this case the blind, presuming to aspire to high office or simple dignity. Paterson has issued mild complaints about the skits, which have been ignored by these arrogant celebrities and their corporate masters. It's a disgusting performance.

Comments

[Terry O'Neill, Esq.]

It is not at all OK for SNL to so cruelly lampoon the Governor. I prefer Mad TV, myself.

[Brian]

"If you're offended, you're just a political correct tyrant" or sentiments to that effect is something you hear all to often as a defense was behavior or comments which are boorish, in bad taste or simply unfunny.

I've seen a few of the skits and they are unfunny and do not take an ounce of cleverness to make.

They're making fun of a blind guy for being blind. Wow, I'm impressed!

[Brian]

Though in fairness, Liz Benjamin's expose in the Daily News some months ago about the directionless chaos in his office, both as majority leader and governor, hurt him in a much more credible way in my eyes.

[Brian]

And I hasten to add that he also has his fair share of self-inflicted wounds. For example, when the perception of you, fair or not, is that of a not-ready-for-prime-time bumbler, comments like "I didn't sign up for this job" (when you ran as heir apparent to the governor) are incredibly dumb.

[Matthew]

They using Paterson's "clueless bumbler" because its a PERCEIVED character trait. Much in the same way that comedians portray Obama as walking on water, W's inability to form a cohearant sentence, Clinton & his philandering, Reagan not being able to remember a god-darn thing, or Ford for his not-ready-for-the-big-show clutziness.

& I disagree that its a Hollywood perpetuating the stereotypes of blacks. Look at the timing WHEN they do those skits, they air AFTER Paterson himself sticks his foot in his mouth. Blaming his troubles on the old stand-bye of race or "I never wanted to be governor" statements. Comedians, SNL included, would be making fun of the elected official who draws his paycheck on the public's dime regardless of what color their skin was or their trait.

[Brian]

Matt, poking the balloon ego of elected officials is one thing. Making fun of someone's disability is cheap, classless humor. Would they make fun of Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's, for example?

Leave aside for a second whether it's "right" or not (though I'm with Bob on this one). It's crass and cheap. This is to humor what "you're ugly and your mama dresses you funny" is to wit.

[Brian]

The thing that's even more ironic is that when satirists take shots at public officials, it's usually directed at pricking self-importance. For whatever other faults he may have (and I think it mostly boils down to the difference between being an executive and a legislator), Paterson is one of the most smartly funny, self-effacing, self-deprecating politicians I've ever seen.

[Matthew]

Brian,

But I'd argue that SNL is not making fun of the disability, they're making fun of his "clueless, bumbling" & being an accidental governor. The disability which gets played up is simply the mechanism they use, much in the same SNL played up Ford's clutziness because he had the EXACT same impression of being a "clueless, bumbling, accidental President who simply didn't measure up".

If we were to give Paterson's blindness a pass, why wouldn't people say, you can't make fun of W like that. Its not his fault he doesn't speak good grammar.

I don't subscribe to this "Oh, we can't talk about that mentality. As George Carlin said, "Even the most reprehensible things can be made fun of. Its all about context. Imagine Elmer Fudd raping Porky Pig. Guess we know why we call him Porky." Heck, even the most reprehensible subject, the Holocaust, was made fun of w/ Mel Brook's "the Producers" as well as Robert Bernini's "Life is Beautiful."

There's a VERY big difference when making fun of someone's blindness in the context of a serious debate & completely another when making fun of someone's disability or character traits in a comedy setting.

Now if one wanted to argue whether it was good comedy or bad comedy, like art, its quite subjective.

[Brian]

I don't think them making fun of Ford was particularly fair either. I mean, the guy was one of the greatest college football players of his time. It was also unfair because, like Paterson, he was mostly modest and self-deprecating. Good satire is supposed to prick egos of the pompous and call out hypocrisy, not take shots at innate qualities.

As for Bush's incoherence, the man went to elite private schools and Ivy League colleges. If he didn't learn coherent English at such institutions, then yes it was his own fault.

If they want to do that, it's their business. I'm glad they're doing their civic duty by not giving blindness a pass!

But guess what, I have the equal right to say it's garbage. And offensiveness or not aside, it was unfunny. Why don't they throw in a few penis and fart jokes while they're at it?

[Brian]

And physical humor is quite limiting and becomes tiresome when it's too much, precisely because it quickly becomes cheap and predictable. That's why Michael Richards did so well on Seinfeld but never made it as a lead on his own.

[Brian]

And I'd argue that these sorts of things have a far greater role than they'd admit in shaping that perception, rather than merely reflecting it.

[Brian]

And the other reason I think it's cheap: there are many governors out there doing a bad job (not that I think Paterson's doing a bad job). SNL almost never makes fun of governors except when governors make national news (usually when a sex scandal erupts). So why do they keep going after Paterson, if not because making fun of his blindness is cheap and easy?

[Matthew]

Brian,

Ok, W supposedly can fix his "disability".

So does that mean French President Sarkozy should be off-limits because he's a shorty. Because he to was recently lampooned at the G-8 Summit because he was seen on his tippie toes in an uncropped group photo w/ the rest of the leaders. Same w/ how he packed a room w/ supporters (who admitted after the fact) that they were selected specifically because of their height.

Does that mean the Governator's off-limits because he can't help speaking w/ a foreign accent?

Gimme a break. Its one thing to suggest that a punchline is not very well thought out but another to suggest that a person's character traits in & of itself is off-limits.

[Josh]

I think its rediculous that this is even a big issue. Who cares. They made fun of the Govenor. People get made fun of all the time. Your (not matt) gonna sit here and say you never laughed at a persone that was maybe mentally challenged or made fun of the fat kid at recess.

[Josh]

Maybe we should be talking about more important things like lets say NY State madated flu shots.