Thursday, April 15, 2010

Advance #13: A Very Special Boy

How a culture treats its most vulnerable speaks volumes about it.

In ancient Rome, the mentally befeebled were made the unwilling subjects of cruel, humiliating bloodsport.

In the early days of our nation, these ersatz citizens were forced to endure isolated lives in dank, sexless institutions.

And not until the1970s were our schools and workplaces beginning to meaningfully accommodate the "less unchallenged" among us.

So imagine the pride I felt when I learned that a plucky little moppet---one who might have, in a darker time, served as a shoeless oarsman working for 11 cents a week and nourished on a diet of wild dewberries and rainwater--had become a bona fide pop sensation.

There was once a day when bumping John Forsythe's death from a featured position on the cover of People would have been unthinkable.  That day has passed. 

And somewhere, another special someone is smiling.

Very Truly Yours,
Denny DelVecchio

5 comments:

susispice said...

bhahahaha omg this is one of the funniest posts ive read on your site lol

i hate this kid.

Denny DelVecchio said...

Be nice to him.

Anonymous said...

How did this tool get famous? I had that haircut in 3rd grade and got beat up for it.

Denny DelVecchio said...

It took them that long to beat you up for it?

Blanks said...

They beat m e up for it, but it was at university.