Cancel Humanitarian Award for Jerry Lewis
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This petition has been launched to object to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' announcement that it will give Jerry Lewis its Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Oscar Awards ceremony on February 22, 2009.
During his decades of hosting the Labor Day Telethon, Jerry Lewis has helped to perpetuate negative, stereotypical attitudes toward people with muscular dystrophy and other disabilities. Jerry Lewis and the Telethon actively promote pity as a fundraising strategy. Disabled people want RESPECT and RIGHTS, not pity and charity.
In 1990, Lewis wrote that if he had muscular dystrophy and had to use a wheelchair, he would "just have to learn to try to be good at being a half a person." During the 1992 Telethon, he said that people with MD, whom he always insists on calling "my kids," "cannot go into the workplace. There's nothing they can do." Comments like these have led disability activists and our allies to protest against Jerry Lewis. We've argued that he uses the Telethon to promote pity, a counterproductive emotion which undermines our social equality. Here's how Lewis responded to the Telethon protesters during a 2001 television interview: "Pity? You don't want to be pitied because you're a cripple in a wheelchair? Stay in your house!"
Jerry Lewis has also made derogatory comments about women and gay men. His outdated attitudes and crude remarks are dehumanizing, not humanitarian.
Therefore, we the undersigned support the actions and arguments of the coalition group The Trouble with Jerry. We protest the Academy's characterization of Jerry Lewis as a "humanitarian." And we ask that the Academy cancel its plans to give Lewis the Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
During his decades of hosting the Labor Day Telethon, Jerry Lewis has helped to perpetuate negative, stereotypical attitudes toward people with muscular dystrophy and other disabilities. Jerry Lewis and the Telethon actively promote pity as a fundraising strategy. Disabled people want RESPECT and RIGHTS, not pity and charity.
In 1990, Lewis wrote that if he had muscular dystrophy and had to use a wheelchair, he would "just have to learn to try to be good at being a half a person." During the 1992 Telethon, he said that people with MD, whom he always insists on calling "my kids," "cannot go into the workplace. There's nothing they can do." Comments like these have led disability activists and our allies to protest against Jerry Lewis. We've argued that he uses the Telethon to promote pity, a counterproductive emotion which undermines our social equality. Here's how Lewis responded to the Telethon protesters during a 2001 television interview: "Pity? You don't want to be pitied because you're a cripple in a wheelchair? Stay in your house!"
Jerry Lewis has also made derogatory comments about women and gay men. His outdated attitudes and crude remarks are dehumanizing, not humanitarian.
Therefore, we the undersigned support the actions and arguments of the coalition group The Trouble with Jerry. We protest the Academy's characterization of Jerry Lewis as a "humanitarian." And we ask that the Academy cancel its plans to give Lewis the Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
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Goal
1,000 signatures
Goal: 1,000
Latest Signatures
11 January 2016
7 January 2016
3 January 2016
998.
Ml H
|
City/State
Berkeley, California
Jerry Lewis is derogatory toward people with disabilities
2 January 2016
29 December 2015
24 December 2015
23 December 2015
994.
Joel D
|
City/State
Los Angeles, CA
Organizational Affiliation
WGAw Writers With Disabilites Committee
I personally think Mr. Lewis is outmoded in his thinking.
23 December 2015
993.
Judith L
|
City/State
Rochester, NY
Organizational Affiliation
CDR/RCIL
I was taught as a child not to treat people with disabilities any different from what I would treat people without disabilities. Now that I myself am disabled, I request, no, demand, the same t
20 December 2015
20 December 2015
20 December 2015
18 December 2015
14 December 2015
988.
B Allanr
|
City/State
San Diego
I'm disabled. I'm gay. Jerry Lewis blew it permanently with his "half a person" and "stay home" . He also abandoned at least one girl he fathered, so I would NEVER want to be "one of his kids". No award for his so-called "compassion"
11 December 2015
987.
Amos M
|
City/State
Plainfield, VT
This would reflect incredibly poorly on the Academy, who I generally have respect for
5 December 2015
986.
Harold D
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Organizational Affiliation
Vietnam Veteran
I'm sorry to say that I used to watch mr. Lewis as a kid, I now feel ashamed that I helped add to his egomania by being a fan. He is no longer funny - he is despicable. All these years the focus was on Mr Lewis
5 December 2015
29 November 2015
17 November 2015
983.
Marilyn P
|
City/State
Rochester, New York
Organizational Affiliation
Center for Disability Rights
Jerry Lewis is a disgrace!!!
12 November 2015
11 November 2015
8 November 2015
1 November 2015
31 October 2015
30 October 2015
29 October 2015
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