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Opinion

Stand up to the media

Selam Yemane
Opinion Columnist

Last semester, I watched an episode of a popular television show I already did not like. In my opinion, specific episode was offensive to a certain group of disabled people, and I thought that was lower than dirt.

The show portrayed a wheelchair bound gentleman, who spoke through a voice box, in a totally negative light. It was totally disturbing. All I can say is the show is lucky I don't have family members who struggle with the specific issue they were parodying, or their butts would have seen a lawsuit -- or at least gotten a really mean letter -- from me. 

I should probably look into writing them anyway since my fellow man was probably hurt. But standing up for others even if the particular injustice doesn't affect us is a whole other column.

That particular episode brings me to a question with perhaps a very disconcerting answer: Is the media nudging the public to view certain groups of people in a negative light and perhaps even increasing their chances of being targets of jokes in real life? 

In that particular show, I believe it was. And I would venture to say it is probably not just that particular program. It seems like there is a new strand of "let's have a good time by targeting others" kind of comedy on the air, whether it be making fun of specific individuals or entire groups. Perhaps there is a temptation to think people have a right to air whatever they want on television as long as it is lawsuit-proof. 

Unfortunately, I could probably write the aforementioned show and get a "sorry you were offended" letter with an unsaid or unwritten comment of, "Hey, at least people are finding what we put on the show funny, and it is increasing our ratings." 

But we don't live in a world of litigation and lawsuits. We live in a world with real people who have real hearts and have real pains when they are targeted and made fun of. 

I guess if ratings count more than people's feelings, I'm straight trippin'. 

Something needs to get done soon. I just don't want to be affiliated with the next minority and be made fun of by the media, and I will even go out on a limb to say that most other people don't either. So I suggest that we stand up and do what's right. 

Yemane, an opinion columist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at behami@yahoo.com