Alopecia World
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Horrible quote from HBO show "VEEP" last night
Did anyone see this show last night? A quote from Julia Louis Dreyfus' character (the Vice President of the US) "The kids had alopecia and the mothers were on crack. It was a freakshow!"
We need to write HBO to tell them that alopecia has NOTHING to do with substance abuse and that we are not "freak shows".
Repulsive!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Liz Bradley on
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Children don't watch this show, so don't worry about them being tormented.
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Permalink Reply by LilyBell*Murphy'sLawLuvsMe on
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Yes Storm dont worry your pretty little head- Liz apparently knows every viewer of this show. We should all be blessed with such knowledge.
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Permalink Reply by alamogirl/ aka Judy on
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I want to vomit. We don't get HBO and now NEVER will. They, however, WILL be hearing from me as soon as I calm down...and stop crying.
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Permalink Reply by elaine on
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I tried going onto the link to leave a comment too but because I'm in the UK for some reason it won't let me into the site:( but am sure I wouldn't be leaving anything different to what you all said
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Permalink Reply by kastababy on
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OMG lady, get OVER it!! There are so many people in the alopecian community that are so hypersensitive that any mention of alopecia that has nothing to do with "love me, love my head" is enough to send them over the edge.
I have lived with alopecia for 30 years - and I have heard fat jokes, bald jokes, black jokes, blond jokes, white jokes, yo momma jokes, glasses jokes, blonde jokes, and every other kind of joke under the sun. Do you see all of those people running talking about how insensitive other people are just because they were a punch line?
You can't have it both ways. You simply cannot have total, unconditional acceptance of what alopecia is without having the occasional joke made about it too. You either want people to walk on eggshells around you and handle you with kid gloves or you want to be treated like everyone else, and that includes jokes being made, regardless of taste.
I am one alopecian who will NOT be writing HBO to tell them how "insensitive" they are. As a matter of fact, I will be writing them to tell them how great the show is and to keep the punch lines rolling, because quite frankly, if you can't learn to laugh at yourself every once in a while, the world will always be a cold, uncaring place that you can feel free to withdraw from as a result, and perpetuating the stereotype you are fighting so hard to dispel.
If you don't like this show, do like most people do that don't like certain shows -- change the channel!! However, don't force your hyper-PC views on everyone else, especially other alopecians who actually have a sense of humor and didn't see anything wrong with it.
By the way, I saw the episode in question -- and it was hilarious!! VEEP is one of the better shows on TV, like most cable shows. It's well written and has a great cast!
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I think perhaps some of the hurt comes from the lonliness many alopecians feel. I am also a diabetic and have amazing support in my community and among family and friends who also have the big D. But my alopecia, which is still very new to me, also puts me on an island...I know nobody personally who is also so afflicted. The chats are entertaining and even helpful, but I long for some face time with another alopecian. Probably I will become stronger as I get used to this new normal. But for now, I am a bit at loose ends, and thus the joke just hit me wrong. Thanks for another view. This, too, is helpful.
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Permalink Reply by Nicole on
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I cannot believe HBO would have something like this said on their network. I agree that major action needs to be taken so this will not happen again. This is on the same line as bullying. This type of thing gives more ammunition for people to continue bullying others because of being different and having an illness. This is just not right! I will be writing a letter to HBO as well. They should do a special on Alopecia to bring more awareness to the condition.
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The dictionary defines a bully as "a blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people."
HBO is a corporate entity, not a person. Therefore, the network, and the shows they produce are incapable of bullying anything or anybody. It is not HBO's responsibility to parent your children, or teach them to be decent human beings and not bully others. It is their JOB to entertain the subscribers who pay for their service. I would highly suggest taking a closer look at what a bully actually is before glibly using it to paint this show and the network with a brush it doesn't deserve. As Greg just said, and I wholeheartedly agree, NOBODY has the right to "not be offended by anything."
The show, and the characters portrayed in the show, are works of FICTION. They don't exist. Therefore, stop treating the show and the characters as if they are REAL people and ignore it.
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Posted earlier in the thread but it came in as a direct reply....but I think it deserves a repost (I would say that though) :P
No-one has a right to "not be offended by anything".
It's a dark path we track down if we start taking umbrage and censoring anything which offends us personally (no matter how offensive or not or how personal and unique the item to which one may take offence).
Also, let's remember this was not an opinion piece but the words from a character in a drama.
Having said that, as a new Dad I can see how tough it would be to watch my kid taking hits over Alopecia (if he had it). Still doesn't make censuring drama writers the way forward though.
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I don't have alopecia, so maybe I'm not allowed to have an opinion, but I am a writer and a fan of VEEP. I want to point out that the Julia Louis Dreyfus character is not supposed to be likable. She is funny, but a lot of the things she says are detestable. In the previous episode, she was appalled to be given an anti-obesity assignment, as she "can't stand being around fat people." I did catch this line and knew it might be a problem here. Please know that the audience isn't taking her seriously, and do not believe or agree with what she says.
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And again, what line was crossed? Her character doesn't like ANYBODY that is different, and that is the whole point of satirical humor - it's supposed to make you uncomfortable. It's not called "HBO making your child feel good about themselves"-esteem. It's called SELF-esteem! It is YOUR job as a parent to help your children feel good about themselves. The overwhelming majority of shows on HBO are not child-appropriate in the first place, so that argument doesn't hold water as far as I'm concerned. If you are counting on every single show on TV to make your child feel good about themselves, then I have to question why you have children in the first place, since on the surface it would appear that HBO and television are raising them and teaching them how to feel and behave, rather than you -- and that is what's wrong with society now. Everyone wants to blame someone else for their own and their children's shortcomings and failures, when all you have to do is put the remote down and look in the mirror. It's going to take a bit of work, and pull you away from your computer and online griping, but guess what? That's what parenting is all about.
I'm not politically correct; in fact, I'm an equal-opportunity offender -- if it's funny, I'm going to poke fun at it, period. However, I am also compassionate and sensitive when the situation calls for it. This whining session about this show is not one of those times; rather, it calls for a reality check. Liz is absolutely correct. The character is not meant to be taken seriously in the least, yet you are making a mountain out of an anthill, and what is it going to change? Absolutely nothing, and you are getting people all riled up in arms about something that quite frankly the overwhelming majority of people, alopecians and non-alopecians alike, don't give a rat's ass about.
Liz, you are just as entitled to an opinion as anyone on here, and I for one welcome your opinions. Don't ever think that just because you don't have alopecia that your opinions aren't just as valid.
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I question the parenting skills of American society in general, not just the ones who happen to take offense to anything here that they read. Studies have shown that since Americans have become so politically correct, especially since the 1980's when all this PC crap started, our children have become totally incapable of adapting to new and different situations, and are totally incapable of coping to negative, catastrophic, disastrous news and circumstances. Americans in general are viewed around the world as a society of spoiled, selfish, arrogant, xenophobic hypocrites who don't know how to play with others and don't want to learn; rather, they think that everyone else should cater to them. American parents in general (and of course, there are exceptions to every rule) coddle and cater to their children and don't allow them any opportunity to make mistakes, experience failure, or be on the receiving end of any type of negative attention, which makes for some very socially retarded adults who perpetuate the cycle. Alopecia is more well-known than you think it is, but the bigger lesson that needs to be learned is simple: If you don't have anything nice to say about someone, don't say anything at all; and if you have a question about something, just ask, and you'll get an answer.
You're still missing the point about that character on that show. You're not SUPPOSED to appreciate the humor. Instead, you're supposed to examine just HOW someone could be that insensitive to anything in the first place, and hope that one day she gets her just desserts. As for the adults who are so easily influenced by TV that they see anything shown as fodder for appropriate and inappropriate humor alike, well - that speaks to their own maturity level, and guess where they learned it from?
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