Last week, I came across this yet another website, started by one of those self-proclaimed “ex-stammerer”, who have come up with a program to get rid of stutter (it’s amazing how the species belonging to this community is growing at an alarming rate!). Everything usual about this site, but one thing worth a mention is the way they have tried to woo the PWS.
This site features a scene from the 1992 Hollywood comedy flick “My cousin Vinny” on its homepage. This movie deals with two young lads in New York, who are accused in a murder case, which they didn’t commit, and the comic attempts of their cousin Vincent (Vinny), a newbie lawyer, to defend them. This lawyer is not only a novice, to add to the woes, he also stammers… very badly, and this where the comedy lies. The lawyer’s funny attempts of stuttering through meek arguments and the funny gestures (secondary symptoms) he tries to come out of his stutter, creates humour for this plot! A hilarious scene from this movie is embedded above.
Does it hurt? Of course, as a PWS, when I saw such scenes which ‘used’ stammering to create humour did hurt. It was even more embarrassing if I see such scenes with other people around me. When people laugh at such scenes, it creates a pile of thoughts like, do these people also laugh behind my back when I stutter? When Mahesh Manjrekar played a PWS in “Kaante”, it hurt. When Johny Lever played Chotta Chattri, a don who stutters in “Awaara Pagal Deewana”, it again hurt. If I had seen this scene from “My Cousin Vinny” a year ago, probably it would have hurt too. But this time, I was able to take the humour in this scene in its right spirit. Yes- stammering can sometimes produce quality humour… Movies may utilize stammering to create humour, but as long as it is within the permissible limits, it is okay. And what are the permissible limits? In my opinion if the scenes are so shot not as to create a mockery of the Stutter or the Stutterer, but for pure humour only, then it is within permissible limit.
For example in this scene, the gestures and ordinary arguments is what that creates humour. The stammer-related humour is in fact funny! It’s shot in the right spirit. Stammering is sometimes funny. So is sometimes the way people walk, or the way people behave! The stuttering lawyer ends up being a laughing-stock because of his stupid arguments, in general. In between, he does give an impression of making a promising defence… But ends up to be a failure again… It’s the abilities of the lawyer that makes look stupid… not his stammer! It would be great if the readers judge this scene from this movie and rate it in terms of their own yardstick. Does it hurt? Or it doesn’t?
PS: As for the ex-stammerer’s website, bad luck to him! He didn’t impress me!
3 comments:
Yes, I am afraid this guy is going to ask us to join his "Church" sooner or later- as the only way to salvation from stammering!
The very fact that he asks you not to accept your stammer (yes, he goes about it in a round about way)- gives me the signal: He is frightened of stammering.
I checked the website. It is a scam through and through. It seems to be a new incarnation of Arjun Lal, that Canadian scamster, who promised cure under nine minutes for just 39$ .. and took many desperate people for a ride..
Watch out and spread the word..
honestly speaking, i tried hard not to laugh when PWS comes to speak initially, but eventually i did laugh. It was his arguments that were funny, not his stammer.
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