Some see little humor in 'SNL' Paterson portrayal

Gov. David Paterson is known for having a sense of humor about himself, but he and some others say a ?Saturday Night Live? skit crossed the line this weekend. Paterson's office released a statement saying

News 12 Staff

Dec 16, 2008, 1:24 AM

Updated 5,789 days ago

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Gov. David Paterson is known for having a sense of humor about himself, but he and some others say a ?Saturday Night Live? skit crossed the line this weekend.
Paterson's office released a statement saying the Weekend Update sketch, in which Fred Armisen impersonated the legally blind governor, ridiculed people with physical disabilities. In the segment, Armisen held a chart upside down and stood in front of the anchor?s camera shots. According to the governor, the sketch implied that disabled people are incapable of having jobs with serious responsibilities.
Critics have singled out lines like, ?C'mon, I'm a blind man, who loves cocaine, who was suddenly appointed governor of New York. My life is actually a plot from a Richard Pryor movie.?
Lorraine LoCurto, of Helen Keller Services for the Blind, says the skit caused administrators there some concern.
?We have some great success in people finding jobs and we would hate to see this skit influencing that?and employers who may think maybe visually impaired people cannot work,? LoCurto says. ?Because that's not true at all.?
Some Long Island residents agreed the sketch went a little too far.