Department of Education refuses to caption episodes of Bewitched.

[TheMightyFavog]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/auto/epaper/editions/sunday/opinion_0442326e064c624b0099.html

The Bush administration has decided that people with bad hearing have bad judgment, too, and need special guidance from the federal government.

So the U.S. Department of Education is declaring about 200 television programs inappropriate for closed-captioning and denying federal grant requests to make them accessible to the hearing-impaired.

(snip)

The government is refusing to caption Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, apparently fearing that the deaf would fall prey to witchcraft if they viewed the classic sitcoms.

(snip)

The National Association of the Deaf says the government used to caption these shows but abruptly changed course, deciding that the shows don't fit the required definition of "educational, news or informational" programming.

"They've suddenly narrowed down the definition of those three kinds of programming without public input," says Kelby Brick, director of the NAD's law and advocacy center. "Basically, the department wants to limit captioning to puritan shows. The department wants to ensure that deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals are not exposed to any non-puritan programming. Never mind that the rest of the country is allowed to be exposed."


Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
:wtf:

[CanuckAmok]

1. Wait 'till ARWalden finds out...

...he'll tear them a new "A".

[arwalden]

7. This Is OUTRAGEOUS!!! There's A Reason That The Word 'Outrageous'...

contains the word RAGE!!!!

And how perfectly silly of them. They are nothing more than caricatures of themselves. Just when you think that things couldn't get any more rediculous... here they come to prove your wrong.

Of ALL THE OTHER things that there are for them to be concerned about... Bewitched and Jeannie are at the top of their lists.

Good grief! Or as Samantha would say "Oh my stars! Who's the wise-witch?"

-- Allen

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. Why didn't they just use the fact that it would be a monster waste

of money and leave it at that?

I would have gone along with that, but not this.

[Bucky]

3. But, but... "Oh, My Gay-Friendly Stars", Bewitched *IS* a puritan show

you got a stay at home wife who submlimates her natural, earth centered, pagan-powered gyno-forces to her uptight hubby's wishes and gives up her entire unique identity to make her man happy. She's the perfect Stepford wife, she out-Junes June Cleaver.

And they still find that too risque? Jeeze Louise!

[peterh]

4. Roy Black….defense memo….

My client, because of his hearing problem, is susceptible to periods of bad judgment….thus all hearing impaired individuals should no longer be held accountable for actions that may drift out of the norm…so to say….I submit exhibit “out of right field” and request a dismissal….:silly:

[TheMightyFavog]

5. kick for the lunchtime crowd.

:kick:

[KamaAina]

6. Maybe they'll stop captioning Bush* press conferences

deciding that the shows don't fit the required definition of "educational, news or informational" programming.

Does an hour of non-stop, bald-faced lies qualify as news*?

How very typical of society's paternalistic attitudes toward people with disabilities.

Hmmm... what abouit "Children of a Lesser God"? I seem to recall some decidedly non-"puritan" scenes therein, involving an Oscar-winning actress who is a hero to the Deaf community...