Magoo Debate Moves To UK

Magoo Debate Moves To UK

The Braille Monitor_______November

1997

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Magoo Debate Moves

to UK

From the Editor: The October issue

of the New Beacon, the monthly publication of the Royal National Institute

for the Blind, carried a stop-press story reflecting the ongoing support European

organizations of blind people are demonstrating for our position on the Disney

Company's plan to release a live action movie starring Leslie Nielsen as Mr.

Magoo. (See the October, 1997, Braille Monitor for a full discussion

of the Magoo struggle.) Norbert Mueller went home to Germany following our convention

vowing to see what he could do to alert his blind countrymen to the situation.

Now the NFB of the United Kingdom is weighing in. Here is the New Beacon

article:

NEWS EXTRA

Magoo Presents Out-of-Date and Alien

Image, Says Federation

The National Federation of the Blind

of the United Kingdom is calling upon Walt Disney Corporation not to show the

feature length live-action comedy film Mr. Magoo, based on the cartoon character.

The Federation believes that the character portrayed is detrimental to blind

and partially sighted people.

The Federation's response follows a similar

reaction from the National Federation of the Blind of America, which earlier

described the film as an insult to blind people. The American Federation has

also voted at its annual convention to demand a ban on the showing of the film.

The Mr. Magoo character, well-known from

cartoons, is played in the new film by Leslie Nielsen. He is a bumbling but

cheerful millionaire who blithely survives the scrapes which appear to be caused

by his short-sightedness.

The National Federation of the Blind--the

largest campaigning organization of blind and partially sighted people in the

UK, which celebrates its Golden Jubilee this year--said that it had fought alongside

other organizations of and for blind people to squash the Mr. Magoo image, which

caused great offence in the past to blind and partially sighted people, and

did not want Walt Disney to re-introduce Mr. Magoo into this country.

In its press statement last month, the

Federation said:

"Over the past fifty years the mass

media, given the time and space, have helped to improve the image of blind and

partially sighted people, and blind people themselves have achieved a positive

role in society by actively taking part in the lives of their communities, in

employment, and social activities. Blind people have jobs in all walks of life,

including being school teachers, physiotherapists, social workers, piano tuners,

computer specialists, lawyers, accountants, and running their own businesses.

The Chairman of the Royal National Institute for the Blind, John Wall CBE, himself

totally blind, is a Judge, and our Secretary of State for Education and Employment,

David Blunkett MP, is also totally blind.

"Many blind and partially sighted

people of all ages participate in leisure and sporting activities at local,

national, and international levels, from elderly people playing cards, chess,

or bingo to the more athletic taking part in golf, swimming, bowls, skiing,

mountain climbing, sailing, dancing, rambling, tandem riding, etc.

"Although the media present a positive

image, many members of the general public do not have understanding and are

not aware of the capabilities shown by blind and partially sighted people. Only

last week flat owners living in Bournemouth petitioned against a blind lady

who wanted to buy a flat within their complex on the grounds that she would

be a potential fire risk. Ironically, Mrs. Jill Allen King MBE, Public Relations

Officer for the National Federation of the Blind UK, herself totally blind,

said that at the National Consumer Congress held at Sheffield University a few

years ago, when the fire alarms went off at 3 o'clock in the morning and all

the lights failed, it was Jill who led the sighted delegates down three flights

of stairs to safety. As many of the residents of the flats in Bournemouth are

likely to be elderly, the chances are that some of them would have poor vision

and would not necessarily be able to cope as well as Mrs Tandy, against whom

they have petitioned.

"Walt Disney is a well respected

name in the UK and has produced enjoyable films for many years. The Federation

feels that their good reputation would be tarnished by the remaking of the Mr.

Magoo feature film. We sincerely hope, therefore, that they will reconsider

their decision to launch this feature film in the New Year.

"If Walt Disney do go ahead with

this feature of Mr. Magoo, it will be going against the principles of the new

Disability Discrimination Act introduced in this country in 1995. Since the

Act came into force, a different attitude towards disability has come into being,

and, in the opinion of the National Federation of the Blind, any Mr. Magoo film

is likely to present an out-of-date image of blind and partially sighted people

alien to today's world."