If only there were something derogatory
we could say about Joan Rivers!
Joan Rivers is no stranger to ticking people off. The outspoken comedienne was a shock comic long before she invaded celebrities' personal spaces on various red carpets. But now she -- along with other contestants of the recent cycle of Celebrity Apprentice -- has incurred the wrath of a particular group: little people.
In April, Rivers and her team (of which she was the leader) on the NBC reality show created a marketing campaign for a laundry detergent dubbed "Jesse James and the Midgets." Little People of America, "a non profit organization dedicated to advocacy and support for individuals of short stature," then claimed that the show openly used the term "midget" and "portrayed people with dwafism more as objects than as individuals."
Spurred by this particular episode of The Apprentice, LPA has filed a formal complaint with the FCC to have the offensive term banned from television, just as other derogatory terms aimed at other groups aren't permitted.
"It's not acceptable to call people the N-word, just as it's not acceptable to call people the M-word," Michael Petruzzelli, president of the Long Island chapter of Little People of America told Newsday.com. "The chosen term now is L.P., or little person."
Comments (16)
To ask to ban the M-word is sad. Personally, I think "Little People" is more derogatory than "midget". Why should people who are smaller than the average height for a person of any particular age be called "Little People"? I mean, they're not miniature versions of people. They ARE STILL PEOPLE. Society today needs to get off it's PC high horse and people need to worry more about themselves and educating the public on the right way to say certain terms like the M-word instead of fussing over all this PC BS. (I absolutely protest the idea that "Little People" is better.)
1st of all Little people where involved in the commercial, where was there outrage, If they didn't mind why should someone tell them what to do, Everything is too PC, Like the N word or the F word for Gays, are they going to be able to say it but no one else?
i think they are right. i am rather short myself and i hate to be called a midget. it isn't, in any way, shape, or form at all nice. it can be rather mean and hateful. the term midget is offensive to short people and it shouldn't be used, especially to describe a short person. Go LPA.
Honestly this just isn't as big an issue as they seem to think - geez talk about blowing it out of all proportion. Sure sometimes I guess you have to make a tall stand to be seen and have your little issue recognized, but honestly if you get overlooked this often by the public at large how great can the problem be? Individually we are ALL different sized objects; we ALL get greatly ridiculed at the very least opportunity, and the saddest part is that all this is doing is drawing minuscule attention to the small-mindedness of some of these minority groups. For you Joan Rivers - huge laughs, always!
The M word. if midget offends you then change the channel when that show is on or do what most people do and get over it.
F word, N word, M word. What's next? The entire alfhabet? I get that some words jsut shouldn't be said but this is getting a little ridiculous
Tim Surette, you are mistaken. Joan River's team didn't do the Jesse James and Midget campaign. Joan Rivers, Natalie Gulbis, Khloe Kardashian, Clint Black and Hersel Walker did the "Doing the 'laundry'" campaign, where they fired the little person for being a bad actor.
How on earth is the term midget offensive.. it's what they are!
How on earth is the term midget offensive.. it's what they are!
Does the M word really, really equate to the historical use of the N word? If so, if the history is there with significance impacts, I could see the desire to call for a change and need to educate, but if not close, is making the association a worse offense?
k yeah I will always say "Midget" and not even Midgets will stop me. lol
Are they going to ban the term for football? Racing? Silly midgets.
Oh please, never will the word midget be on the same level as the n word.
i dont care about that chick but come on... get over it
I agree she is.
Joan Rivers is a very annoying and two face person.