JOAN RIVERS - LITTLE PEOPLE DECRY USE OF THE WORD "MIDGET" ON TV

LITTLE PEOPLE DECRY USE OF THE WORD "MIDGET" ON TV

The organization Little People of America is asking the FCC to ban the word "midget" from broadcast TV. The group said that it had filed a complaint with the commission following an April episode of Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice in which contestants were challenged to create a detergent ad called "Jesse James and the Midgets." Winning contestant Joan Rivers suggested that the little people be bathed in the detergent, then hung up to dry. LPA called the program "demeaning" and insisted that the term "midget" is as offensive to little people as "nigger" is to African-Americans. The group is likely to face an uphill struggle. "Midget" wrestling remains a staple of cable-TV (not to mention midget auto racing) and several online websites (rentamidget.com, tinyentertainment.com) act as agencies for little people who perform at parties and the like.

06/07/2009