                NFB TRIUMPHS OVER "GOOD AND EVIL"
                        By Jerry Carcione

     On September 9th, Presidential Release 176 was recorded at 
the NFB's National Center.  It contained an excerpt from the 
forthcoming ABC sitcom, "Good and Evil."  In it, a blind 
character named George, (Mark Blankfield), wanders into a 
research lab waving his cane in the air and destroying table 
after table of test tubes and beakers.  He fondles and speaks to 
a coat-rack, gropes a male character to determine his sex, and 
constantly stumbles over objects and falls down.  The primary 
problem facing blind people on a daily basis is not blindness 
itself, but negative attitudes toward blindness.  This portrayal 
of a blind person is a negative stereotype which reinforces 
misconceptions about blindness already believed by a misinformed 
public.  As President Maurer said, "If there were a show that 
were devised specifically to hurt the blind, this would be it."  
     On Septermber 23rd, Federationists from all over the country 
tied up ABC's switchboard all day with calls requesting that they 
not air this episode.  Our comments were ignored.  The premiere 
episode, containing the scene described above, was broadcast on 
September 25th.  The following day, NFB's national office 
distributed a sponsor list from the first show, and 
Federationists began bombarding sponsors of the program with 
letters explaining the damaging nature of the caricature and 
asking that they not associate their products with this program.  
Each week, a new sponsor list was circulated, and every 
advertiser was made aware of the views of our nation's blind.  
     On September 30th, it was announced that the blind would 
picket ABC's offices in New York, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, 
and Washington, D.C., every Wednesday until the show was taken 
off the air.  On October 2nd, picketing began outside ABC's New 
York studios at 77 West 66th Street.  Federationists from New 
York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland were 
present, but the network media were not.  I was told by one NBC 
official that this would be publicizing an ABC show, so they 
would not be there.  This didn't sound like objective news 
reporting to me.  However, along with the newspapers, CNN and 
WPIX did cover the first New York City picket.  
     That night, the second episode aired, in which George makes 
his entrance and exit by crashing through a window, which he 
mistakes for the front door.  He destroys several picture frames, 
assaults other characters with his cane, and fondles the same 
male character he groped in the first episode.  He later sends 
his beloved flowers, with a card that reads:  "Hope you like 
chocolates."  But now we had ABC on the defensive.  The morning 
after our first picket, "Good and Evil" stars Teri Garr and 
Margaret Whitton began appearing on talk shows to defend the show 
and blind George.  Their remarks in defense of the program were 
as insulting to the blind as the program itself.  Garr stated 
that the character "makes a very positive statement about people 
that are blind."  She said that he is handicapped, but "functions 
very well."  Either Teri Garr didn't watch the show, or she has a 
very low opinion of blind people.  Saying "He breaks things a 
couple of times; so that's the reality of someone who's blind," 
demonstrates that not only did "Good and Evil" present a negative 
stereotype of blindness, but its stars, and probably others at 
ABC, believe the stereotype to be true.  No wonder they consider 
the portrayal to be harmless.  
     By the time the third episode aired, our letters to the 
sponsors had already begun to pay off.  Playtex sent letters to 
everyone who wrote to them, indicating that the company would no 
longer advertise in association with "Good and Evil."  One 
sponsor however, Unilever, had advertised on all three episodes, 
and had also ignored the hundreds of letters and phone calls they 
received from us.  Our next task was to win over Unilever.  On 
October 10th,  the NFB announced a boycott against Unilever.  
Federationists were encouraged not to purchase Lipton tea and 
soup products, Mrs. Butterworth syrup, and Wisk detergent.  Our 
press release also stated that the blind were considering 
shifting their Wednesday picket from ABC to Unilever's New York 
office at 390 Park Avenue.  Late in the afternoon of the day 
before this was to occur, Unilever issued a press release, which 
they faxed to NFB's national office in Baltimore.  The release 
stated that "its operating companies would no longer purchase 
advertising participation on the ABC television program 'Good and 
Evil'."  Unilever also contacted, by phone and mail, every 
Federationist who had written to them concerning their support of 
this program.  They apparently wanted to make certain that  we 
were all aware of their change of heart.  
     It was a jubilant group of Federationists that picketed ABC 
on October 16th.  "Entertainment Tonight" covered both the New 
York and D.C. pickets, and the very next night, the NFB's protest 
and Unilever's decision to pull out constituted the lead story of 
the broadcast.  We now had nation-wide coverage; a major 
advertiser had withdrawn its support with other advertisers to 
follow, and major newspapers were carrying stories about our 
protest every day.   It was just a matter of time before the  axe 
would  fall on "Good and Evil."  That time came on October  27th, 
the  day after the fifth episode aired.   ABC announced that  the 
show was canceled, due to low ratings.  The protests, they said, 
had nothing to do with their decision.  But we know better.  
     It  was  the  relentless  determination  and  hard  work  of 
thousands  of Federationists that brought about the early  demise 
of this program.  By picketing the American Broadcasting Company, 
writing  thousands of letters to sponsors,  newspapers,  and  ABC 
executives, and making our views known to the general public, the 
nation's  blind  showed  that  we  would not  sit  by  while  our 
abilities were demeaned and our reputation destroyed,  all in the 
name of humor.  In our final press release, President Maurer said 
"We want everyone to understand that for the first time,  as  far 
as  I know,  blind people have succeeded in putting an end to  an 
insult  like  George by the collective outrage and action of  the 
National  Federation of the Blind."  The NFB has  triumphed  over 
"Good and Evil."    
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