Political Incorrectness Strays Into Boorishness

On a recent segment of ABC’s “Politically Incorrect,” a person on the show announced, “Dogs are like retarded children.” Guest Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, booed at this observation and declared: “They [retarded children] have a heart and a soul.” The person snapped back: “They have a heart and a soul and a brain that’s retarded.”

A hue and cry in the special-needs community has erupted over these remarks. Whoever uttered them should never be invited back on “Politically Incorrect.” Unfortunately, the person who made these remarks was the host, Bill Maher.

This kind of slur against the disabled sounds like it could have come from some ignorant bigot, not from a smart guy from New York who graduated from Cornell. Sure, Maher has had a pattern of trying to drum up interest in his show with shocking statements that get him publicity. For example, he ranted about the extensive media coverage of John F. Kennedy Jr.’s death and said that Barbara Bush “has always been a b----.” But his remarks about retarded children hit a new low.

Maher later tried to explain. “The nicest thing I could ever say about anybody would be to compare them to dogs,” he told the Toronto Star, noting that he had dogs himself. “I was just saying that they [mentally handicapped children] always strike me as very sweet and kind and innocent, and you love them all the more for it.” In remarks to the New York Times, he added: “The analogy with dogs was they don’t advance mentally.”

It’s time to give Maher, who is childless, a lesson in sensitivity.

My 14-year-old son has been diagnosed with autism. Jeremy understands most things that are said to him but has very limited speech. He can say the beginnings of a lot of words, and if you know him well enough, you can figure out what he is saying. His toe-walking and yipping sounds rarely go unnoticed when we’re out in public.

My wife and I have Jeremy enrolled in a private, special-ed school because he’s a gentle kid who wouldn’t understand how to protect himself against bullies. He enjoys going to school but has few friends because, like many special-needs kids, he finds using the computer or doing puzzles more enjoyable than interacting with other children.

What would Maher make of my son? I shudder to think.

The fact is there are millions of sweet kids like Jeremy who Maher compared to dogs. And where does his canine analogy take us? Should mentally disabled youngsters be tied up in the backyards of America? Should they be taken for walks on leashes? Should they be put to sleep when they become too difficult? If so, who’s next? Old people? Late-night talk-show hosts?

This is the proverbial slippery slope that the pundits so often warn us against. Once you step on it, there’s no way to tell who’ll be left standing.

On Jan. 18, a full week after making his offending statements, Maher finally addressed the issue on his show. I watched it. He said all the right words, but he barely kept a straight face as he nervously made a statement. “I offer no apologies because none would be proper, or adequate,” he said, adding: “It certainly is never the point of the show to pick on anyone with an affliction.”

Maher never explained in any detail what he initially said that warranted these remarks, nor did he acknowledge the public outrage they incited. It was like watching a petulant child reluctantly apologizing for shoplifting some candy.

I believe Maher is genuinely sorry--not for what he said but that this story got such bad press. So I suggest that Maher go one step further by inviting quarterback Doug Flutie and actors Joe Mantegna and Chris Cooper to be his guests. He should ask them if they believe that it’s OK to equate dogs with mentally disabled kids. Since they all have autistic children, I imagine the response would be pretty entertaining.