SNL’s Paterson parody

Should SNL have made fun of Gov. Paterson for being legally blind?

Saturday Night Live is “known for pushing the envelope,” said Jason Fink in AM New York, but they “may have pushed it too far” over the weekend when they “mocked Gov. David Paterson for being legally blind.” (watch the video here, via NBC) Fred Armisen delivered the impersonation—his “left eye squinting”; not sure “which way to face” the camera; holding “a chart upside down”—to “uproarious laughter” from the crowd. But Gov. Paterson and the National Federation of the Blind of New York aren’t laughing.

Which is somewhat understandable, said Gay Socialites, as Armisen’s impersonation “could be considered totally offensive.” But let’s be honest—“it was hilarious.” And if anyone should be able to “take it—and laugh at it—it’s Gov. Paterson.” He’s known for his sense of humor: Where is it now?

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