It's one thing to show a character in a movie with that kind of ignorance, but to market an item that proliferates and encourages use of such derogatory terms is unacceptable. You have to wonder what kind of person would think it was a good idea to develop this product and what kind of person would put an "okay" on it. It had to go through several levels of development and marketing approvals before it was put out for sale. Says a lot about the company who created it!
I would like to challenge parent groups to include families of children with disabilities.
Recently I read that Target is selling "back to school" items from the 20th Century Fox movie "Napoleon Dynamite" - including a talking pen that says, "You guys are retarded."
Families are dismayed, angry and afraid that the recent increase in the use of this word in the media signals a new wave of intolerance and prejudice against children who have developmental disabilities or otherwise benefit from special education intervention.
There is teasing, bullying and even violence against children with developmental disabilities, and sometimes, classmates who defend them.
Sending children to school with pens based on a popular movie that voices a phrase that they probably don't even realize is hurtful or mean creates an atmosphere where students with developmental delays seem to have a second class status. It is certainly not an atmosphere where character building culture can be practiced.
Advocates write that our children with disabilities deserve the 'dignity of risk' in growing up with their brothers, sisters, and neighbors in the mainstream of our communities. We need the support of other parents, teachers, staff and students to minimize the risk as much as possible.
If families of children with disabilities were invited to share their concerns, hopes and dreams for their sons and daughters, it would make a big difference in how strong they feel when they need to speak up about matters like this, whether to mega-corporations like 20th Century Fox and Target, or in their own communities when teasing and bullying threaten the safety and sense of well being for all our children.
