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On The Lot

On The Lot

On the Lot is a new Fox reality TV show. It’s pretty much a bad clone of American idol, except the contestants are movie directors, rather than singers. The show has the same setup with the three judges and then the audience picks the winners. My son Aaron is very into movie making, so I’ve been watching the show with him. The movie making aspect is interesting and I would like to see more of the technical side of film making.

However, last weeks winner was very disturbing. The winning video titled “Getta Rhoom” was clearly insulting and offensive to people with developmental disabilities. The director claims that the individual portrayed in the film was just a nerd. Sorry, but a director who doesn’t know the difference between a nerd and a person with a disability has his own mental challenges.

When the film was first shown, all three judges found the movie offensive, and rightly so. But the audience disagreed and not only liked the film, but voted it #1! The fact that this film was voted #1 makes it clear that we have a long way to go before people with disabilities are accepted by our society.

Even worse, after the vote, judge Carrie Fisher (Star Wars’ Princess Leia) who was shocked by the insensitivity of the film, caved into public opinion after the vote, saying, “I was wrong”. Carrie, you were not wrong, you were right on target with your initial reaction. Never underestimate the ignorance of the American people.

Here’s the video, judge for yourself, nerd or person with a disability?

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