Petition Against Humanitarian Award for Jerry Lewis

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 His outdated attitudes and crude remarks are dehumanizing, not humanitarian.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.

Sincerely,
YOU

Sign here: http://www.petitiononline.com/jlno2009/petition.html

>>>For More information on the disagreement between our community and Mr. Lewis

Comment Below: Have you signed? Do you agree or disagree with this protest? Share your personal comments about Jerry Lewis and his relationship with our community.

Comments

[Andrea Shettle, MSW]

Thanks for blogging about this! I've now added you to a running list of blog posts about the petition campaign at http://reunifygally.wordpress.com/bloggers-protesting-pity/

Did you know that there is also a Facebook group dedicated to this effort? At

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40538392681

I explain some of the reasons why I have signed this petition at:

http://reunifygally.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/protest-pity/

[Diane]

I do not agree with this petition at all.

If it takes pitty to get the money from people to help find cures for these diseases then so be it. I can take there pitty if it will help everyone have a better life. And once you meet these people you will learn that they are not after pitty!

If not for Jerry Lewis there would not have been any head way made in the MDA Diseases!!! In 2004 I was diagnosed with a rare MDA disease MG. And I would be lost without them. I have another health problem that made me disabled in 1998 at the age of 46.

[Randi Barretto]

I grew up watching "Jerry's Kids" and sometimes found myself giggling at the comments that where made by him or his horrible attempts at singing a Whitney Houston song, but nevertheless; the numbers on that telepromt would get higher and higher. Mr. Lewis' fundraising tactics, though questionable at times, have been effective in raising millions of dollars for various disability services. As someone living with a disability, I do not feel less of a person by his comments, as much as I do feel empowered with the services received. Empowerment surely does not come with a price. Unfortunately, in the world we live in, medical services do.

[Randi Barretto]

I grew up watching "Jerry's Kids" and sometimes found myself giggling at the comments that where made by him or his horrible attempts at singing a Whitney Houston song, but nevertheless; the numbers on that telepromt would get higher and higher. Mr. Lewis' fundraising tactics, though questionable at times, have been effective in raising millions of dollars for various disability services. As someone living with a disability, I do not feel less of a person by his comments, as much as I do feel empowered with the services received. Empowerment surely does not come with a price. Unfortunately, in the world we live in, medical services do.

[Martin]

Interesting how the dissenting posts are identical, but attributed to different people.

The Petition is a good thing. The ones I've seen that support Jerry Lewis's pityfest are those who became disabled late in life, they have the same attitude that Jerry does and now they have to play apologist out of embarassment.

I think they are written to try and deflect the truth.

[Mike]

great post withing your entire site. great info.

[Teri]

Mr. Lewis does not just do a weekend a year telethon. For him putting it together lasts all year. He has spent his own money, given a tremendous amount of his time and effort into helping Muscular Dystrophy raise this money. I wish we could turn back the clock to before Mr. Lewis raised all this money. And see where Muscular Dystrophy and the people suffering from it would be at this point in time without the 2 billion he has raised. Maybe that would open some narrow minds.

[Jesslie Hook]

Well, he did put a lot of effort and time into this, and that I can give him credit for. A lot of money was raised, and some people are very grateful for his attempts....on the other hand, it seems to others that Jerry Lewis is abusing his celebrity and downplaying people with diabilities. Perhaps instead of just playing the "pity" factor in gaining awareness and raising funds, maybe Mr. Lewis needs to be thoroughly educated about people with disabilities, and watch "The Ten Commandments" (about communicating with people with disabilities).