This year will be my SEVENTH ANNUAL JUNKFOOD OSCAR PAJAMA PARTY. Women arrive at my house in satin robes, rocket ship footie pajamas, sweat pants, caftans, long t-shirts, and I, of course, wear a lovely mu-mu. The offerings change from year to year, but always include crunchy things dyed orange and M&Ms. We huddle around my tiny, not a flat screen television and have a great, loud time.
Jerry Lewis wants to ruin my party. So what that he's spent years demeaning disabled people, relegating us to the status of children, pitiful children, that he personally thinks we are "half-people" that should stay in our houses. (Check out Laura Hershey's blog for more information.) I've dealt with that, sort of. I avoid TV during his annual pity marathon, I have a passionate but I don't think too long rant I throw out whenever his name is mentioned, and from time to time I write letters to our local paper.
But now he's up for one of those "humanitarian" awards that Oscar gives out. I'm trying to be positive. Like, the protests against him will have a wider audience and more people will start thinking what it really means to put a hand on a disabled person's head and say "look how horrible this is, give us money." That maybe, as a result, no one will ever pat me on the head again.
But mainly, I'll throw things at the television. It's going to be such a waste of M&Ms.
If you want to throw some candy of your own, here's a link to a petition you can sign. And Crip Commentary has a do-it-yourself guide to Jerry Lewis/Telethon protesting.