|
| |
| Letter to Managers of TALK Radio |
Dear Mr. McNamara and Mr. Derby,
As a parent of a child diagnosed with Autism, and as a Portland area radio
listener who sometimes tunes in to KXL radio programs, I am asking you
to seriously consider cancelling the broadcasts of the Michael Savage
radio program from your radio station.
The comments made by Mr. Savage on July 16th, 2008 about children with
Autism were unacceptable. Free speech does not free any citizen from
lawful opposition, nor does it make them immune to consequences
resulting from their actions.
A number of radio stations around the country have already cancelled the
Savage broadcast. There is also a growing list of sponsors who have
disassociated themselves from this man due to the intolerable nature of
his rant against children with Autism.
My 12 year old son, who is higher functioning than some children with
Autism, cannot function safely outside of the home without constant
supervision. We cannot let him cross a street alone due to the fact that
he lacks the innate abilities that most of us possess that allow us to
understand danger. Daily functions that most of us take for granted,
such as taking a shower, or using a restroom without assistance, he is
unable to do independently. However, to the casual observer, he may
appear to be just an average kid. Now, thanks to Mr. Savage, if he has
difficulty coping in public and has a behavioral melt down, it is even
more difficult for me to help someone to properly understand the
situation. This will be a particularly difficult problem if I need to
explain the situation to a law enforcement officer who listens to Savage
Nation. Savage has left some people with the impression that only the
severest of cases of Autism are legitimate, and the rest are due to poor
parenting.
Mr. Savage would probably have no difficulty accepting that my 51 year
old sister has Autism. She is non-verbal and has been institutionalized
since she was 9 years old. As a child she had severe behavior issues
that included putting her hands through glass windows, swallowing sharp
objects, scratching her face until it bled, etc. But the problem is that
Mr. Savage's comments that were heard or heard about by millions of
people, make it seem as though only people like my sister are truly
Autistic. This could not be any farther from the truth. He has put
children like my son, and other people, such as those with Asperger's
Syndrome in jeopardy of being misunderstood, mistreated, and deprived of
needed services due to misperceptions, and subject to various forms of
abusive treatment by adults and youths alike.
Mr. Savage has had time and opportunity to apologize for his comments,
but instead he has attempted to adapt what he originally said to somehow
make it more acceptable. He has also attempted to shift the focus from
the Autism community, which is the real group affected by this, and
place the focus upon Media Matters, thereby making this issue seem to be
political in nature. This is NOT a political issue! Talk Radio Network
(TRN) has decided to stand by Mr. Savage and they have not acted
responsibly in requiring him to completely correct his erroneous
statements.
As managers of a radio station owned by Mr. Paul Allen, please consider
that one of the four philanthropical endeavors of his foundation is to
"respond to the needs of vulnerable populations." Please see:
http://www.paulallen.com/Template.aspx?contentId=20
Children with Autism are one of the most vulnerable groups of people on
this planet that we call home. While I am confident that Mr. Allen is
aware and has approved of your radio station broadcasting the Savage
Nation program, I also believe that he is a reasonable man who surely
understands when someone has gone beyond what should be considered
acceptable conduct by a talk show host. Even within the context of free
speech, there are still consequences for violating the boundaries and
rights of innocent people who cannot defend themselves. Labeling members
of one of our most vulnerable populations with names like, "putz,"
"idiot," and "moron," is simply unacceptable. Increasing the daily risks
that they face is reprehensible.
Please act responsibly and remove his program from your broadcast
schedule.
Respectfully,
-Derrick Jeffries
|
|
"I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical.
Even God had some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin."
~ Jerry Newport