Sympathy or Pity? Jerry’s Orphan’s Fight

Tuesday1 Comment

The short film, “The Kids Are Alright”, documents the efforts of Mike Ervin and Jerry’s Orphans to stop the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, the pinnacle of a pity fest in the eyes of the Orphans. Throughout the film, Ervin gives first hand accounts of the protest efforts starting in 1991 to take the annual telethon off the air and address the ill-intentions of the Muscular Dystorphy Association (MDA). Jerry’s Orphans is a disability rights group founded by Mike Ervin and his family to oppose the use of pity in MDA National Telethon. Mike Ervin was one of Jerry’s kids in his childhood, and believes it is important to address a one-sided narrative in which those with MD live suffering. Throughout the film he shares his perspective as a person with MD and on the harm that the MDA’s pity campaign inflicts upon the MD community.

“The Kids Are Alright” is a thought provoking film, earning three out of five stars. The message is left open-end in many instances but not in an intentional way. This over all began to undermine Mike’s message as it made it apparent the perspective shown was more subjective than objective in some instances. Mike’s message still stands clear and proud at the end of the film. However, There is a point in the film where two sides of the same coin were shown clashing. This is where the film falters, showing both sides are appealing to the audience’s emotions. As a viewer, challenge yourself to consider both sides.

Jerry’s Orphans demonstrated a respectable dedication to their cause, turning up to the Broadcast center every year for a sit in. The protest shown and discussed were largely ineffective even when reaching a national audience consistently. This was odd considering, the efforts of Jerry’s Orphan were exemplary non-violent protests. Towards the second half the film the root of this issue was explored. There seems to have been a visceral reaction to the protests. This is never directly examined. Ervin states during the film that he believes a loss the MDA would be the Orphans’ message being out there at all. This is not an unusual sentiment amongst activists in any way. Eventually, someone will listen and join the fight.

Child Abandonment: How Jerry’s Orphans Sparked Thought

DellFrog1 Comment

“The Kids Are Alright” is a short documentary filmed with the intent of showing the efforts of “Jerry’s Orphans”, a movement created by Mike Ervin. Ervin began the movement based on his experience as a poster child for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and their yearly telethon. Ervin and his friends, other people with muscular dystrophy or close ties to it, began protesting Jerry Lewis’ yearly telethon that was produced by the MDA in the early 1990’s. Their efforts remained unrecognized and scorned even after sharing their personal experiences and how the telethon and the MDA were hindrances to their experiences, rather than boons.

During the documentary, Ervin explains how early TV icon Jerry Lewis created slanderous narratives toward the muscular dystrophy community and how the MDA’s efforts are more for personal gain than the gain for people with muscular dystrophy. When Lewis called those with the disability “half a person”, Ervin, born with mild muscular dystrophy, was outraged and disgusted that someone with no experience could ascribe such a concept to his life. Ervin and his friends, nicknamed “Jerry’s Orphans” as a satire of “Jerry’s Kids”, call attention to the fact that the MDA, TV station, and the volunteers involved with the yearly telethon have no right raising money for an effort that will not directly affect people with muscular dystrophy. Their pleas for people to stop pitying them and to actually learn about where the money raised by their efforts actually goes often were brushed aside. Audiences could not imagine why people who live with muscular dystrophy would be so against an organization working to fund a cure.

Those outside of the muscular dystophy community do not understand what it is like to live, and to thrive, with the condition. Volunteers for the telethon believe that they are raising money to find a cure, to put an end to this genetic disease, an act that they believe is charitable and good-natured. However, the constant dehumanization put forth by the MDA and its constituents remained an active agent of harm against people with muscular dystrophy. This film challenges the audience perception of these mass fundraisers and organizations that are often run by people with no ties to the disease. Jerry’s Orphans ask that instead of searching for a cure, we might instead start developing accommodations and changing the narrative of how we view people who have visible, or invisible, disabilities.

While “The Kids Are Alright” pulls no punches describing the affect of years of dehumanization from the MDA, it sparks a powerful thought that audiences should consider: am I listening to narratives of people with first-hand experience or am I trusting in pseudo-benevolent organizations with ill intentions? The film can be viewed for free on Ervin’s website, earning it a 5-star rating for accessibility.