It’s not uncommon to see the front row of any sporting arena lined with celebrities. Jack Nicholson, Jay-Z and Leonardo DiCaprio are court side legends, practically. It just ain’t a real game if there isn’t a famous face in the sidelines. Agents and managers use those tickets as thank you gifts and bribes for their best clients all the time. What you don’t see all the time? A blind dude in the front row.
Stevie Wonder took his son to the Knicks vs. Lakers game at the Staples Center and this weekend, and while we can all assume he was doing it for the kid, how exactly does one enjoy a court side seat if they are blind? Yes, I feel mean even bringing it up, but c’mon. C’mon!
Seriously?? Wow…
Said “blind dude” can go wherever he pleases – especially if he is taking his son for the experience of sitting courtside! As a person who works with people with disabilities as a career, I take offense.
I’ve devoted hours and hours of my time to helping the disabled. I understand why you’d think it’s insensitive. I apologize if you were hurt, I suppose I am desensitized to a degree when it comes to reporting on these topics. My apologies if you were really personally offended.
you realize they can HEAR right? he can listen to the game and smell the hardwood and sweat he can feel the players run by him and most importantly he showed his son an amazing experience. if you can sit in the front row why wouldnt you? blind or not. sorry but this WAS insanely ignorant. whether you worked with disabled people or not it dosent give you a pass to write shit like that about a blind man.
Right. And he can feel the vibration of feet pounding on the floor, feel the air move as players run past him, hear them shouting to each other while they play and not have to deal with people constantly trying to walk in front of him or pester him for autographs.
You forgot that he can smell the Lakers cheerleaders too!
I think that this is quite distasteful, I am not personally offended, however many people will be. On that note, I’m sure that just hearing the game would be a treat, especially with your son.
I know you didn’t mean any offence, but I listen to sports on the radio all the time, and I’m not “watching” the game… his son was probably describing it to him.
There are a lot more things to consider than just seeing the players. You can hear them, feel the air rush past you, feel the intensity from the crowd around you, hear the ball dribbling, the referee blowing the whistle. There’s a lot that a person can take in, especially a blind person who’s used to relying on his other senses so they’re more heightened compared to the rest of ours. It’s a little inconsiderate to think that. I hope Stevie had a great time.
You can also see that he is wearing a ear piece I’m guessing so he can hear the commentary while sitting there. I can understand how you can see it as ironic, but it’s a bonding experience between him and his son.
Wow. Well, let’s see. My 14 month old son is blind. So I’m kind of new to all of this and I’m pretty laid back person who doesn’t get offended much…
I am still trying to adjust to the fact that my kid will never see. So this whole thing? Kind of sucks. BUT–I won’t hold it against you. I hear all kinds of questions (and have had them myself) every day from somebody new. “How does he know who you are?” “How will he ever do anything?” “He can get an eye transplant, right?” (the answer to that last one is no, in case anyone is wondering. And really, what’s so bad about his blindness?).
Anyway. I know that he will still be able to experience everything he wants to (aside from driving). Just because he can’t see a movie, doesn’t mean he can’t enjoy it. Just because he can’t see the cars go by, doesn’t mean he can’t hear them or feel the vibrations from their movement (actually, he screams quite a bit on our walks to school with my daughter, but that’s another thing entirely. Good times, I tell ya!).
And it’s very common for someone with a visual impairment to have someone explain what is going on, to describe things in as much detail as possible. We try to do this as much as we can, even at his young age.
One day I hope to take him to the movies, to Disney World, to wherever the hell he wants to go. He’ll enjoy it all just as much as we do–but in his own special way. And I think that’s pretty cool.
I’ve worked with many special needs children. From CP to spinal injury, DS, autistic, you name it. This one 8 year old blind boy used to come in because he was recovering from an auto accident (not related to blindness). He was hilarious, smart as a whip, girlfriends all over the place. His mother thought the accident would quiet him up and slow him down a bit. Nope. Great kid.
Your son will always be just fine.
Did Stevie Nicks play the Lakers? Did Stevie Wonder notice? (“Knicks”)
I’m sure that it was a nice father-son outing. Much better than the time that Stevie Wonder tried to teach his son how to drive.
(If you’ve ever caught some of Stevie Wonder’s comedy skits [SNL, in particular], you know that he’s long been game for some thoughtful, lighthearted blind humor.)
I think there is a difference… never saw any skits that you speak of, but I would probably giggle at Stevie teaching his son to drive. But this post infered that there was no point in him being at the game just b/c he can’t see & got forbid he actually be courtside. She asked how can a blind man enjoy the game? Thankfully there are readers here with more than half a brain that provided numerous answers. So I guess in moll’s feeble mind, blind people should just stay home all the time and thank god for the invention of radios. Come to think of it, why does Stevie have a son at all? I mean, he can’t see his wife naked, so what’s the point of having sex right? (sarcasm)
lay of molls! she’s not trying to make fun of Stevie (note her request to be gentle in the title) she is just noting the irony. i’m sure stevie had a great time
lay off molls! she’s not trying to make fun of Stevie (note her request to be gentle in the title) she is just noting the irony. i’m sure stevie had a great time
Actually she asked how a blind person can enjoy an event like that.
oh…i tried.
molls is getting kinda douchey in her writing.
kinda getting? she was always douchey in her writing…. as well as not at all funny while trying way too hard to be cutting edge & clever. wow, Molls is like the Lady Gaga of Evil Beet.
I hardly ever read much of what “molls” writes for this exact reason and I read this one without looking to see who wrote it but after reading it, I just knew. And I don’t read many comments on her stuff either but figured this one would cause some ripples. I am glad to know others feel this way.
that’s so funny b/c I never really pay attention to the authors either, but a molls penned entry is usually pretty indentifiable by sentence 3.
that is so not an insult.
I think it is…. like Lady Caca has a really good voice & I’m sure, well maybe sure, that Molls could be a really good writer. Yet instead of letting their talent speak for itself, like I said, they try way too hard to be different & cutting edge & both end up looking slightly brain damaged.
Uh yeah. He’s listening to live play on the radio. See the earpiece? People with vision do it all the time. Especially at baseball games to keep score. Sheesh.
He’s probably enjoying it the same way he enjoys every other moment he spends with his son. Plus the excitement of the crowd, the cheering, the live radio play, the announcements, etc.
How you enjoy news or sports on the radio isn’t that strange of a concept, is it?
FYI you can’t just negate any ignorant comment just by the use of such wonderful, powerful quotes as ‘be gentle’ and ‘I feel bad’.
Yeah, blind “dudes” should really just sit at home in darkened rooms all the time. What’s the point of them going anywhere? It’s not like they can see anything, right?
I love you.
My caption for this would be…
“Molls once again prooves that ignorance really IS bliss.”
& I know it’s spelled proves… I just thought that at least one spelling error was in order in a statement pertaining to molls b/c her spell check has been broken for a while now.
Calm it down, commenters. We don’t have to be so PC. It’s not like there are any blind people reading this site. Ba-Dum TSH!
(You just can’t win today, can you Molls? Are you the new Wendie, or are the commenters on this site getting extra touchy?)
Um, no. She’s always sucked. To this day, I’ve wondered how she got this job.
commenters are becoming so vicious on this site! i love molls and wendie!
Yeah, PC much? Lighten the eff up. Anyway, a group of people I was with saw this picture on the internet and initially laughed, too. Cuz it’s ironic .. at the core of it all is he able to experience a basketball game without the ability to see? Yes. But if you don’t understand why someone would have a knee-jerk reaction of, “Stevie Wonder front row at a basketball game? Really??!?” then I do think you need to lighten up.
It’s not as much about being PC (e.g. people getting all riled up about using “black” instead of “African American”) as it about being a tactless asshole whilst trying to be funny or “edgy”.
Cheese ‘n rice, people. It’s not even about the lighthearted jokes about blind people.
It’s about effin ignorance. I come to this site because of the awesome off hand humor and whatnot. I don’t expect to come and see stupid shit like “How do blind people experience LIFE?”
Lighten up? Fuck you. I have visually impaired/legally blind people in my life. And they can take a joke–believe me. But molls sucks ass. And this just takes the cake.
And by the way, I’ve always loved Wendie–at least it’s apparent she’s taken a lesson in grammar. Reading molls shit, I feel like I’m reading Perez’s crap.
And, Denise. Go the fuck away. Yesterday.
What’s the big deal? Helen Keller and I used to play tennis at Hef’s place all the time.
Thats horrible he’s just being a good father. That was really mean and unnecessary, i know this is a gossip blog but that’s not gossip, and its just horrible.
srsly why is everyone freaking out, it’s a gossip website, this shit was funny.
hey molls, here’s one: why is there braille on the drive-through atm?
…because not everyone drives up to it. Duh….
and – did you ever think that, just maybe, someone drives a person with visual impairment to the ATM, and the person accesses the machine via the back seat, driver’s side window?
I think you and molls need to sign up for the same course: “Funny Vs. Stupid 101: Knowing The Difference.”
Earth to Beet? Molls needs to go. Really. She sucks ass.
“Finally! What’s a guy gotta do to get a drink around here? I’ll take a beer and the kid’ll have a coke.”
It’s still a funny picture / scene. Get over your PC selves.
So because Stevie Wonder is blind, there is no point in him taking his SON to a game and getting courtside seats? I didn’t sit through Sesame Street Live because I love Elmo, I went because my 2-year-old would enjoy the experience. Even if he was alone it’s a tasteless question, but the fact that he brought his son should make it pretty obvious why courtside seats would be enjoyable. You should feel mean bringing it up, because there’s nothing funny even in a caustic vein here, you just come off as needlessly mean and utterly obtuse.
Okay, guys. She was asking a valid question that many people would ask! I’ve grown up with blind people. Two people in my small small neighborhood of 15 houses were blind (they occupied 2 of the 15 houses along with their spouses and children). They never got offended at my curiosity questions.
Mr. Taylor, the Vietnam vet who lost a leg and both eyes to a hand-grenade, was my favorite adult in the world. I was BFF with his daughter. We were all going to the movies one day and I asked Mr. Taylor if he was joining us. He laughed and said, “Lisa, I’m blind. Why waste the money?” This was 25 years ago, but it is still a valid point. How many non rich blind people would spring for front row Laker tickets? Uhmm, NONE.
And no, he didn’t sit in a dark room all day. He played basketball with us, went swimming with us, went trick or treating with us, did everything with us. And he had the coolest electronics. Imagine playing on a Mac 25 years ago (that’s right, 25 years ago…I’m not that old, I was just 8 at the time) that TALKED! Mr. Taylor rocked. And he wouldn’t have spent the money on front row Laker tix!
Your curiosity questions were appropriate because you were a child. Yes, curiosity questions from an adult are fine too — but mocking? Not so much. I still say molls sucks ass.
Don’t people listen to sporting events on the radio all the time? You don’t have to see it.
My mom has season tickets to the Jazz, runs her own business with 14 employees under her, travels frequently, has two masters degrees — and yeah, she’s blind.
I think it is much more difficult to do some of those things than go to a game. When my mom goes to the game she’ll bring a radio and listen to the play by play.
Oh, and she blogs too — http://cruisinwithcricket.blogspot.com/
I have a sense of humor, I’m not offended, I just don’t see why it needs to be such a shocker.