Editor,
I was just shown a copy of Margot Leong's article "A stuttering fool or a suave communicator?" in the May 7 edition of the Daily Journal. As a PWS (person who stutters), I was appalled by such a headline because it perpetrates the false myth that people who stutter are not intelligent.
What kind of a message are you sending out? Do you want to create an atmosphere where it is acceptable that school children be cruelly ridiculed because of their stuttering? Or make them feel that they are not intelligent because they speak differently? Children who stutter constantly are targets of abuse at school, not to mention not being able to fully participate in classroom discussions because of their speech.
I would highly recommend that you do a follow-up article on stuttering that will aid the self-esteem of children who stutter. I always recommend to parents of children who stutter that they direct their children to the list of "Famous People Who Stutter" of the Web site of The Stuttering Foundation of America (www.stutteringhelp.org). This list consists of people who have distinguished themselves in the fields of acting, sports, politics, literature and science. A few of the many names on the list are Bruce Willis, Bill Walton, Carly Simon, Winston Churchill, Peggy Lipton, Tom Sizemore, Sen. Joe Biden and Marilyn Monroe. This list conveys to children that they can be successful in life despite a speech problem, and also despite insensitive attitudes like the one displayed in your May 7 article.
Unfortunately, Hollywood still portrays people who stutter in a negative light that fuels ridicule. I am still shaking my head that a newspaper like the Daily Journal would run a headline like that. Shame on you!
John W. Murdoch
Warwick, R.I.
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