End of Line

In the recent Family Guy episode “Extra Large Medium”, Chris is dating a girl named Ellen, who has Down syndrome.   Chris asks her what her parents do, she says, “My dad’s an accountant, and my mom is the former governor of Alaska.”  This is an obvious dig toward Sarah Palin, who’s own son with Down syndrome Trig.  Many feel this was a low blow attacking her through Trig, with criticism coming from the left and the right alike.

This is despite the fact that Palin used that very same son as a tool in her vice-presidential campaign.  Any chance she got, Palin showed him off as a trophy to her great motherhood.  If she did not want her role as a parent exposed to any sort of criticism, she should not have turned that parenthood into part of her platform.  Even after this even, she continued to use her children for political gain, pushing forward her daughter Bristol to give the official response.

“Insults directed at our youngest brother hurt too much for us to remain silent. People with special needs face challenges that many of us will never confront, and yet they are some of the kindest and most loving people you’ll ever meet.”

Not only did the Palin family not get the joke, they are falling behind the ableist rationale that the disabled are universally wonderfully people that are incapable of helping themselves and must be protected and taken care of.  People with Down syndrome, like anyone suffering from a medical impairment, are not made of glass; they do not need to be held with baby gloves.  They can succeed in the standard array of pursuits and careers.

Including acting.  Specifically, voice acting.   Andrea Fay Friedman, the actress who did the voice for Ellen in the episode, has Down syndrome.  In contrast with the prevailing culture where the mobile pretend to be wheelchair bound and the sighted pretend to be blind, the producers of Family Guy hired a women that actually represents the character portrayed.  So in an ironic twist, Family Guy managed to be far more respectful toward people with Down syndrome than Palin and her defenders.  And if you don’t believe me, here is some words from Friedman in defense of the joke:

I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor. I thought the line ‘I am the daughter of the former governor of Alaska’ was very funny. I think the word is ‘sarcasm.’ In my family we think laughing is good. My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life . . . I was making fun of Sarah Palin, but not her son . . . It’s not really an insult. I was doing my role, I’m an actor. I’m entitled to say something. It was really funny. I was laughing at it.

You do not have to agree with Friedman that the joke is funny.  But you do have to accept that she has a right to say it.  She does not need to represent all people with 47 chromosomes, only herself.  So if she’s happy with Ellen’s portrayal in the episode, that’s good enough for me.

As an aside, every single article I read referred to the character Ellen as “the girl with Down syndrome.”  No one mentioned the character’s name, even once.  Nor are any of her other traits mentioned, like the fact that she’s extremely bossy, despite her bossiness being a major point in the story arch.  It is hard to find a more universal example of reducing someone to their disability.  Sad and unfair all around.

-That is all.