Law & Disorder / NBC spreads Parkinsons Lie

[Limelight]

I'm wondering if anyone else caught this... I was watching Law and Order (a show I generally like) and was stunned when they basically propogated the same lie Rush Limbaugh told about Micheal J. Fox.

The episode was basically about a scientific researcher who did embryonic stem cell research as he himself had Parkinson's Disease. The crime happened when a Ann Coulter-esque right wing pundit was speaking at the university where the guy worked and she was calling stem cell researchers muderers (akin to "abortionists") and the like and he took a shot at her and hit someone else, killing them.

Now the episode even invoked the name of Micheal J. Fox. No biggy, but here's the thing. During the trial the parkinson strickened researcher "Went off his meds" to illustrate his disease to the jury with is uncontrolable spasms and movements. Basically the writers of the show saying that it's the non use of parkinson's medication that caused the shaking. But didn't we learn with the Rush Douchebag incident that the shaking of Parkinson's sufferers is the result of TAKING the medication?

And in the end Jack McCoy (the prosecuter) caught the guy who said he only took the gun to scare the female pundit, but his twitching caused the gun to go off. But the thing is he'd been working and was "On his medication that day" so "there would have been no involuntary twitching" which meant he meant to shoot at her. As I understand it taking the medication would have done just the opposite.

Now if they had gone the route I expected saying carrying a gun when you know you're going to be twitching and the like was irresponsible and showed wreckless disregard, I would have been fine with that. But what they did instead really this is no different than Limbaugh saying Fox was only twitching cuz he went off his meds so he could seem more sympathetic (a Coulter argument that the female pundit int he episode echoed on the stand claiming "the left" trots out unassailable speakers to quash critics).

I know it's simply a work of fiction and in the past I stood up in defense of of 24 that has come under fire on this site, but I find this to be different. I really think someone should say something about this cuz it frankly bothered me as it was as ugly a distortion of what people who suffer with this disease have to go through as much as what Rush had to say. I, as an aspiring director, understand dramatic liscense, but that goes way beyond fudging details to being an out and out lie.

I just wanted to put this out there cuz I think someone needed to point it out.

[Kagemusha]

1. I imagine it's just sloppy believing of what someone had heard

I doubt they'd do this ON PURPOSE because there's frankly no point to it but, it is, clearly, a factual error about the disease. It's not something they should have let slip onto the air since the prejudices of the public are what constitutes the core of the drama, not the actual disease.

But let me say this - I am a fairly astute non-doctor and I'd never heard of that aspect of taking the meds either. For a long time this was not a very public illness at all. While unfortunate, it's not what I would call general knowledge - just knowledge the little people should've looked into, since it was kinda important.

[Bucky]

2. The sloppiness is in believing anything Limbaugh says in an argument

Yes, it makes for a cool plot twist in a detective story. And you have to give props to the show for showing the murderer to the handicapped guy--truly a step forward for the ADA crowd. But the right research would have shown them that the plot twist should have been the killer saying he twitched because he was off his meds when in truth he was on them.

[Kagemusha]

3. Yes, and I keep hearing, shows like this have people to check on stuff.

And they obviously didn't earn their pay in this case.

[OregonBlue]

4. Remeber Publican Ex-Senator Fred Thompson is on this show. He frequently adds Repuke comments

on cases (makes sure the repuke view is heard) when the view that has been presented is quite liberal. Always has to see that the other side gets their licks in.

[Dracos]

6. I saw the show and you called it a scene was done so that

could take place

[newyawker99]

8. Hi Dracos!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[OregonBlue]

10. I didn't see it but when I do watch, Thompson always has to get in the "other side"

of the argument at some point in the program. Gotta be "fair and balanced".

[Vidar]

5. Pretty atrocious episode.

[Dracos]

7. I watched the program to me the point was

that if you had Parkinson's Disease you must give up your second amendment rights

[Democrat 4 Ever]

9. I saw the episode, too. And I didn't like the defense of not taking

your meds as a way to illustrate why a person would find a reason to shoot someone. Thought they did a disservice to Michael J. Fox and all people who have Parkinson's.

But, and here is a big BUT, they eviscerated the character who played the reichwing hate bitch. They pointed out every single flaw in the Coulter wannabes arguments, the hateful way she (they) skew any conversation about the issue and then at the end her little self-satisfied, smug little smile when they found the guy guilty. The Coulter brigade of the rethugs came off pretty bad in the show.

Even Fred Thompson came off as disliking her and her minions messages. Think he was trying to distant himself and his party from Coulter types. It will take a lot more than an episode on a TV show to get away from the awful people the repugs have been in bed with these last 20 years. They need to stand up and call the hatemongers on their BS. The Lush Limpballs, the InSannitys, the Mann Coulters, the Malkins, O'Liellys, Dobsons, Falwells every damn one of them need to be publicly disavowed by the repugs to even begin to get the party back on the right path. Until then those awful people continue to speak for the Repugs and we all know what you get from that party. Will they do it, of course not - hate has three pages on their party platform.

Now, would someone explain to me what Jack McCoy meant at the end of the show when the Asst. DA asked his position on stem cell research. Either I didn't catch the whole reply or I need it decoded - didn't make sense to me.

And I think it is silly to think the message from the show was that Parkinson patients give up their Second Amendment rights. You apparently only caught five minutes of the show - and then misconstrued that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Yes I saw it and I disliked the entire show

That coulter chick was obnoxious and no one shut her up. And yes, I caught that bullshit about Parkinson's too.

That show just has not been the same since Fred Thompson joined the cast.