Mon Nov 30 2009
by Bill Hammerstrom, editor
"It was like the Special Olympics or something."
And with that commentary on his poor bowling performance, President Barack Obama made a large segment of the population groan as he added to the long list of unfortunate things said by a president.
The President's remarks about his 129 bowling score on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno may be considered a harmless joke in some circles, but it is indicative of the mentality the Special Olympics is trying to erase with its "Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign.
The word is "retard," and the Special Olympics wants to remove it from the country's vernacular. It has been an accepted description of someone with intellectual disabilities, but its connotation has become insulting.
"It may not seem to some as hate speech, but it is as derogatory and as cruel as any slur, especially to someone with intellectual disabilities," said Jo Ann Fink, coordinator of the Hudson Chapter of the Special Olympics.
Special Olympics declared March 31 a national day of awareness to stop use of the r-word. It set up a Web site -- r-word.org -- to describe the campaign and how people can contribute. The goal is to eliminate "the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech and promote the acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities."
Fink said she could not believe that the discussion over Obama's remarks came up during the r-word campaign. They have provided an additional opportunity to teach that what some may think is a harmless joke is hurtful to others.
"It's so in line with the whole campaign," said Hudson resident Lori Shockey, whose 14-year-old son Nate participates in a variety of Special Olympic events.
Shockey is sure the president meant no harm and regretted his comment as soon as he said it. Obama even called Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver to apologize before the show aired. He has reportedly invited some Special Olympic athletes to bowl with him at the White House.
However, using Special Olympics to describe a poor athletic performance is not fair to Special Olympians, Shockey said.
"It's hurtful," she said. "There's nothing nice about it, if you really think about it."
Obama's comments also weren't entirely accurate, according to those familiar with Special Olympics bowling events.
"It's too bad he didn't understand that there are some kids who are really great bowlers," Shockey said. "There have been Special Olympic athletes who have bowled 300 games."
One Special Olympian, Kolan McConiughey of Ann Arbor, Mich., has bowled five perfect games.
"He can't read much, can't do math, can't do bill-paying," his foster mother, Jan Pardy, told the Associated Press. "Kolan faces all these challenges, but he has an area of genius, and his genius is bowling."
Obama, on the other hand, reportedly bowled a 37 over seven frames while on the campaign trail, in addition to his 129 score at the White House.
In comparison, Hudson Special Olympic bowler Ashley Bach, 24, bowled a 177 at a March 14 event in Akron to win a first-place ribbon. She has previously bowled a 199, said Fink, who has sent a letter to Obama inviting him to bowl with Bach.
"We have some very, very talented athletes with averages in the mid to upper 100s," Fink said.
And the ones who don't score so high don't deserve to be the butt of jokes, because they've tried their best. As Special Olympians say, "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."
E-mail: bhammerstrom@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-686-3944
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