A Couple of Notable Things

Posted by Lynnae on August 12, 2008

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It’s not often that you are blessed with an afternoon post from me. But I know many of you are waiting for a house update, and I have a couple of other things to tell you about, too.

We’ll start with the most important thing. Melody at Slurping Life brought a soon to be released movie, Tropic Thunder, to my attention. The actors and directors of this movie apparently worked really hard not to use language that would offend people of any race, sexual orientation, or any other minority group….except for those with disabilities.

Apparently they found it acceptable to use the word retard over and over. Over 16 times. In fact, one of the catch phrases of the movie is “Never go full retard.”

As a former special education teaching assistant, as a mom with a child on an IEP and another child formally on an IEP, I can tell you that children who are a bit different have enough social pressures without Hollywood making it cool to make fun of them.

There is an online petition protesting the use of the word “retard” in this movie. I have signed it, and I hope you will consider signing it and boycotting the movie too. Here is a link to the petition. And here is a link to Melody’s post, which is a wonderful synopsis of the issue.

Now that I have that off my chest, I have to tell you about our house update. Or non-update. Yes, this is another issue that is making my blood boil. We were supposed to sign papers yesterday, but there was a glitch with the lender’s computer, and our conditions didn’t even get to the underwriter until yesterday afternoon. We were promised docs this morning.

This morning the lender told the mortgage broker that our loan had been signed off, and they just needed to draw docs, but there’s a 24 hour turn time, and they wouldn’t have them until tomorrow. At this point, everyone is angrily calling the lender, because there has been problem after problem on their end. The docs should have been ready a week ago. So we wait. Hopefully we’ll sign tomorrow. At this point, I’m hoping to get moved before October. My poor kids are going to be a wreck when school starts, because we’ll be camping out at my dad’s house.

So that’s where we stand.

Since this whole post has been a downer so far, I’ve saved the good news for the end. I never like to leave a post on a sour note.

About a month ago I had the privilege to record an episode of Marketplace Money with Jim from Blueprint for Financial Prosperity and Steve from Brip Blap. Apparently the episode aired over the weekend, while I was camping, but it’s online, if you’d like to listen to it that way. Here’s the link, if you’re interested. I still haven’t listened myself, so I have no idea how we sound!

I promise to be back in a better mood tomorrow morning. Kyle is taking the week off from his regular feature to take his family on vacation, but I have my second video post ready to go for you. I had a lot of fun with it, and I hope you’ll enjoy it! See ya in the morning!

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Comments

13 Responses to “A Couple of Notable Things”

Jay on August 12th, 2008 4:32 pm

Wow Lynnae!

I don’t know whether to cry, shout, laugh or all of the above… A triple of a post

As my older son has Asperger’s Syndrome (diagnosed at 4 and is now 14) I can relate to the issue you first mentioned. It is tough to get through the day to day but fortunately, our son is very high functioning. I don’t know how some parents cope!
For us, our Early Ed team was that thing that saved him!
Will go to the site and sign the petition.

Hang in there on the house papers…

Will have to listen to your interview. I am a podcaster myself!

Jay
Lynnae on August 12th, 2008 4:51 pm

Good grief. And now someone stole my son’s scooter right out of our fenced yard. I have a feeling I might know where it is, but still. Grrrr. Maybe I should just go to bed early tonight and say goodbye to this day.
Lynnae on August 12th, 2008 5:21 pm

Scooter is back. It was exactly where I thought it would be. Parents, please know what your children are up to. If you don’t, they may be off stealing the scooter of a younger child.
plonkee on August 13th, 2008 5:31 am

Funny, in the UK the word retard isn’t really used in slang or in official medical-type diagnoses. But yeah, it’s never cool to make fun of people for things that they can’t help, which includes disabilities, learning or otherwise.
Britney on August 13th, 2008 8:16 am

Thank you very much for providing that link to the petition. I am also protesting the word “retard”. I am deaf and I struggle everyday with the ignorance of people in this world stereotyping me being “deaf and dumb” or the other one “deaf-mute”. I often shock people with how well spoken I am and have had people to apologize to me for under-estimating me and my intelligence. Again thank you very much for posting that link.
Dan on August 13th, 2008 8:30 am

Hi,

I’m glad to be getting my first posts from your great blog. I’m one of the folks who “found” you because of your NPR interview on the weekend. I was driving from Minnesota to S.D. and listened intently to every word. Great interview. Afterward, I was so glad to learn that your blog site was being listed and I almost drove off the road trying to write it down (not a good thing; don’t do this!).

Looking forward to much more and continued great ideas and concerns. I wholeheartedly concur with what you wrote about the movie above. Keep up the great writing.

–Dan J. in Minn.
Shay Jansen on August 13th, 2008 8:56 am

I will be signing the petition as a son with learning disabilities and Autism, Cerebral palsey…But I know what you mean about the purchase of a house, for two months I have been arguing with my morgage broker everytime she requested documents I wrote down what she wanted to find they wern’t, cost to me $35 per day after our original settlement date, second hickup we had was the bank puttin the wrong lot number on the morgage document! But come the 14th I will offically own my own home 2.5 months after I was supposed to have owned it! and it is people like you I have to thank because of your ideas for saving and frugulism has helped!

So thank you!
Julieanne on August 13th, 2008 9:31 am

Lynnae, from our experience and everyone else we’ve ever talked with about home purchasing, ya’ never (or rarely!) get the keys to your house on the day it was promised. Even if things go smoothly, it seems like it’s always a day or few days later than what was expected. Fortunately for us, our landlord was flexible enough to allow us to stay another few days in our home…so we were never “homeless”. We’ll be praying for you as you wait for the keys to your new house!
Anon again on August 13th, 2008 9:31 am

Hang in there - the house is coming….sooner or later! And will be soooo much sweeter for all the sweating it out. Keep focused - it should eventually work out. Hang on!

As a 12 yr special ed teaching assitant (prior life), thanks for the link to the petition! It’s a work my grandkids are NOT allowed to use either! Says Grammi - that’s who says!

Hope you have a/c for this weekend… even here on the coast is going to be in the 80’s… that’s rare for us! Stay cool and good luck with the house and all!
Anon again on August 13th, 2008 9:41 am

WORD - not work in above post. Sorry - typo.

PS - The kids will follow your lead in this camping out at Grandpa’s house. If you are stressed, so will they be. If you treat it like an exciting adventure - as in How Wonderful We get to Stay at Grandpa’s for a week or two - then the kids will follow your lead and be excited about it. Give each of them their out suitcase, and a cardboard box/plastic or two to hold their ‘must have’ things in an organized fashion, and they will be at home anywhere. Find a semi-quiet place/porch/garage/table/corner for study and set a workable schedule. If they have a schedule and expectations to follow, they’ll be ok. Use the sleeping bags and pillows and have them roll them up each morning. Call it camping out, which they are used to. Kids are amazingly versatile and adaptable! Smile and they will too! Really
The Frugal Momma on August 13th, 2008 9:56 am

All you can do is be as prepared as possible for the work you have to do before you move in. It will be worth it in the end!!!
Krock on August 15th, 2008 9:59 am

When a person uses the slang word “retard” they typically are not doing it in a way as to be mean to or make fun of those people with disabilities. The semantics of language, especially slang words, is volatile, and people need to take both locale and current usage patterns in to account before being so easily offended by things they hear.
Nancy on August 18th, 2008 5:16 am

I watched Tropic Thunder at the theatre last week. The film is actually poking fun at actors and directors, not retarded people. It shows the Ben Stiller character playing a character who is retarded. The performance is “over the top”..obviously ridiculous, and the laughter is at the stupidity of Stiller playing the character is such a ridiculous manner, not at retarded people.

I have a minor in “exceptionalities” (degree is in psychology) and have worked with mentally retarded children. I can understand how one might be offended at the portrayal of a retarded person in the film, but I really think the intention is to satire the filmmaking industry.

Personally I think the “Simple Jack” part of the film should have been replaced, it wasn’t that funny and if one didn’t understand the point of the film, it was seen as offensive.