Mocking Those with Mental and Physical Challenges is Poor Leadership

As an advocate since high school or preventing and eliminating bullying, I particularly denounce verbal and physical mocking of individuals that endure developmental disabilities and genetic mutations that make life more difficult.

One of a mass of potential candidates for POTUS 2016 was filmed in the recent past as he denigrated a reporter who had a challenging joint-and-muscle condition, but still holds a responsible and visible full-time job instead of accepting assistance in the form of SSI, SSDI, or similar.

Some observers claim that it was a "little thing" - the term used by William Shatner after filming Leonard Nimoy without permission during a convention, after Leonard clearly told him he was not interested in another film project (Leonard Nimoy, My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man. William Shatner; 2016).

After the event, Nimoy never communicated directly with Bill again during the five remaining years of the favorite Star Trek® Vulcan's life.

None of these things is a small matter.

The potential presidential contender in question will likely not repent and follow Jerry Lewis's inspiration of working year-round for 59 years to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

The reasons for Jerry's support were never stated, but I had a glimpse of at least one reason when I was 10 years old.

On a school picnic at a state forest, a middle school boy displayed the flapping short arms, running, and screeching that Lewis's short-lived comedic character showed in his early career.

I quietly asked an adult chaperone at the picnic why Jerry Lewis had used those behaviors. Neither the man I addressed nor several other adults with us - including teachers - would speak to us when we asked what caused the behaviors in the boy. This was poor teaching, poor parenting, and poor leadership among adults.

Jerry Lewis began working with MDA in the 1950s, collecting enough proceeds to effect cures for certain types of neuromuscular diseases. This is better leadership.

When MDA eliminated Jerry, light shone on the incredibly inordinate yearly salaries of the cadre of several MDA vice presidents.

MDA leadership became immediately unable to collect a fraction of the donations pledged, in comparison with Lewis's yearly haul.

Very soon, the short yearly MDA event pledge monies became hidden within other financial document line items and the public became unable to learn either the total yearly pledge amounts or annual percentages of collections.

What other corporations may have hidden aspects of their businesses?

Bad behavior! This is all bad behavior by MDA Leadership, who are severely criticized on Glassdoor.com by employees and some of their own executives, bad behavior by adults who shunned the opportunity to teach children at a picnic about understanding developmental disabilities from a compassionate viewpoint, and bad behavior from a potential President of the United States of America.

Jerry Lewis is a hero compared to all of them, to the extent that he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Mocked and denigrated himself for "playing sick" until his 30s, Jerry Lewis was finally diagnosed with Type I Diabetes and no mocker apologized to him.

Lewis could have died any one of several times, having no insulin in his body, unable to produce it, and not knowing he was diabetic.

As of 2016, he has outlived all of the mockers as well as the entire Rat Pack that included Dean Martin (Dean and Me, A Love Story. Jerry Lewis; 2005). At age 90, he continues to do good works as he is able.

All possible bad behaviors cannot be eliminated or punished by legislating and enforcing new laws. Individuals in communities can take the responsibility to address these behaviors at the local level in daily life, to teach children which behaviors are unacceptable, and to vote for candidates in all elections who do not exude bad behaviors.

How do you feel, yourself, about being mocked, spit on, called horrible names, or discriminated against for your gender, race, ethnicity, income (any level), religious belief or non-belief, political affiliation or none, your age, your intelligence (high or low), your weight, or some other temporary or long-term condition?