In a message Tom Scanlan typed to Ron Smith  
 TS> Yes, let's talk about employment -- and Magoo.  I don't know your age, 
so 
 TS> you may not be old enough to remember Magoo.  I am.  So are the 
executives 
 TS> in their 40's and 50's who are making lots of hiring and promotion 
 TS> decisions.
 TS> Magoo reenforces all the sterotypes and misconceptions about blindness, 
 TS> expecially that blind people are out-of-touch and not too smart.
That may be true, but what the N.F.B. has largely overlooked is that we have 
our own live version of Mr. Magoo namely Tom Sullivan.  He has made an entire 
career of making money off the stereotypes about blind persons under the 
guise of "laughing at ourselves."  If this is true, then we are really like 
this and the stereotypes about us are really true and we should admit it.  He 
has also flaunted his blindness on talk shows and during interviews when he 
could just answer the questions as they are put to him and he never misses an 
opportunity not only to flaunt his blindness but to interject some old myth 
or stereotype about us.  that contemptable book and later movie, "if you 
could see what I hear," is a classic example.  Yet the N.F.B. was relatively 
quiet about that.  
Also, Betty White, a prominent actress has been singing his praises to the 
media and the general public about what a positive image he portrays of blind 
people.  This hurts us much worse than a cartoon character and yet we were 
relatively quiet about all that.  
And recently, the A.F.B. gave him their Helen Keller award as a positive role 
model for blind persons which shows that we have a long way to go in mending 
fences with the A.F.B.
Harvey 
--- msged 2.07
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