|
|
||
|
News
|
||
|
News |
Dateline: 11th August, 2004 Three Weeks Review "Offensive", Says Writer The language used by a reviewer from Three Weeks, the free print and online publication which attempts to review every show on the Fringe, was "offensive", said author Sheridan Humphreys, who is also press and marketing manager for C Venues, where the performance took place. Her play Dude! Where's My Teddy Bear? is aimed at children and Humphreys took exception to the sentence "Ben Ockrent, as Max however is disappointingly condescending, playing the role like a mentally-retarded goon." Humphreys' four year old son Max has severe learnig difficulties, and suffers from hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy caused by a pre-natal stroke. "I thought: ‘How dare they use that kind of language?’" said Humphreys. "'Mentally retarded' is an offensive phrase for people with disabilities. Why is it still acceptable to use that kind of language?" Three Weeks managing editor Sam Taylor responded, "The phrase that was used is not used in a particularly derogatory way. It doesn’t condemn disabled people. Obviously it is a contentious phrase, but we respect our writers." It is unclear whether reviewers from the paper will be allowed back into the venue and, according to The Scotsman, distributors have been told not to deliver the paper to any of the C Venues. Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
|
|
|
|