Parents call for Savage to be fired over autism rant

Parents call for Savage to be fired over autism rant
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Tuesday July 22, 2008


The radio program of conservative "shock jock" Michael Savage has been canceled by one Mississippi network following his controversial claim that autism is almost always the result of "a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out."

"They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron," Savage went on during his July 16 broadcast. "You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. ... Don't act like a girl. Don't cry."

"It was just horrible what he said," stated Steve Davenport, president of Telesouth Communications, in explaining the cancelation. "When you talk about people in politics, business people, that's one thing. But when you talk about defenseless children, that's another."

Some parents of autistic children want Savage to be fired entirely. Evelyn Ain, who organized a protest outside the studios of WOR-AM in New York on Monday, explained, "That isn't just freedom of speech, it is hateful speech." Wendy Fournier of the National Autism Association called Savage's remarks "over the line and cruel."

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