From: Curtis Chong 
Subject: Washington Post Articles on Mr. Magoo (Forward From 
dandrews@visi.com)
NOW YOU KNOW . . .
First Disney incurred the boycotting wrath of the Southern
Baptists. Now the members of the National Federation of the Blind
have passed a resolution condemning the entertainment
conglomerate's plans to release a new Mr. Magoo movie.
"Mr. Magoo is the Little Black Sambo of the blindness and
low-vision community," Barbara Pierce, the 50,000-member group's
director of public education, told The Post's Dana Hull. "We're a
David fighting Goliath and we don't have a slingshot, but we'd like
Disney to talk to us."
"There isn't a person who is blind who wasn't called Magoo in the
'50s and '60s," Pierce said of the cartoon character.
In a statement, Disney said Mr. Magoo is "a kindly gentleman who is
nearsighted, not blind" and "does not in any way make fun of or
demean
blind people."
...
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                          NAMES & FACES
        Compiled from staff and wire reports by Dana Hull
                 Friday, July 4, 1997; Page D03
                       The Washington Post
...
Disney Defends `Magoo'
Responding to complaints from the National Federation of the Blind
that releasing a new Mr. Magoo movie is insulting to the blind,
Walt Disney Pictures issues the following statement:
"Walt Disney Pictures' film `Mr. Magoo' does not in any way make
fun of or demean blind people. The character of Mr. Magoo is
portrayed in the film as a kindly gentleman who is nearsighted, not
blind. Through a misdiagnosis at an eye exam, he is not advised to
wear glasses. While his eyesight contributes to some humorous
confusion, it does not stop him from solving a crime and becoming
the hero of the movie."
The 50,000-member organization passed a resolution Wednesday urging
Disney to abandon production of the
live-action comedy, set for Christmas release.
...
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