The Kids are Alright

Reversing the “Compassionate” Dystrophication of Personhood

Turnip Friend1 Comment

“The Kids Are Alright” is a short documentary exposing the incredible level of disrespect people with Muscular Dystrophy have faced from Jerry Lewis and the Labor Day Telethon put on by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. When the narrator first speaks, we see an image of him as a young poster child for the association, smiling from his wheelchair as Jerry Lewis hands him a piece of birthday cake. Flashing forward forty years later we see the narrator once again at an MDA event, one was he was not invited to. This time, him and other former poster children are protesting the event and all that it stands for as a group self-titled “Jerry’s Orphans”, passionately shouting, “Piss On Pity!”

Throughout this documentary the narrator dives into the specific actions and processes involved with the telethon that directly contradict the needs of those with Muscular Dystrophy. When he was a child, the narrator was featured on these televised events as a way for the foundation to pull at the heartstrings of those watching from home. They describe these children as trapped in their wheelchairs; a collection of poor little angels that may only be cured if people donate enough money to the foundation. However, as the story develops it becomes clear from the narrator’s account as well as those of the other former poster children that by focusing the telethon’s message on the goal to find a cure and make money for those involved in the association, the actual individuals who need accommodations such as wheelchairs, care-givers, ramps, etc., are often left out of the conversation, and therefore their needs are continuously unmet by the people who claim to care the most.

The issue of accommodations being provided to those who need them isn’t the only issue though. The narrator also makes the point multiple times that one of the most important things people can do to support those with disabilities is to refuse to pity them. Humans deserve to be treated with humanity. The narrator reads to the audience a quote from a piece written by Jerry Lewis that was featured on the cover of the 1990 Edition of Parade Magazine, where Lewis imagines what it would be like to suffer from Muscular Dystrophy and describes the people affected as only existing as “half a person,” who can only experience “half a life” because of the disability. The narrator points out that this level of disrespect towards the community Lewis attempts to represent is the most “unbelievably outrageous and patronizing piece about disability” that he had ever read in his life. He also goes on to express that this mindset affects the interactions disabled people have with the general public with a story about getting coffee one morning and a man on the streets assumed that the narrator was begging for money, simply because he was disabled and holding a cup on a street corner as he waited for the light to change.

As a documentary, “The Kids Are Alright” encapsulates the often invisible and purposeful disconnect between activists and the people they supposedly represent. Every year the narrator and the other members of “Jerry’s Orphans” attempted to protest the Telethon after the first, not only were attempts made to bar their entry, but the police were called to remove them each time, as the members tried to explain to the event attendees and supporters that their actions were detrimental to the Muscular Dystrophy community. When the narrator chose to name the documentary “The Kids Are Alright,” not only was he commenting on how the poster children deserve to exist as children without the condescending experience of being pitied for their existence, but he was also commenting on how Lewis and the Muscular Dystrophy Association chose to forget about the child once they grew up. Only the children are seen as good enough for viewers of the telethon to fight for with their pocketbooks, despite the number of adults who still need and deserve to receive accommodations without their personhood coming under attack.

This documentary highlights the problem of “compassionate” people who refuse to unplug their ears to the voices of the people have the human right to speak about their experiences. I found that the main message the narrator wanted to impress upon the viewers in “The Kids Are Alright,” is that despite the dehumanization, disabled people will never stop being fully human, and will not stop their important self-advocacy until the world understands that truth and acts in accordance. I would like to rate the documentary a full 5 out of 5, however I’m going to give it a 4, only because I wish it had been far longer and included the stories of the other poster children that made up “Jerry’s Orphans” explored in depth just as the main narrator’s experience was.

“Stop the Telethon!”: Picketing with Jerry’s Orphans in “The Kids are Alright”

Clover2 Comments

Jerry Springer’s Labor Day Telethon (in partnership with the Muscular Dystrophy Association) aired on television in America for over 48 years, collecting donations intended to increase accessibility to wheelchairs and medication—as well as fund research towards a cure, or eradication, of the disease. Always a lavish affair, the telethon kept a keen spotlight on “Jerry’s Kids”, a rotating set of poster children living with dystrophy, often brought out for PR events and photoshoots, as well as for stage performances during the annual fundraiser. 

Springer’s televised affection for the kids was intensely marketable for the charity, but as the years went by, growing numbers of “Jerry’s Kids” felt more abandoned, alienated, and pitied than supported by Springer and the MDA. That, in combination with an obvious misappropriation of funding by the parent charity, was impetus enough for former poster child Mike Ervin to establish his activist group, “Jerry’s Orphans”, in honor of those exploited by the fundraiser—and with the goal of ending Springer’s telethon for good. 

Shot in the mid-to-late 1990s, the documentary The Kids are Alright follows Ervin, and Jerry’s Orphans, as they attempt to infiltrate an MDA charity event in Chicago, bring awareness to those present of the exploitation they support, and encourage the public not to endorse such dehumanization of the disabled by the MDA. 

Much of the film is carried out interview-style, as Ervin details the history of his own activism and experiences of discrimination as a wheelchair-bound individual⁠—but a large part still is devoted to recording the late-night meetings of Jerry’s Orphans as they do telephonic outreach and event coordinating towards the big day. Arriving on site in Chicago bearing slogans such as “Piss on pity!”, the protesters dodge past guards to try to invade the event. Partially successful, the group engage in discussions with several of the event’s attendees and staff, establishing their presence and dispelling the white lies of the “charity mentality”, which promotes blanket pity as helpful. Pity, to Jerry’s Orphans, is but a detrimental pigeonhole for those on the receiving end. And with the money pity collects, the MDA’s proposed ‘cures’ for dystrophy (mainly of prenatal detection and abortion), just stands as another flagrant offense to Ervin’s growing community. Of course, in protesting the charity event, Jerry’s Orphans were quickly requested to leave the premises by its administrators.

Something major to take away from this film? The blatant irony of an event designed specifically for the livelihoods of its poster children turning its back on the many, desperate voices of those same children, grown up. Though no official statement was given by Jerry Springer (or the MDA) in the film, Springer reportedly spoke of Ervin’s activism as such: “Pity? You don’t want to be pitied because you’re a cripple in a wheelchair? Stay in your house!”. Ervin spoke of Springer’s contempt coolly, stating: “I pity those who pity me”.

Worthy of four stars, The Kids are Alright is a low-polish, yet intimate showcase of grassroots activism, moving only as quickly as events unfold from the foyers, basements, and local pizza parlors of real Americans with real grievances, working together to bring justice to their cause.

If I Had Endless Miseducation: Jerry Lewis and His Orphans

Limbo1 Comment

The short film “The Kids Are Alright” provides us a look into the lives of folks with muscular dystrophy. Specifically, we are following former kids who were used by Jerry Lewis in the infamous telethon to raise money for a cure. Now, not all members were associated with being one of “Jerry’s Orphans.” That is because this group of activists had a larger goal to spread visibility about disability. While not everyone had the honor to be ignorantly cussed out by bitter Lewis in a Vanity Fair interview, everyone had felt the pain of being disregarded as “other,” or “not enough” in their everyday lives. The telethon was formatted to rack up pity-points from the audience through shameless manipulation and lies. It is not wrong to raise money for helpful organizations, but these donors are unaware of where this money is going or how it is being used. That is where we set the scene as our activists speak out against the shady organization and Lewis’ failure to listen (as well as the rest of our nation). 

Mike Ervin, leader of the movement “Jerry’s Orphans,” guides us through every protest and what it all really means to him. Ervin’s frustration partially comes from the narratives surrounding the disabled community. One major issue, disabled folks’ voices are typically put on mute or never broadcasted in any form. Secondly, able-bodied people paint pictures of misery, pain, and suffering when speaking on behalf of the disabled community. Take for example the goal of finding a cure. Ervin himself never felt the need for a cure. He describes his life as a fulfilled one and wishes to distance himself from dialogue that enables the idea of fixing him. Ervin also organized protests alongside peers to be peaceful and educational. Sit-ins started occurring during the telethon with powerful messages like, “Piss on pity,” encouraging pride in the disabled community for a change. Education about muscular dystrophy and the Muscular Dystrophy Association was readily available through helpful pamphlets handed out by the activists. This chosen mode of protest and resources should have been enough to push people to realize we need to do better. Ervin and his peers had done most of the work through serious research, sharing their experiences, and being kind but firm in the face of ignorance. All the audience had to do was put in effort past that point, like read or listen.  

Overall, this film receives a gleaming 4 out of 5 stars. Given his major role in activism, the film chose to center around Ervin, but it would have been nice to hear more voices. I think one of the many vital lessons to learn from this film is how activism works. The telethon audience donating money to an organization they have not read up on can sum up many American activists today. It is much easier to do no research, read nothing, listen to no one and forget the next day. Ervin’s team did activism the correct way and needed others to step up to do the exact same. Nothing gets done without proper action. The pacing in this film felt a little off or rushed for the sake of time and storytelling. I wish they had a better timeline of events, or extended it.

Piss on Pity

unsureunderwaterobot2 Comments

The Kids are Alright is a short documentary breaking down the inappropriate and dehumanizing nature of Jerry Lewis’ Labor Day Telethon for folks with Muscular Dystrophy. Mike Ervin, an ex-poster child for Jerry’s fundraiser, speaks up about being exploited as a source of pity to raise money. The conflict of this film is the mistreatment of disabled folks and the saviorism that exasperates this mistreatment. The rhetor of this film, Ervin, explains his first hand experience in the field of disability activism – as a disabled person. Ervin tries to amplify the voices of folks living with MD in hopes of abolishing pitiful fundraisers like those held by Jerry Lewis and the MDA. Throughout the film Ervin uses storytelling as a means to get his point across. He addresses his own ethos, as a man living with muscular dystrophy. He uses pathos, by expressing his human reaction to being pitied. Ironically, the fundraisers he fights against use a false pathos (pity) in order to sell charity. Ervin’s logos show up through statistics of poorly used MDA funds and the wrong “cure”. What I mean is, the telethon only supplies 30% of the MDA’s annual funds and of that so much is allocated to fancy scientist conferences and advertising campaigns. Ervin questions the viewer what “a cure” for MD even looks like and how do we get there. Is it funneling money into politically charged conferences? Or is it providing disabled folks with chairs, ramps, autonomy, and resources? This film really had me questioning where “charity” funds are going and from whom they are requested. I couldn’t help but think, if this is how a white, seemingly financially stable, man is treated in the world, how are QTPOC disabled folks feeling. As mentioned in the film, disability is not a monolith, every disabled person is a human with individual complexities, and I’d love to continue to learn more from different facets moving forward.

Overall the film was 4/5 due to only focusing in on one man, rather than getting a few perspectives. Although, it almost feels backwards for me, as someone without MD, to be rating how MD is portrayed in a film. Hmph.

Unintended Orphans

turtle1 Comment

The film The Kids Aren’t Alright gives us an inside look at what it is like to suffer from a disability and get unwanted and unhelpful assistance. The film centers the story of a telethon created by Jerry Lewis and the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) that is meant to raise money and donations to help look for a cure to this condition. The film highlights that this telethon is counterproductive. The telethon is created to get people to pity and feel bad for people with Muscular Dystrophy, to guilt them into donating. Jerry Lewis and the MDA paint this unrealistic picture that people with this condition are suffering, that they are not able to live life to the fullest. That these people desire a cure for their condition, as if it is a requirement to live a full life. Jerry’s Orphans challenge this perception that Jerry Lewis and the MDA has created. They bring to light the fact that they can live happy lives full of love, happiness, and fulfillment and they are not looking for anyone’s pity.

The rhetor in this documentary is the creator, Mike Ervin, and his goal with this film is to bring to light the misconceptions and truths of living with Muscular Dystrophy. Ervin establishes his personal authority by speaking about his personal experience as someone with Muscular Dystrophy, he gets people to empathize with him by sharing personal stories of discrimination and hardships he has faced while bringing to light a corrupt system and organization. Him, and the rest of Jerry’s Orphans, go about trying to accomplish this by leading non violent protests during these telethons, handing out pamphlets, making phone calls to people in power, and simply educating people on what it is to be a person with this disability and what we can do to actually help them.

I give this film a four out of five stars. I think the film did a great job highlighting the voices of those with Muscle Dystrophy and explaining what is offensive, disrespectful, and ignorant about Jerry Lewis’s yearly telethon. It did a wonderful job depicting the actions and success but also the obstacles that Jerry’s Orphans have experienced and taken. The one thing I wish the film did was tell the viewer how to be of assistance. By watching the film I am know educated and enlightened on these people’s struggle and experience but the film does not tell me how to take action or in what way they would like us to help them with their cause.

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.