people are idiots, my best friend is handicapped and her young daughter thinks its hilarious when I call her mother speedy gonzales. We don't fight, but we have been friends since we were kids so we bicker, you wouldn't believe the looks I get when we argue while I push her in her wheel chair. I dont treat her any differently then i do my non-handicapped friends and if i did i doubt she would want me as a friend.

Callahan has a whole run of great cartoons skewering people who get pious about handicapped people. My favorite is the one where there are two disempbodied heads on a blanket with begging cups out in front of them, and the head with one patch says to the other with two eye patches "You're such and inspiration to me!"

He also has a bunch of religious cartoons, of which my favorite has Peter and Jesus at the bottom of Golgotha, where Peter says "I don't know, Jesus - could be a good career move..."

I agree Amy.

I was watching TV yesterday and one person mentioned how the Family Guy cartoon in one episode was planning on doing a schtick on Marlee Matlin, and the way she talks.

She thought this was so hilarious, she called the producers of the show asking to use her own voice, and they agreed, re dubbing the entire episode with her voice over.

I watched it. I was hysterical.

I have a dear friend with MS. He makes a point of it to crack jokes publically at himself which usually results in nervous laughter or horror from onlookers. "Hey, make way for the cripple". "Do you think everyone stars at me because i walk with a limp, or because I am so damn handsome...", "Do you think my special shoes make my ass look fat"... he said to a lady one day (I almost pissed myself laughing so hard).

I asked him once why he did this...he told me that he does it when he feels people get an awkwardness around him...breaks the ice, and offers a way for people to overcome their compulsion to feel as though they NEED to treat him differently. He's just like everyone. He does have a funny walk, AND a good heart and a wicked sense of humor.

I saw the skit, and it was hilarious. The best part was when Amy Poehler was giving her good-bye speech, and Armisen-as-Paterson walked back into the shot talking on his cell phone. It was a fitting good-bye for one of my favorite cast members.

It's true, people really are awkward around "disabled" people...often making themselves look like idiots in the process. The Family Guy thing is one great example of people being aware of their peccadilloes, and not being afraid to spoof them.

I was watching a comedian the other day who had a great story along those lines. He was on an airplane on an international flight (so the story goes), and there was a guy with a hook for a right hand sitting next to him.

He opened the conversation (apparently) with the question:

"So....what did you steal?"

They then (as per skit) got into a conversation about the ridiculousness of the comedian not being able to take a Bic lighter on board, but here's a guy with a friggin' HOOK on his arm and no one bats an eye.

It's silly to think this stuff shouldn't be talked about. Sensitivity does not preclude recognizing the disability, nor does it preclude cracking a joke or two. And it shouldn't either.

Has anyone else seen the "Penn & Teller: Bullshit!" episode about the Americans with Disabilities Act? I think it's on point about the whole issue.

I think blind people need to stop watching the show. The boycott will teach them a lesson.

Back when I was in college, there was a blind guy in one of the dorms. He would go flying around campus waving his white cane in front of him like a light saber. Now and then he would run into someone, and he'd invariably say in a loud voice: Sorry. Didn't SEE you...

A friend described going through a power failure in the dorm one night. It got pitch black inside and nobody could see a thing. When the blind guy realized that no one else could see anything either, he started cackling and I believe used some rather salty language in expressing his vast amusement at their predicament.

That always cracked me up.