I'm not sure what I feel about Obama and his bowling joke. Well, his "bowling like he's in Special Olympics" joke. He's allowed to be make a mistake. Right? He's the president; he's not Gandhi or Mandela. Well, they made a few mistakes, too. Anyway… as an uncle of a Down's Syndrome albeit mainstreamed nephew, I feel like my internal and external radar for "disability" bashing is on full volume. So I consider myself extra-sensitive about these issues. I think if Obama had someone in his family or intimate community who lived with a mental or physical disability he wouldn't be so quick to default into "I'm feeling awkward. Let me tell a joke. At the Special Olympics expense." Well, I guess I do know how I feel: that joke was foul!
Keith Josef Adkins is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and social commentator.