NFB TRIUMPHS OVER "GOOD AND EVIL" By Jerry Carcione On September 9th, Presidential Release 176 was recorded at the NFB's National Center. It contained an excerpt from the forthcoming ABC sitcom, "Good and Evil." In it, a blind character named George, (Mark Blankfield), wanders into a research lab waving his cane in the air and destroying table after table of test tubes and beakers. He fondles and speaks to a coat-rack, gropes a male character to determine his sex, and constantly stumbles over objects and falls down. The primary problem facing blind people on a daily basis is not blindness itself, but negative attitudes toward blindness. This portrayal of a blind person is a negative stereotype which reinforces misconceptions about blindness already believed by a misinformed public. As President Maurer said, "If there were a show that were devised specifically to hurt the blind, this would be it." On Septermber 23rd, Federationists from all over the country tied up ABC's switchboard all day with calls requesting that they not air this episode. Our comments were ignored. The premiere episode, containing the scene described above, was broadcast on September 25th. The following day, NFB's national office distributed a sponsor list from the first show, and Federationists began bombarding sponsors of the program with letters explaining the damaging nature of the caricature and asking that they not associate their products with this program. Each week, a new sponsor list was circulated, and every advertiser was made aware of the views of our nation's blind. On September 30th, it was announced that the blind would picket ABC's offices in New York, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., every Wednesday until the show was taken off the air. On October 2nd, picketing began outside ABC's New York studios at 77 West 66th Street. Federationists from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland were present, but the network media were not. I was told by one NBC official that this would be publicizing an ABC show, so they would not be there. This didn't sound like objective news reporting to me. However, along with the newspapers, CNN and WPIX did cover the first New York City picket. That night, the second episode aired, in which George makes his entrance and exit by crashing through a window, which he mistakes for the front door. He destroys several picture frames, assaults other characters with his cane, and fondles the same male character he groped in the first episode. He later sends his beloved flowers, with a card that reads: "Hope you like chocolates." But now we had ABC on the defensive. The morning after our first picket, "Good and Evil" stars Teri Garr and Margaret Whitton began appearing on talk shows to defend the show and blind George. Their remarks in defense of the program were as insulting to the blind as the program itself. Garr stated that the character "makes a very positive statement about people that are blind." She said that he is handicapped, but "functions very well." Either Teri Garr didn't watch the show, or she has a very low opinion of blind people. Saying "He breaks things a couple of times; so that's the reality of someone who's blind," demonstrates that not only did "Good and Evil" present a negative stereotype of blindness, but its stars, and probably others at ABC, believe the stereotype to be true. No wonder they consider the portrayal to be harmless. By the time the third episode aired, our letters to the sponsors had already begun to pay off. Playtex sent letters to everyone who wrote to them, indicating that the company would no longer advertise in association with "Good and Evil." One sponsor however, Unilever, had advertised on all three episodes, and had also ignored the hundreds of letters and phone calls they received from us. Our next task was to win over Unilever. On October 10th, the NFB announced a boycott against Unilever. Federationists were encouraged not to purchase Lipton tea and soup products, Mrs. Butterworth syrup, and Wisk detergent. Our press release also stated that the blind were considering shifting their Wednesday picket from ABC to Unilever's New York office at 390 Park Avenue. Late in the afternoon of the day before this was to occur, Unilever issued a press release, which they faxed to NFB's national office in Baltimore. The release stated that "its operating companies would no longer purchase advertising participation on the ABC television program 'Good and Evil'." Unilever also contacted, by phone and mail, every Federationist who had written to them concerning their support of this program. They apparently wanted to make certain that we were all aware of their change of heart. It was a jubilant group of Federationists that picketed ABC on October 16th. "Entertainment Tonight" covered both the New York and D.C. pickets, and the very next night, the NFB's protest and Unilever's decision to pull out constituted the lead story of the broadcast. We now had nation-wide coverage; a major advertiser had withdrawn its support with other advertisers to follow, and major newspapers were carrying stories about our protest every day. It was just a matter of time before the axe would fall on "Good and Evil." That time came on October 27th, the day after the fifth episode aired. ABC announced that the show was canceled, due to low ratings. The protests, they said, had nothing to do with their decision. But we know better. It was the relentless determination and hard work of thousands of Federationists that brought about the early demise of this program. By picketing the American Broadcasting Company, writing thousands of letters to sponsors, newspapers, and ABC executives, and making our views known to the general public, the nation's blind showed that we would not sit by while our abilities were demeaned and our reputation destroyed, all in the name of humor. In our final press release, President Maurer said "We want everyone to understand that for the first time, as far as I know, blind people have succeeded in putting an end to an insult like George by the collective outrage and action of the National Federation of the Blind." The NFB has triumphed over "Good and Evil."