Apparently, my Why I Don’t Hate Kelle Hampton post caused a bit of a stir on Tuesday. I hope I didn’t alienate too many of you (of course, if I did, then you probably aren’t reading, are you?) I don’t have anything against KH, and if she inspires you, more power to her! Everything I’d seen about her before was either gushing praise or biting hatred – I was hoping to strike a happy medium. One thing I DO like about Kelle’s blog: Nella’s birth story. It’s raw emotion, even though I can’t quite relate to wearing a tiara after giving birth.
Let’s talk about Glee. I can’t decide if I like this show or not. On the one hand, I’m thrilled that they have the character of Becky Jackson, played by Lauren Potter, but on the other hand, it bothers me that they have an able-bodied person playing the character of Artie. Of course, it would be more difficult to find a “typical” person who could play an individual with Down syndrome because of the distinctive physical features. Almost makes me wonder if they chose Becky/Lauren because Down syndrome is easily recognizable – even people who don’t know what Down syndrome is know someone who has it when they see them. What say you?
Remember last week’s Trick or Treat: People with Down Syndrome Look the Same? And remember how I said people with Down syndrome look more like their families than they do other people with Down syndrome?
Another week, another comedian engages in jackassery at the expense of people with Down syndrome. This time it’s Ricky Gervais. I’ve been struggling to remain a loyal viewer of The Office (US) ever since the whole Michael Scott Paper Company shark-jumping debacle, so I’m a bit relieved that I can now close that chapter of my TV-viewing life. Kudos to Gervais for achieving what Steve Carell’s departure could not – enabling me to stop watching The Office without any regrets. Pssst….Ricky – if you’re going to go out of your way to be offensive, at least have the guts to own it (but, of course, I know you won’t, because you’re a coward).
Awhile back, I learned about the Flemish painting, The Adoration of the Christ Child, believed to be one of the earliest painted portrayals of Down syndrome. For a few weeks after I first saw it, I was O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D with finding a print of the painting. On Wednesday of this week, I saw a reference to the painting on the blog Down Wit Dat and decided to try again. I went back to the Met’s site, hoping to email someone there, and noticed a fabulous little download arrow at the bottom of the screen. One quick click and I now have a 3MB printable jpg file of the painting. SCORE!
Am I the only one who “gets crafty” only in spurts? There are about five days out of each year (on a good year) that I become uber-crafty, and this week is the week! While Sarah Kate was at PT on Wednesday, I went to JoAnn and bought fabric to make a camera strap cover for me and Halloween costumes for the kids. I documented the Great Camera Strap Sewing Adventure with my camera and plan to post about it tomorrow. Said adventure has absolutely nothing to do with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or pretty much anything else I normally write about, but I thought you guys might want to see what reading KH’s blog motivated me to do. 🙂
I haven’t gotten any negative comments about 7 Quick Takes so far, and a couple of you have actually mentioned doing the same thing on your blog. The 7 Quick Takes linky is hosted by Conversion Diary, which I love, but it’s a COMPLETELY different niche from the topics at Bringing the Sunshine, so I’ve decided to start my own, similar linky over here. Seven Snippets Fridays will start next week – come back then and link up!
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
Ok. I’m a total Glee-aholic. AND, I love Becky. I love that she is playing the sidekick to all Sue Sylvester’s evil misdeeds, because I think that alone breaks through barriers. More, I love her character because of what I saw when I took my kids to the Glee concert. We were waiting in line to get through the security checkpoint (read, “I’m going to sort of look inside your purse and send you on your way”) and there was a pre-teen girl and her mom and sister in front of us. The girl was wearing a shirt that had been decorating with all sorts of “Glee-isms” and she was holding a homemade sign that said “I love you Finn” and on the other side “Becky I want your job.” When I pointed out her shirt to my daughter, the girl turned around, and sure enough, she had Down Syndrome. Tears instantly for me. To quote what I blogged about the evening: “Seriously, this is a show that has given gay kids and kids with disabilities VISIBILITY IN THE MEDIA. It’s given kids who are different a show to watch that celebrates who they are and doesn’t mock them or make them feel bad about themselves.”
You’re right, there is a double edged sword with respect to the Artie character. However, I would argue that in order to play some of the storyline, they actually need an able bodied actor because he often dreams of being able to walk or dance or do things that he can’t in the wheelchair. I don’t know. It’s something I’ve gone back and forth about, because lots of actors have respectfully played disabled characters. There’s a whole facet of the gay community that doesn’t like straight people playing gay characters, and I think that people have to remember that acting is an art – and it requires you to step inside of a character mind, body, heart, all of it. And the whole POINT of acting is to be someone other than who you are and figure out you can bring this character to life despite how different they may be from you.
Now that I’ve rambled on in your comments, I’ll say I LOVE the two pictures of the kids, and I’m totally crafty in spurts. I crochet, and I’ll work like crazy for a month on stuff and then put it down for three.
/comment hijack
You know, k, I go back and forth on the whole Artie thing. I agree with you about the “art” aspect, but…a lot of people with disabilities actually DON’T dream of being able to have those abilities back. A friend sent me a link to a video recently about a boy who is blind who plays high school football. He lost his sight at a young age (like Artie, he was not born that way), and he stated in the video that one of his biggest fears would be getting his sight back. In a nutshell, he said that now he envisions how beautiful the world would be if he could see it, but he feels like the reality would fall far short of what he imagines. It was very powerful. Ultimately, I’m just glad that they HAVE characters with disabilities on the show. Never would’ve happened when I was a teenager.
Love the story about the concert! Wish I had been there to see her.
Just found your blog from the blog hop and have spent the last 40 minutes reading through many of your posts…You have a great blog!! I love the way you write and cant wait to follow from now on 🙂
And personally I thought your post on the KH blog was fine. Some people adore her, some don’t, to each his own…And expressing an opinion isn’t “attacking” someone…It’s simply giving your thoughts on it.
I, myself, do not care for her blog and would never, ever recommend it to a new Mom who has just received a diagnoses of Ds for their child…And I am sure many would say the same about my blog because maybe I am a little to real with the good AND the bad, but whatever.
KH had a beautiful, heart wrenching birth story. That’s it. And I agree with you, after that one story so beautifully and honestly written her blog turned into something else…Now its one big give away or promotional site for sponsors…It’s boring.
I do not like how she writes so rarely ever read it…Its to over descriptive, to many words all crammed into one thought or idea making the sentences seem like a jumbled mess to me…And nothing is all that inspiring….Not for ME anyway.
She does have amazing pictures though, I’ll hand that to her!
Anyway, everyone has their own opinion, I don’t hate KH blog either, but I would never send a new Mom in my shoes there.
Thanks so much, Jenny – both for commenting and for visiting. As for KH – we’re on the same page. I feel like a new mom who has just received a diagnosis would visit her site and think, “Um, is this lady delusional? What about all the bad stuff I’ve heard?” Not that the main story should be “bad” but her blog (other than the birth story) is such a vast departure from the “bad” that I think there would be a HUGE disconnect. I’ve seen on other (non-Ds) sites where people basically described her as delusional and not knowing what she’s in for later in life – I think some people just won’t believe her that life isn’t terrible when Down syndrome is part of it.
I am crafty in spurts only too. Just sayin’
How did I miss the first post about KH? Glad you referred back to it.
My thoughts on Glee- I love the diversity of the characters. I often do not like the material or choice of subject matter.
Thanks for being in the Hoppin’ for 21 blog hop by the way!
You are awesome!
Get a button share for the seven snippits friday and I’ll post it on my site. I’m in. 🙂
It’ll be up tomorrow morning! So glad you’re joining me!
Found your blog through Blog Hoppin’! I’m enjoying reading. We love Glee around here (well, dh and I … the boys are bummed they are not yet old enough to watch). And thank you for the heads-up on downloading The Adoration of the Christ Child. 🙂
Cool! On my blog I called it 7 days, 7 Snippets!
http://my2lovesmylife.blogspot.com/2011/10/7-days-7-snippets-week-1.html
HA! Fun! How do you feel about tweaking your name “just a hair” and joining me next Friday? 🙂
Andi, thanks for the reference/info on the “The Adoration of the Christ Child” painting. It is truly beautiful, and I downloaded the image of it too. I looked around for a print or poster but couldn’t find one either. That’s probably because the Met holds the copyright, and if it’s reproduced, only they will do it. As a last resort I checked the Met’s shop, but no joy.
The article you linked to with the words “the earliest painted portrayals of Down syndrome” is well worth reading. I was struck by the following statement (keep in mind that the article was written in 2003 and doesn’t reflect advances since then):
“[The presence of figure(s) with Down Syndrome] may also be evidence of an approach to people with a minor mental disorder that differs from the situation today. Because the physical signs of Down’s syndrome were not then recognised as a predictor of disability, people with the syndrome may not have been treated by society on the basis of appearance.”
In other words, people in 1515 didn’t have a stigma about people with Down Syndrome and accepted them in the community as functional and fully participating members.
People in 2011 have a stigma about people with Down Syndrome and refuse to accept them in the community in any roles comparable to those of other citizens. At best, people with Down Syndrome are marginalized and regarded as second-class, and at worst — as we see from recent history — they are cast out from the community and warehoused out of sight.
Incidentally, I’m really enjoying your 7 Quick Takes posts. I’ve seen a similar format on some of the top blogs, and have used it on my blogs with regularity.
Keep up the good work!
I agree, Mike! In 1515, things were different in so many ways, and I wonder also if some delays weren’t as obvious back then. Very few people had the ability to read in those days, so the slower ability to learn to read would have gone unnoticed because no one was learning to read! Although great strides have been made over the past few decades, we definitely still have a long way to go to attain full acceptance in society. Which is not surprising, really – slaves were freed in the 1860s, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that they gained equal rights (and even then, with some resistance). People with Down syndrome were “freed” from banishment into institutions beginning in the 1960s and early 1970s, so it only stands to reason that it may take a few more decades before they are considered societal equals.
Hi Andi,
SK and Nathan look so much alike with those beautiful blue eyes! Loving the 7 Quick Takes. . . glad you mentioned Ricky Gervais. Oooh he makes me so angry! I am not sure how I feel about Glee but I can tell you how I feel about the creators after having to see their other show American Horror Story for Stop Disability Slurs. To portray Ds in a decent light on Glee and then turn around and use Ds and disability slurs as a vehicle to show how ignorant a character is on AHS is sickening.
I’ve never been a fan of Ricky Gervais – he goes out of his way to mock many things that I (and others) hold dear. I have always watched The Office (US) in spite of him, not because of him.
Can’t comment on Glee-never really watched it, but know that I love the idea of Becky’s character. I remember a great show from back in the day called Life Goes On that had a main character with DS and another with HIV. Lovely bit of television…Makes me want to find it on Netflix…
Anyway, I am laughing about your craftiness burst, I’m in one, too. Must be the phase of the moon. I just finished making a Luke Skywalker costume and a Han Solo costume. The store bought versions were ugly one piece get ups that looked cheap but cost a ton for a one night deal. I went to the Mayberry Goodwill and picked up some pArts and finished up at Wallyworld. Te kids were so pumped they broke into an impromptu light saber dual!
Great new idea for your blog btw. I like the 7 takes.
I’ve followed your blog for awhile – I enjoy it very much. I have similar feelings about Kelle Hampton. I like her blog but it isn’t one of my favorites. Happy blog hop!
Hi there, hopping by to say hello! And I agree with you on KH. She is surely a lovely person, and I think really loves her family and her life, but I can’t relate to her, it seems, so I don’t find it all that interesting to follow her blog. But she is clearly talented! More power to her is right… just not my cup of tea. 🙂
Hi Andi! Great blog! Blog hopping tonight and yours is the last stop before I hit the bed. I am a terrible blogger (had a blog for two years before I ever wrote the first post on it!), but I love to read blogs, so I’ll be back for more.
I agree with you Ricky is a jackass and a coward I will be tweeting him a piece of mind soon 🙂
Blog hopping (late!). Great posts. I like the KH post. I for one am a lover, but mostly because I am obsessed with photography and LOVE her pics. To each their own, and I think your post was just fine. Not bashing, just your own opinion. 🙂