An Apology to René Moreno
I learned from Elaine Liner that the subject of a recent D Magazine profile wasn’t happy with how we described him. René Moreno uses a wheelchair, and he’s playing Richard III in Kitchen Dog’s production of the play. Liner writes that we used the words “wheelchair-bound” in our headline, which Moreno apparently took offense to. The headline in the magazine, actually, is “Shattered Mirror.” But we write different headlines for the website, because that medium demands more straightforward headlines. It had read “Wheelchair-Bound René Moreno Returns to the Stage.” We’ve now dropped the words “wheelchair-bound.”
Moreno was similarly offended by this passage from our story, which we used as a boldface pullquote: “Crippled for the past 16 years, the man could complain of bad fortune as bitterly as Richard III. But if a troubling emanation haunts him, he does not show it.” Moreno told Liner: “The ‘crip’ word is like writing ‘the Negro actress.’”
I confess that I didn’t know the two terms were even close to comparable. My sincere apologies to Moreno for the offense.
40 Comments to “An Apology to René Moreno”
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Please, Tim. Even first-year journalism students know to consult their AP Stylebook, which clearly says to avoid using the word cripple because it considered offensive to people who are disabled. It also clearly says “do not use wheelchair-bound.” Do you need a refresher course in basic journalism?
Jon: Is the man not confined to a wheelchair? If so he’s wheelchair-bound. And in the other instance, he wasn’t called a “cripple;” the word “crippled” was used in another sense. Are we to strike the word from our language entirely? This is truly politically correctness at its most ridiculous.
While, to most of us, the original wording may appear innocuous, most of us are not physically disabled. Moreno’s complaints are justified (and not all that uncommon) and Tim’s apology seems sincere. So, why the caustic comments? Move on…
Glenn, AP Stylebook says not to use the phrase “confined to a wheelchair.” This has me nonplussed. And I agree with you about the “crippled” distinction. But I’m not prepared to make that argument to man I’ve offended who uses a wheelchair.
I’m guessing because nobody’s completely confined to a wheelchair. It’s a mobility device, or aid, and the person can get in and out of it.
For the benefit of discussion, the entire AP Stylebook passage reference for the use of terms such as disabled, handicapped and impaired follows:
In general do not describe an individual as disabled or handicapped unless it is clearly pertinent to a story. If such a description must be used, make it clear what the handicap is and how much the person’s physical or mental performance is affected.
Avoid such euphemisms as mentally challenged and descriptions that connote pity, such as afflicted with or suffers from multiple sclerosis. Rather, has multiple sclerosis.
Some terms include:
cripple
Often considered offensive when used to describe a person who is lame or disabled.
disabled
A general term used for a physical or cognitive condition that substantially limits one or more of the major daily life activities.
handicap
It should be avoided in describing a disability.
blind
Describes a person with complete loss of sight. For others use terms such as visually impaired or person with low vision.
deaf
Describes a person with total hearing loss. For others use partial hearing loss or partially deaf. Avoid using deaf-mute. Do not use deaf and dumb.
mute
Describes a person who physically cannot speak. Others with speaking difficulties are speech impaired.
wheelchair-user
People use wheelchairs for independent mobility. Do not use confined to a wheelchair, or wheelchair-bound. If a wheelchair is needed, say why.
Tim, you did not offend the man. You cannot make someone mad, sad, happy, offended, etc. A response to something said or done is purely on the shoulders of the recipient. He CHOSE to be offended….while the rest of us chose to see your words as a description. Nothing more, nothing less. No value added.
The AP Stylebook is more than a collection of rules. It is a universally accepted source of information for writers and editors of any English-language publication. It is the culmination of more than 55 years of contributions from journalists as well as everyday readers, including teachers, students and specialists in a host of fields. Its original concept was to provide a uniform presentation of the printed word, to make a story written anywhere understandable everywhere.
Language evolves. Words are powerful. Backer’s assertion that the man chose to be offended by Tim’s words may be true on one level, but it fails to address the fundamental issue of communication: if your audience is offended by the words you use and refuses to read what you write, your writing is in vain. Effective communication always involves some level of diplomacy.
An overreaction to an admittedly not-as-sensitive-as-it-could-have-been description. My biggest question is that if Moreno was so upset, why not pick up the phone and give Tim a call? If he truly had an issue with it, why not use it as an opportunity to educate?
as for the AP style book these are the same folks who won’t call a terrorist a terrorist.
So what terms should be used for Mr. Moreno? Is he not crippled? Or should he be described as “the gentleman who has lost the ability to walk” Wheelchair-user is not an exact term in my mind as it can be used for someone who is temporarily using one as well as for someone who must permanently use it.
this worry over potentially offending folks gets downright crazy at times.
Visually impaired is also an imprecise term. I wear glasses therefore I am visually impaired. why not use the term blind. that tells me that the individual can not see
I thought journalists were interested in producing accurate descriptions not obfuscations
Sorry, but equating the words “cripple” and “Negro” is asinine. This has become the Umbrage Decade. People should really learn to enjoy life rather than looking for reasons to be pissed off.
I readily invite the hyper-sensitive to refuse to read what I write. Their minds typically aren’t subject to change and it’s difficult to engage them in reasonable conversation.
Jon: I hear and understand what you’re saying. However, I think American society has to quit being so sensitive and begin hearing and understanding the concepts and ideas being presented by the speaker/writer. We need to quit listening to the individual words and hear the message. Then we can have meaningful, effective dialogue.
If the early Americans had today’s societal phobias, then the Founding Fathers could not have spoken harshly against our English oppressors. The audience would have been in an uproar that the English were addressed with the slurs “British” or “Tory”. They would have missed the messages of freedom and “taxation without representation”.
I am not advocating that it is acceptable to be cruel or degrading in your speech or writing. I am saying American society needs to quit adding value to words where none existed.
Would the story have been done if Moreno’s physical condition had not been a major factor? It sounds like Mr. Moreno is still trying to emotionally deal with his physical condition. I certainly can’t blame him. It’s a tragedy. But when he puts himself on a stage for all the world to see his situation, then like any actor he must be prepared for all types of comments and coverage.
From what I read, it wasn’t the story he took issue with as a whole, just some of the words used - words already addressed by the stylebook.
If you look at Elaine Liner’s post, it was the presence of wheelchair-bound in the headline, as well as the word crippled, that got to him. I don’t know Mr. Moreno, so I’m not going to try to speak for him, but I’d say that if you’re going to take on the Bard, you’d like people to come for that, and the wheelchair be about as remarkable as a left arm or brown hair.
I think Tim is absolutely to be commended here precisely because he is not arguing whether or not this is or isn’t a case of political correctness; he is taking the path of apology based on the way Mr. Moreno responded. Tim’s not telling Rene Moreno to ‘get a grip’. He is saying ‘oh’ and then ‘okay’. Good enough for me.
I’m sure many of us have a lot to learn …daily…as to what terms strike others as pejorative or minimalizing. What offends someone wearing very different shoes than ours. We try to learn to walk in ‘em…or in this case not… and learn.
I agree with you, Rawlins, that Tim did the right thing to take the path of apology based on the way Mr. Moreno responded. But that’s only because what he did is indefensible, from a journalist’s perspective. This issue isn’t about political correctness but correctness, based on a publication’s use of a universally approved stylebook. If D Magazine has decided to depart from AP style when it comes to referring to people with certain disabilities or who must use wheelchairs, it may certainly do so. But it owes its readers an explanation.
I stand by my point that an experienced journalist would have consulted the stylebook before using those terms. That Tim did so, and that it went through copy editing and proofreading to publication without being addressed, reflects poorly on the publication.
Postscript point, I am reminded of 15 years ago when I was making an executive visit to San Francisco to speak and, despite having lived in SF many years prior in Chinatwon no less, I refered to a group of people as ‘oriental’ when of course the currently accepted terminology had become ‘Asian’. I was nonplussed by the derisive reactions. My ear is now tuned to wince when I hear others make today the same mistake. Living and learning may be a fatiguing process but it keeps our minds…and hearts…young.
Glenn: Mr. Moreno is not “confined” or “bound” to his wheelchair. He uses the wheelchair when needed. I can assure you he performs many activities without his wheelchair (sleeping, reading in bed, sitting on the couch, etc.)
And although I agree that political correctness in language is a problem in our society, you are wrong to use that description here. Anyone who thinks that describing someone as “crippled” is not offensive needs to speak to a person who uses a wheelchair. Perhaps you could call Mr. Moreno and tell him you think “crippled” is a perfectly legitimate way to refer to him. I think he might be able to change your mind.
Tim: You were correct to apologize to Mr. Moreno. We all make mistakes. Don’t let Glenn convince you otherwise.
jon, please don’t letting these editors at D off the hook…i know i won’t
they used wheelchair-bound and crippled in print and online and now glenn hunter tries to hide behind the facade of PC-speech run amok. at least, rogers seems contrite for the error, which it is. it’s an error and shoddy journalism. period.
JN 101, folks, guess some of yous failed that class, huh?
and what’s that saying so oft over used here on your beloved FB lately? oh, that’s right:
Stay Classy, Front Burner
Geesh, cut T-Rog some slack, will ya? He’s been offensive for years, but now he’s finally getting better. Baby steps, man, baby steps.
Now, let me get this straight: Crippled doesn’t mean crippled. It’s OK to turn language on its head if someone wants you to. And it’s all in the name of “keeping our hearts young.” Wow. That’s some powerful, powerful Kool-Aid.
Tim
Don’t forget you are Tim Rogers at D Magazine. You are allowed to use whatever verbiage you deem proper. Worrying about the concerns of minorities or the feelings they may have is so far beneath you and Wick.
With that in mind, how does an office so full of white people like yours celebrate MLK day?
Again, another example how D Magazine is always right even when they are wrong.’
Cue the D cheerleaders.
Glenn, I don’t do Kool Aid. But I do think there is something relatively cool about responding to change with agility.
Glenn: Negro stills means negro. Crippled still means crippled. It’s just that most people don’t use those words to describe other people because of the offense it causes. Language changes. I’m not certain about “keeping our hearts young”, but I have not tasted any Kool-Aid.
As a person who uses a wheelchair, I also reacted negatively to Glenn’s use of crippled and wheelchair-bound in the article. I even mentioned to my wife that it sounded so 1940s. Equating it to Negro might be a little bit extreme, but most people I know who use wheelchairs don’t consider themselves crippled.
To me, a cripple is someone who cannot function reasonably normally in society. Use it, if you must, to judge the person you are talking about as abnormal. But aren’t you supposed to avoid judgment in journalism?
I will also second the comments above that almost no one is wheelchair bound. There is no rope, handcuff, or other device holding me to this chair, not even a seat belt (at my own peril). I sleep in a bed, sit in a leather seat when I drive, and attach myself to a person who knows what he’s doing when I skydive.
A wheelchair is a tool that gets a person from one place to another. Nothing more, nothing less. Ideally, Mr. Moreno will be judged by who he is and how well he acts, regardless of the tools he uses to propel himself to the stage.
Further, I would like to suggest that D Magazine make a donation to the local hospital that handled many of my childhood surgeries, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.
You will notice that they removed “Crippled” from their name quite a long time ago.
All this stuff about the word crippled doesn’t feel like getting arrested by the politically-correct police, but in the ballpark of getting a parking ticket or speeding.
maybe DMag should have followed what the press did during the FDR presidency, never mention the President’s handicap er-uh disability, er-uh, lack of mobility, er-uh you know what I mean
as for the hairsplitting of the term wheelchair bound well I’m intelligent enough to know that individual’s who use a wheelchair do not spend 365/24/7 of their time in it. that yes they do have to get up and out on occasion to do certain functions. D’oh!
this all goes to a problem our society currently has of not wanting to offend any one. Every day I am offended by something I read, hear or see, but I don’t go whining and whinging about it.
I guess I fail to see what harm there would have been in changing the sentence “Crippled for the past 16 years, the man could complain of bad fortune as bitterly as Richard,” to “Unable to walk for the past 16 years, the man could complain of bad fortune as bitterly as Richard.” That’s not an example of political correctness run amok. It doesn’t point to all that’s wrong with American society. It’s not a way of being overly sensitive to Mr. Moreno. It’s simply a way of writing that neither sensationalizes nor sanitizes the reality of Mr. Moreno’s disability.
Why is everyone debating this?
Rene voiced his displeasure which was then relayed to Tim.
Tim issued a public apology and took the necessary steps to correct said perceived offense.
The debate is?
Give Rene credit for alerting someone to the perceived offense.
Give Tim credit for owning up to the situation, being man enough to issue a public apology, and making the necessary change.
Lord…
Things I Learned Today by Jay
1) That there is a really talented actor/director named Rene Moreno in our town that I need to go see in a play.
2) That Tim brought to light an issue most of us wouldn’t have known about by apologizing in a public forum.
3) That Jon paid $25 for an online subscription to the AP Stylebook.
4) That I am not a balding man, but a man that is unable to grow hair.
5) Websters prefers holier-than-thou.
6) Webster’s
And that there are people who sit and people who stand. Some can do both but some can’t.
Mr. Moreno is a sitter.
There I just solved the word problem.
Wow.
I could have said the same thing Tim did and no one would have noticed. I guess we would have to say fame can be considered a handicap. I wonder if that makes Tim a cripple.
Drew: I commented because I thought Glenn Hunter’s first post was wrong in both idea and tone. Same for his second post. Tim’s response to Glenn’s first post came close to making his apology seem less than what his original comment implied. I hoped a thoughtful reply to Mr. Hunter might have changed his mind.
My previous comment should have read ’still means’ instead of “stills means.”
“I wonder if that makes Tim a cripple”
mentally not physically
Jon said: “Please, Tim. Even first-year journalism students know to consult their AP Stylebook, which clearly says to avoid using the word cripple because it considered offensive to people who are disabled. It also clearly says “do not use wheelchair-bound.” Do you need a refresher course in basic journalism?”
I’m not so sure a refresher course would do the D crew much good. Jon, let me suggest an experiment to illustrate my point. Send a phony anonymous email to one of the FB’ers (Tim, Zac, Nancy, etc.) and tell them that a local restaurant has suddenly closed or that its owner has committed suicide. I am certain that the recipient will post your “tip” on this blog as a “breaking news” item within a matter of minutes without bothering to confirm the information or doing any of the follow-up that journalists normally do. Expect the post to be updated several hours later with an “oops, sorry” message.
The reason people in society are prejudiced is because of stupid s*#@ like this. If you’re going to make a huge deal out of the word CRIPPLED, in regard to your RACE (cough-Rene-cough), then yeah, the journalist will “apologize.” Rene, we are in the year 2008, not 1908. Quit making such a big deal over such a petty thing. His word choice was fine. Have you never thought of yourself as wheelchair-bound? Puh-LEASE!
As a person who has had the pleasure of meeting Rene, enjoying his talent through the years, and finally getting to see him in a play.
I feel Rene can take offense to what offends him.
Much like how i have taken power away from the word ***(this is unless it is from someone who is standing over me with a bat.)
JMO
PJW
F
A
G
got censored and i am gay, colour me surprised.
PJW