Blind Skit SNL Governor Paterson

ENITRE skit. Do you think it was wrong? Was it offensive? Live from New York, it's time to mock the disabled! With Sarah Palin out of the national eye, "Saturday Night Live" turned its satirical guns toward another governor, New York's David Paterson. However, this time the laughs weren't quite as hearty. It's one thing to mock a moose-hunting beauty queen, but quite another to laugh at the visually impaired. Governor Paterson is a legally blind man who took over for the disgraced Eliot Spitzer earlier this year. SNL's Fred Armisen portrayed Paterson as a bumbling man who is completely unqualified for the position. Funny? The studio audience seemed to like the skit, but many groups are outraged and speaking out. The National Federation of the Blind issued a statement calling the characterization "absolutely wrong" and criticized the show for playing up the stereotype that blind people are "incapable of simple tasks." Meanwhile, Governor Paterson's office issued a statement that the show should be able to "find a way to be funny without being offensive." Indeed, while comedy is in the eye of the beholder, many of the knee-slappers at Paterson's expense seemed to be, as the New York Post put it, rather "stock." Wandering aimlessly? Confused? One could argue that Mr. Magoo pulled the same gags a lot better 50 years ago. Still, funny or not, searchers sought out the "SNL" video. Queries for "snl david paterson" and "armisen david paterson" both surged on Sunday and continue to stay hot. "SNL" has yet to release a comment in response to the outrage, but if the heat keeps up, perhaps Mr. Armisen will invite the real governor to make an appearance. Hey, it (kinda) worked for Sarah Palin...