Plug in the television?

Tonight RantWoman is reading less-than-critical email. It's not that RantWoman lacks other things she should be doing. It's not that RantWoman doesn't even have things due TOMORROW. But RantWoman already put in an almost full day and is unwinding slightly. Turns out she is also rebelling against the Obama speech. That of course would totally be fair game, but thanks to the miracles of email, RantWoman is recycling the old doings of some other politicians.

The topic of RantWoman's reading: the February email newsletter of Lighthouse International, called At-a-Glance. The fact that February is almost over is the least of the problems. RantWoman is vexed not to be able to figure out a precise link to the monthly newsletter and will have to make do with the home page Lighthouse International in NYC RantWoman highly recommends wandering this site at your leisure because there is a lot of good material here.

The good news is that while wandering around trying to find the newsletter, RantWoman found a link she had misplaced full of suggestions about how to make material more visually accessible. Lighthouse International Recommendations on Accessibility RantWoman thinks many people who perpetrate visual presentations would do well to make this page and the links on it a religion. Enough said?

The other thing RantWoman found, the thing that set off this post was references to a December 2008 sketch on Saturday Night Live featuring well-known legally blind NY Governor David Paterson as rendered by one of the current SNL cast.

SNL Does David Paterson--the actual clip

RantWoman confesses, she missed the sketch the first time around not only because she tends to be asleep at the time SNL comes on but also because, well, RantWoman does not even plug in her television. The sordid details of this reality might be grist for another post. Tonight we address humor.

RantWoman notes that the sketch got mentioned in the newsletter because a lot of people seem to think it is not funny. Google SNL+Paterson for details. The governor himself was quoted as saying he does not mind if people make fun of him personally, but the problem, when the unemployment rate among disabled people is several times even current recession levels among most workers, is anything that tars all disabled people with the same brush.

RantWoman thinks not only is the sketch funny, it's hilarious, tasteless on multiple grounds but hilarious. Making fun of New Jersey is a well-known staple of New York humor. RantWoman has spent a good bit of time in NJ, more actually than in NY. RantWoman has lived in NJ long enough to be able to tell the difference between an urban Joisey accent and a south Jersey accent. RantWoman knows what people mean when they ask "Which exit?" RantWoman has even been to Trenton, the state capital, and more than once at that. The NJ references in this sketch crack her up--although she supposes in this context she should be careful about overusing the word "crack" too.

Then there are the bits about disabled people. Some of the denizens of the Friendly Neighborhood Center for Extreme Computing say much more tasteless things about themselves and each other to our own faces on a regular basis. The Friendly Neighborhood... does not have a massive media machine pouring its sludge into people's living rooms every week, but we do believe in regular laughter enjoyed as often as possible.

Next we come to personal life and Gov. Paterson's numerous personal confessions upon taking office. As much trouble as some people, blind or not, have getting dates, Gov. Paterson not only managed extramarital wanderings--which we GUESS we are glad he confessed to right up front--unlike his multimillionaire predecessor in the job, he did not even have to pay for them! As for the SNL line about Paterson being unprepared for the job, first of all, he is the son of a politician from Harlem. That better count as preparation for something. Second, his predecessor financed a lot of his campaign with his personal fortune and by comparison, Paterson got the job on the cheap. RantWoman KNOWS we are all supposed to be spending our way out of this recession, but she always admires thrift!

In short, as far as RantWoman is concerned, laugh away all of us together. Hire people based on what they CAN do and learn to laugh and the world will be a better place.