Denis Leary- too funny!!!

Omigod did you hear about how funny Denis Leary is? I know he's been like, really boring and all for the past few years, playing serious drama roles and providing a voice for one of my own little moron's favourite kiddie films. So it's just marvellous to see him try to recapture his rebellious youth when he did brave and edgy shows like No cure for cancer in which he went on stage and drank beer, smoked and bawled out a litany of respectable targets in a most amusing and radical manner.

I suppose it's a mid life crisis thing, and he wants people to remember him at his Bill Hicks impersonating best, so he's written a book and it sounds like the most amazing, riotous, revolutionary tome. It's called "Why we suck" and again he gives 'em hell, lancing the inflated egos of those who put themselves in the spotlight, people like Hilary Clinton, Dr Phil and, er, those pesky disabled children.

This great comedic talent wrote:

There is a huge boom in autism right now because inattentive mothers and competitive dads want an explanation for why their dumb-ass kids can't compete academically, so they throw money into the happy laps of shrinks . . . to get back diagnoses that help explain away the deficiencies of their junior morons. I don't give a fuck what these crackerjack whack jobs tell you - yer kid is NOT autistic. He's just stupid. Or lazy. Or both.

Diego the sabre tooth tiger from Ice Age with a self-portrait of Duncan.

Try not to die laughing just now.

When this short exert was publicised (by whom?) many people complained, among them parents with autistic children. Sadly many of the complaints tended to be like this: "How can you laugh at autism, it's devastating and a tragedy?! Just come live in my house for a day and see how it's nothing to joke at!!"

Bleuch. The problem isn't laughing at autism, it's just how pathetic and unfunny Leary has been.

Then Leary himself went and got all offended at people using their right to express their distaste at his words, by saying that the protesters hadn't even read the book and the quote was taken out of context:

...I not only support the current rational approaches to the diagnoses and treatment of real autism but have witnessed it firsthand while watching very dear old friends raise a functioning autistic child.

The point of the chapter is not that autism doesn't exist - it obviously does - and I have nothing but admiration and respect for parents dealing with the issue, including the ones I know.

The bulk of the chapter deals with grown men who are either self-diagnosing themselves with low-level offshoots of the disease or wishing they could as a way to explain their failed careers and troublesome progeny.

Of course, this entire misunderstanding can be easily avoided simply by doing one thing-reading the book.

Aw get over yourself Leary. I don't care if you acknowledge now that autism exists, even if you do qualify the statement with talk of "real" autism, as opposed to what; leprechaun autism? It's great to know you're onto the huge numbers of autism malingerers out there too. We parents of REAL autism kids are so relieved.

I wonder how the context of the nasty quote could make it any less offensive. Perhaps the preceding excerpt was, "Some people use autism as a platform to spout about all sorts of nonsense. They push their spectacularly idiotic ideas about "greening vaccines" or claim massive conspiracies exist to cover up the poisoning of children. Many claim they know what causes the condition, be it wifi, dog shampoo or milk. Others jump on the bandwagon to sell dubious and even dangerous therapies to deluded parents, or run schools that administer electric shocks to children for minor transgressions. Then there are those, who clearly haven't a decent thought in their shrivelled up brains, and who make low jibes about autistic children and their parents, saying horrible, hurtful, inaccurate and plain unfunny things like..."

I don't know how else it could be taken in context and not be all wrong.

Leary's book has lead to a few amusing moments though, not least when Jenny McCarthy rushed out to capitalise on a bit of self-publicity and with no insight into the destruction she was effecting on irony metres the world over, called Leary "obviously stupid."

It won't be a surprise to anyone to hear that I won't be reading his silly book.