Did you see the Saturday Night Live skit about Governor David Paterson? Paterson is legally blind and according to the New York Times, portrayed as disoriented and buffonlike. His office said the skit amounted to nothing more than cheap ridicule. The Governor is well know for making light of his disability-but not on this night.

Paterson’s indiscretions with cocaine and infidelity were open game on the Saturday Night Live skit. I happened to see the skit and personally felt it was over the top-and I love humor!

I enjoyed Paterson’s insights about humor and disabilities:

“I think people who have a good sense of humor do have in them a little bit of loneliness. When I was younger, I was certainly that way. So I think I used humor to entertain myself. That was my way of enjoying time, my way of finding the frivolity in situations.

When asked whether the skit offended him he offered another great insight:

“There is only one way that (disabled) people could have an unemployment rate that’s six time the national average-it’s attitude, and I’m afraid that the kind of third-grade depiction of individuals and the way they look and the way the move add to that negative environment.”

Good for you Governor Paterson! You now know why I feel humor is critical for children and we will talk more about employment in future posts! You can see CNN comments here as well as video of the skit. The Huffington Post has an article with many diverse opinions on the skit.

Steve Mertz