There are some things you just don’t say. Like, “that’s retarded.” Don’t say it. Really, just don’t. Oh, unless it’s satire. Then it’s cool … yeah, satire is fair game. At least according to Sarah Palin.

It started with Rahm Emanuel, who, in a private meeting, referred to a group of liberal democrats who wanted to campaign against blue dog democrats as “fucking retarded.” Not exactly something you would expect from a Presidential Chief of Staff, though it may be something you expect from Rahm Emanuel. Sarah Palin was quick to pounce on this indiscretion, calling for his resignation. A bit extreme of a demand in my opinion, but hey, Palin’s a bit extreme of a person. Aside from her suggestion of punishment, I also agreed with her: it was entirely inappropriate, even in a private setting. But Rahm did his best to make amends, meeting with Tim Shriver, the CEO of the Special Olympics, as well as other disability advocates, and making his apologies clear to the public.

Just when we thought we could move on, though, Rush Limbaugh decided to open the Pandora’s box of idiocy that is his mouth, and express his incredulity at the flak Emanuel was receiving for his remark: “Our politically correct society is acting like some giant insult has taken place, by calling people who are retards, retards! I mean these people, these liberal activists, are kooks! They are loony tunes! … So now there’s going to be a meeting, there’s going to be a retard summit…” Never one to mince words, that Limbaugh. In any case, you would expect, given Palin’s unwavering commitment to special needs interests, that she would denounce Limbaugh as well. Oh wait, no you wouldn’t.

Instead, when questioned about Limbaugh’s tirade by Chris Wallace on Fox News, in an answer that could only be described as, well, Palinesque, she defended his rather overt and repeated use of the word as “satire.” This alone was a troubling response, but wait, it gets better.

Ten days after Limbaugh’s rant, Fox premiered the latest episode of Family Guy, “Extra Large Medium,” in which Chris dates a girl with Down syndrome. When Chris asks her what her parents do for a living, she responds that her dad is an accountant, and her mom is the “former governor of Alaska.” Palin, clearly implicated in the scene, shot back, calling the producers “cruel” and “cold-hearted,” and calling the gag “another kick in the gut.” Which makes perfect sense, when you consider that Rush Limbaugh, who’s known for his comedy, was clearly being satirical, while the cartoon show with the talking dog and baby wasn’t.

Oh yea, then came this bombshell: Ellen, the girl with Down syndrome in Family Guy, was voiced by actress Andrea Fay Friedman, who actually has Down syndrome. Surely she would be sympathetic to the so-called special needs advocate: “I guess former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor… My parents raised me to have a sense of humor and to live a normal life. My mother did not carry me around under her arm like a loaf of French bread the way former Governor Palin carries her son Trig around looking for sympathy and votes.”

Guess not.

I don’t want to go as far as to question Palin’s motives, but I will say this: the way in which she has been criticizing those who transgress the bounds of appropriate rhetoric is wrong, and perhaps even damaging to the very movement she is trying to support. Selectively criticizing Emanuel instead of Limbaugh politicized an issue that should have been apolitical — I don’t care what party you’re from, when you’re in the public sphere, you don’t go around saying things are retarded.

The whole Family Guy debacle points out another flaw in her crusade against humor at the expense of those with developmental disabilities. In the episode, Ellen is not at all what you would expect from a stereotypical depiction of someone with Down syndrome. She wasn’t dopey or smiley; in fact, she was quite the opposite: assertive and domineering to the point that Chris walks out on her.

Let me be clear about one thing, lest someone get the wrong impression: I didn’t think the Family Guy Palin reference itself was funny or necessary. In addition, its implication of Palin’s developmentally disabled toddler was unfair, to say the least.

However, the full picture is more complicated. Ellen may not have been terribly pleasant, but she completely shattered the stereotype of someone with Down syndrome. And the fact that she was voiced by, and then defended by someone with Down syndrome made it all the more authentic. She was independent and self-respecting, not a helpless charity case. On those grounds, the Family Guy episode not only should have been acceptable because it was satirical, but also because it actively deconstructed the archetypal “downie.”

When Palin stretched to defend Limbaugh on the grounds of satire, then completely disregarded the context of the Family Guy episode, she made her motives seem disingenuous. Furthermore, her rhetoric put people on the defensive. Plenty of folks go around saying things are retarded, not because they’re actively prejudiced, but because they either don’t understand the consequences of their words, or, within a certain group of people, don’t care. Demonizing every utterance of the word won’t change anybody’s mind, but properly explaining the reasons why the word is offensive, encouraging a change in discourse and actively dispelling the stereotype might.

David Murdter is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. He may be reached at dmurdter@cornellsun.com. Murphy’s Lawyer appears alternate Tuesdays this semester.