Jerry Lewis' MDA Pity Telethon

Most Americans have heard about and, most likely, have seen several of the Jerry Lewis MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) Telethon hosted by Jerry Lewis every Labor Day since 1966. It is usually held on the Sunday evening preceding Labor Day and continuing for 22 hours until Monday evening. It is syndicated on 190 television stations throughout the United States. The telethon boasts a large line-up of celebrities performing music, jokes, and more in an effort to get donations for the MDA. Between acts, Jerry talks, as do the other hosts, about what it is like to be disabled, and poster children with MD talk about how the MDA has helped them.

This 2007 show marks the 42nd annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. It aired from 9 p.m. on Sunday, September 2 until 6:30 p.m. on Monday, September. 3. It aired from the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas, with live segments from New York and Chicago. The Telethon will reach 40 million viewers in the United States and Canada.

Some of you might have even called into the telethon and pledged a donation. I have Duchene's Muscular Dystrophy and can verify that it is a just cause and charity. However, the way the charity and its chairman, the comedian, Jerry Lewis, handle its portrayal of people living with Muscular Dystrophy is a sore spot for many of us afflicted with this disability.

The MDA and, more so, Jerry Lewis want you to pity those of us with Muscular Dystrophy so that you donate money. The donating is a good deed and while we all appreciate it, the reason we need the money is not for pity's sake. No, no one wants to be pitied, to feel incapable of any type of self-help, and to feel like they are half people. This is exactly how many of us feel when we watch the telethon.

Few of you know of some of the stupid and offensive things Lewis has said about the disabled, especially groups that are anti-pity and anti-Lewis. I will show everyone an example of one group that speaks out against Lewis' tactics to create pity for the sake of charity's sake and his offensive retaliation over the years.

Jerry's Orphans