'ret*ds' remark evokes outrage (Miami Herald) and Big Br...

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'ret*ds' remark evokes outrage (Miami Herald)

A South Florida man who appeared on the CBS television reality show Big Brother has angered advocates for the disabled because he referred to autistic children during a broadcast as `ret*ds.'
Posted on Sat, Feb. 23, 2008
By CAROL MARBIN MILLER
cmarbin@MiamiHerald.com

Advocates for disabled people in South Florida called on Attorney General Bill McCollum to investigate a Miami Beach autism charity linked to a man who referred to children with autism as ''ret*ds'' on the CBS reality TV show Big Brother.

At a small protest outside the Broward County Courthouse Friday morning, Evelyn Ain, the president of New York-based Autism United, blasted CBS and Big Brother for airing a show in which a South Florida man, Adam Jasinski, is heard using the derogatory word -- and then defending its use to cast members.

''Don Imus was fired for less,'' Ain said, referring to the former host of MSNBC's Imus in the Morning show, who referred to members of the Rutgers University's women's basketball team , as ''nappy headed hos.'' Several players were African-American.

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Big Brother contestant in hot water after he calls autistic people 'ret*ds' on TV show (Sun-Sentinel)

Televised comment raises ire of autism advocates
By Jon Burstein | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
February 23, 2008

A reality show contestant's disparaging remark about autistic children has prompted an autism advocacy group to request the Florida Attorney General's Office investigate a local nonprofit.

The call for an inquiry into the Fort Lauderdale-based United Autism Foundation comes a week after its former spokesman, Adam Jasinski, of Delray Beach, outraged the autism support community with his comments on the CBS show Big Brother. Jasinski told other contestants he would like to open a hair salon for autistic children "so the ret*ds can get it together and get their hair done."

New York-based Autism United held a news conference Friday outside the Broward County Courthouse, calling on Attorney General Bill McCollum to scrutinize whether United Autism Foundation is a legitimate nonprofit organization. The autism advocates also questioned why United Autism Foundation's Web site seemed to be acting as a fan site for Jasinski and the Web site contained no information on the group's board of directors or officers.

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"CBS's decision to air Jasinski's slur on the Feb. 13 broadcast has stirred so much controversy that Lowe's, the national home improvement chain, decided this week it would cease advertising on the show, according to AdWeek, a trade publication."

Everybody should go buy something at Lowe's this weekend, and consider watching Big Brother just so you can boycott remaining advertisers. For that matter, we just need one member to watch and report who's still sponsering. Two members would lend more credibility.

That guy should be kicked off Big Brother. He doesn't deserve the prize. If he does get the prize, he should donate the $500,000 to WrongPlanet and forced to do so.

I do get mad at anyone who is stupid like that. Shows what they know. (nothing of course) Sure, there are 'ret*ds', but they don't need to be reminded of that word in an offensive manor. Autisic children aren't under the retardation spectrum, so that moron needs to get his facts straight, and yeah I also would be annoyed if another jerk wins.

well...I'm afraid the Constitution doesn't cover mental ability. It was extremely insensitive, and very unhelpful, but they couldn't actually stop him from saying it. That Lowes has dropped out is a positive sign. I don't defend him for a minute, but there are a lot of people out there who need some educating...

yea i dont know how you can bash somebody for being ignorant.

what a person doesnt know they just dont know and nobody can know everything.

it seemed to me that he was TRYING to say something positive, but just didn't do a good job.

also in determining somebody's level of sensativity you first have to understand how they percieve things. one person is going to be more sensative to some words than the next.

before any comparison can be made , 1st off we have to understand what he thinks the word "ret*ds" means.

one thing i notice in comments about this is IQ comparison "My "ret*d" son most likely has an IQ three times what this guys is"
- since when has it been acceptable to be angry at someone that has a lower IQ for not being as smart?

Posting in a thread for stirring up drama.

Revisiting the ret*d comment

In French, the word ret*d is a legitimate, albeit controversial word. It denotes something akin to backward. The connotation is that something ret*d falls behind or is stunted. If this is the case, others have done this to us. And this Adamant (pun intended) Jasinski should explain himself so that he can get one foot out of his mouth and the other out of his butt.

If he does not win his coveted [prize (and I hope he does not) he may be hard pressed to find employment, and certainly never again work with persons living on the Autism Spectrum.

I am so sick of that word, and I wish it did not exist at all.

*whips out pencil and Death Note, tunes to CBS and waits for the broadcast*

Went to Lowe's and bought a very nice tomato plant, a patio hybrid, and a larger pot to put it in: $9

Supporting sponsers that do the right thing: priceless

(I wonder if I'll get $9 of tomatos from that plant, but that's beside the point.)

I hate the indiscriminate use of the term "ret*d."

I think that he should get it together and take Disability Training.