Special Olympics

[cmotherofpirl]

This is why POTUS should never leave TOTUS behind.
When President Bush made a mistake he didn't insult people in the process and when he caught it or others did usually laughed at himself as well.
Mr Obama simply shows his true feelings and his incompetance as a speaker , and no one is laughing.

[BG45]

From the Beeb: [url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7955842.stm"]Obama sorry for disability remark[/url]

[CatherineM]

I just saw a bit on it on Canadian news. What was funny is the commentator was talking about how composed and relaxed Obama was during these times of such difficulty. My thought was that during such somber times, we don't need a President who looks relaxed. I want him to look like Kennedy did during the Cuban Crisis or how Regan looked after the bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon. I want him to look like someone who looks focused on the task and like a grown up. Most Canadians are so in love with Obama, that he could take a dump on the Lincoln Memorial, and they'd spin it into a loving tribute.

[Ash Wednesday]

[img]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/Betterterm/bobbarkerfail.jpg[/img]

[Luthien]

[quote name='BG45' post='1812388' date='Mar 20 2009, 04:57 PM']From the Beeb: [url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7955842.stm"]Obama sorry for disability remark[/url][/quote]

Of course he is, he looked like a judgemental jerk.

[Luthien]

[quote name='Era Might' post='1812384' date='Mar 20 2009, 04:51 PM']It was a bad joke, he shouldn't have said it, but I think it was a joke a lot of people could have made without thinking. It's like when people say that something is "retarded." They usually aren't trying to make fun of mentally challenged people, it's just a word people use (though they probably shouldn't).[/quote]

He's president, he can't afford to "accidently" insult a whole category of people.

[Arpy]

I think we should try to publicize this as widely as possible. Oh yes.

[Madame Vengier]

I don't know. I think this is getting into liberal, PC, word-nazi type of stuff. People used to make jokes all the time using "Special Olympics" and no one died from it. Sure, nowadays it's considered a little insensitive, but he wasn't MAKING FUN of people in the SO, just using it as a phrase to indicate how poor his skills are at whatever it was...bowling or something? Let's face it, people are in the SO for a reason...because they have developmental or intellectual disabilities that keep them from being in the other Olympics. It's not like using the phrase to describe one's lacking in the sport of bowling is really that out of left field.

Even though Obama is not my favorite person I am extremely wary of this kind of attention and pressure that is on not only famous people but even average people to be careful of every little thing we say. It seems that someone is constantly offended by something. America has become a nation of people with thin skins and easily bruised feelings. I think it's ridiculous. And embarassing.

[MIKolbe]

[quote]ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- The top bowler for the Special Olympics looks forward to meeting President Barack Obama in an alley.

"He bowled a 129. I bowl a 300. I could beat that score easily," Michigan's Kolan McConiughey (KO-lahn Mc-KAHNA-he) told The Associated Press in an interview Friday.

...

McConiughey, who is mentally disabled, is just the bowler for the job. He's bowled five perfect games since 2005.

The 35-year-old McConiughey has been bowling since he was 8 or 9. His advice for Obama? Practice every day.[/quote]


[url="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBAMA_SPECIAL_OLYMPICS?SITE=NWCN&TEMPLATE=USHEADS.html&SECTION=HOME"]ARTICLE HERE[/url]

[Madame Vengier]

[quote name='Luthien' post='1812417' date='Mar 20 2009, 02:59 PM']He's president, he can't afford to "accidently" insult a whole category of people.[/quote]

He did not insult a whole category of people. He was making fun of his own poor skills at bowling. Or whatever it was.

In his defense, before he was president he was actually of the few politicians who vocally and publicly supported hiring people with disabilities in White House positions. If I'm not mistaken he has made sure some have gotten employment in the White House since he came in. He's hardly anyone that can be accused of "insulting" people with disabilities. He's insulted me as a Catholic lots of times, but never people with disabilities.

[Madame Vengier]

[quote name='HisChildForever' post='1812356' date='Mar 20 2009, 01:02 PM']How rude. Furthermore, what is he doing on Leno? I thought that was for celebrities and musicians, not the PRESIDENT.[/quote]


Well, I'm in the minority in this thread b/c I thought his remark was totally harmless.

That being said...going on Leno is unpresidential? Please. Bill Clinton set the precedent when he went on MTV and told them what kind of underpants he wears. Granted, he wasn't president YET at that time, but it was a sign of things to come of the kind of crude and indecent behavior he was capable of. Anyway, I do agree...presidents do not belong on chat shows. I guess this dog-and-pony trick is supposed to make America look cool or something.

[Madame Vengier]

[quote name='Era Might' post='1812384' date='Mar 20 2009, 01:51 PM']It was a bad joke, he shouldn't have said it, but I think it was a joke a lot of people could have made without thinking. It's like when people say that something is "retarded." They usually aren't trying to make fun of mentally challenged people, it's just a word people use (though they probably shouldn't).[/quote]

Agree, BUT, I don't think "retarded" is a word that is sacrosanct for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The actual meaning of the word doesn't mean "intellectually disabled" as we all know. It's a word that can be used for a lot of things, as one of its meanings is "to cause to slow down, delay or impede".

Actually, nowadays it's considered politically incorrect to call retarded people retarded. The new accepted phrase is "intellecually challenged". But right before that it was "intellectually disabled" and people got offended by that TOO and changed it to "challenged".

The greater concern is how we as a society are playing nazi with words.

Edited March 20, 2009 by Madame Vengier

[Luthien]

[quote name='Madame Vengier' post='1812424' date='Mar 20 2009, 06:08 PM']He did not insult a whole category of people. He was making fun of his own poor skills at bowling. Or whatever it was.

In his defense, before he was president he was actually of the few politicians who vocally and publicly supported hiring people with disabilities in White House positions. If I'm not mistaken he has made sure some have gotten employment in the White House since he came in. He's hardly anyone that can be accused of "insulting" people with disabilities. He's insulted me as a Catholic lots of times, but never people with disabilities.[/quote]

Well, I guess my understanding of what he said is that he was saying he bowled like a disabled person, like it was an embarassment.

[Era Might]

[quote name='Luthien' post='1812417' date='Mar 20 2009, 03:59 PM']He's president, he can't afford to "accidently" insult a whole category of people.[/quote]
Why not? Every president makes mistakes.

[jmjtina]

if he didn't insult a whole bunch of people, why did he call and apologize to the leader of the "bunch of people" he insulted?