Ocean Seal
21st January 2011, 21:05
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/13/exclusive-vicki-lawrence-as-mama-calls-out-ted-williams/
Many of us have heard the story of Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice, and there has been some scrutiny of this, however Vicki Lawrence has taken it to a greater extent. Now regardless of what we think of Ted Williams and the media coverage of his rise to fame this attack on Ted Williams is actually an attack on the homeless. This "satire" is actually a very hateful speech which condemns the homeless as choosing to be homeless, and often reinforces the negative sterotypes associated with being homeless (ie: being lazy). I know that this is a widespread sentiment in the United States, but Vicki Lawrence really shows a kind of depravity against our fellow man. In a sense, criticizing his fame because he is a homeless person and should not be entitled to a better life. <-- This is what I find most disgusting and reactionary about Lawrence's assessment. That there are some entitled to a better life than others. Now I don't believe something as crazy as the American dream or the belief that social mobility is widespread, but the idea that some people should not be able to move up the social ladder, condones the capitalist oppression from the perspective that some are inherently superior to others, and that those in the lowest caste (for example the homeless) are liable to kiss the boot of those above them and they shouldn't challenge these norms. That's messed up.
So is anybody also seeing the inherent discrimination against the homeless?
Many of us have heard the story of Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden voice, and there has been some scrutiny of this, however Vicki Lawrence has taken it to a greater extent. Now regardless of what we think of Ted Williams and the media coverage of his rise to fame this attack on Ted Williams is actually an attack on the homeless. This "satire" is actually a very hateful speech which condemns the homeless as choosing to be homeless, and often reinforces the negative sterotypes associated with being homeless (ie: being lazy). I know that this is a widespread sentiment in the United States, but Vicki Lawrence really shows a kind of depravity against our fellow man. In a sense, criticizing his fame because he is a homeless person and should not be entitled to a better life. <-- This is what I find most disgusting and reactionary about Lawrence's assessment. That there are some entitled to a better life than others. Now I don't believe something as crazy as the American dream or the belief that social mobility is widespread, but the idea that some people should not be able to move up the social ladder, condones the capitalist oppression from the perspective that some are inherently superior to others, and that those in the lowest caste (for example the homeless) are liable to kiss the boot of those above them and they shouldn't challenge these norms. That's messed up.
So is anybody also seeing the inherent discrimination against the homeless?