"Jerry"-atric Hating
Old people say the darndest things don't they? Especially when they are over-medicated and sleep deprived. The perfect example of this is Jerry Lewis.
Every year on the American Labor Day holiday that bloated mummy takes a TV station hostage for 24 hours and subjects innocent bystanders to his tired shtick all in the name of raising money for children with muscular dystrophy. I am not and never have been a fan of Jerry Lewis. Truth be told I find him unfunny, obnoxious, and irritating. The term "An anachronism of a bygone era" fits him to a T. However I have to give the man props, and respect him, for being able to raise money for such a worthy cause.
I respected him that is until yesterday, when he decided to take his obnoxious, putrescent comedy routine into the realm of Gay hating. Yes people JERRY LEWIS Gay bashed on his own charity telethon! While it pisses me off to no end it also cracks me up because of the hypocrisy of it all.
So how exactly did he spread the hate? Well he was tottering around stage all drunk-looking and shit trying to dodge the camera to show those of us at home how the camera follows him wherever he goes. So he wobbles over to the other cameras off the side of the stage and starts this disoriented rambling dialogue, pretending the other camera and sound equipment are the "family" of the camera that is following him (Yeah, I too asked myself if he wasn't really drunk...). He starts to point at each device and introducing them on camera as follows:
Oh, your family has come to see you. You remember Bart, your older son. Jesse, the illiterate faggot...
As soon as the word faggot spilled from his lips he starts shaking his head muttering "No! no..." and wobbling away disoriented meanwhile several members of the audience started making loud disapproving noises. I couldn't believe it. I had to watch the video clip twice I was that struck with disbelief.
I can understand that he was 18 hours into his telethon without sleep and at 84 years old he is well past the age of staying up that late. But WTF!? Being sleep deprived is like being drunk, your reactions and personal filter are compromised and the truth starts spilling out. Jerry is a bigot and clearly has a very lowly opinion of Homosexuals. And while it pisses me off to no end it also cracks me up because of the hypocrisy of it all. Here he is on national television trying to raise money for sick kids and he let's his own personal prejudice hate speak come tumbling out. Delicious!
The thing that concerns me more though is that the very children he is trying to help may be the ones to suffer as a result. Jerry is ancient and due to expire at any moment. You aren't going to change him and fortunately, with the exception of this one yearly event, he doesn't get press coverage and isn't that influential anymore as a media personality. But now a lot of people are going to have a very negative view of him and his telethon. My concern is that a large number of people both Gay and Straight will boycott his charity, thus losing sight of the bigger picture and depriving the kids of funds they desperately need. And you know damn well our scandal-hungry media will just rehash this whole incident come next Labor Day.
As bizarre and unlike me as this may sound I still support Jerry Lewis's charity and what it is he is trying to do for the children. I do NOT however support Jerry Lewis as a person. If the money were benefiting him then no, I would not be in support, but it isn't. The money is going to aid children that desperately need the funds to help fight a debilitating illness. The children are innocent and not an extension of Jerry and his prejudice.
That said I encourage anyone who was offended and thinking of yanking their support to really think about the situation and the effects your actions can and will have. There are two issues here, children with MS who need money and Jerry's prejudice. If you aren't comfortable giving money through Jerry's charity fine, but don't refuse to send the money at all. Instead find another charity and send it that way. After all your support was always for the kids wasn't it? Don't lose site of that. Only in rising above and finding other ways to do the right thing can we grow and evolve as a people and a society.
