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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 10, 2000)
‘Politically incorrect’ cartoonist delights audience ■ John Callahan puts his outrageous sense of humor on display in the EMU ballroom Tuesday By Emily Gust Oregon Daily Emerald When John Callahan, who is quadriplegic, arrived in Eugene for his Tuesday speech at the Uni versity, the cartoonist was sur prised that everything was so wheelchair accessible. “I saw a hooker downtown, and she had a handicapped access sign,” Callahan said. Pausing, he looked into the crowd of about 300 students and community members gathered in the EMU Ballroom, and then said, “No, I’m not that kind of boy.” Callahan is a widely-published cartoonist and author with a repu tation for being politically incor rect, and he came to campus as part of a Disability Awareness Event that was sponsored by the University’s Disability Project Committee. Callahan’s visit was meant to raise awareness about people with disabilities and the experiences they live through each day. “People in wheelchairs are just really invisible on this campus and in the community at large,” said Nilda Brooklyn, a sophomore women’s studies and art major who helped coordinate Callahan’s visit. A cartoonist from a young age, Callahan has been in a wheelchair since he was involved in a car ac cident when he was 21 years old. His work has been published in over 75 magazines and newspa pers across the country. In addition, his recent biogra phy, “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot,” was on the New York Times Bestseller List and is in the process of being made into a movie starring Robin Williams. During his time on-stage, Calla han recounted amusing, anec dotes, presented a slide show that included his work as well as let ters from grateful fans and angry opponents. He also responded to questions from the audience. “He discusses a wide variety of topics that we thought were really important to discuss through hu mor,” ASUO Multicultural Asso ciate Katie Howard said. “He has a way of reaching people through humor and making it funny as well as thought-provoking.” Callahan’s cartoons range from political to religious commentary, not to mention his own personal observations, and they poke fun at anything from Viagra to Sally Struthers. At least one audience member in a wheelchair — several such attendees were in the crowd — found humor in Callahan’s ob servations on life. “It takes a lot more courage to speak the truth than to be politi cally correct,” local resident Michael Ellis said. Courage is something that Calla han evidently has. His cartoons take leaps that sometimes end in Callahan’s strip being removed from a publication. Most recently a strip in the Mi ami Herald got him “kicked right out of town,” Callahan said. He contends the cartoon was a re spectful ratfier than inflammatory gesture toward the late Martin Luther King, Jr. and didn’t agree with the offense many were tak ing. “You take your chances, I guess,” he said. “I don’t apologize for that.” Callahan credits his sense of hu mor to genetics rather than to a sudden revelation during the acci dent that paralyzed him. He said that it was his mother who was re ally funny. “It’s not like you roll out of a car or something and say ‘God damn, I’d better get a sense of humor quick!’,” he said. Aside from explaining his hu mor and showcasing his cartoons, Callahan was also able to shed some light on what it is like to be handicapped. He claimed that people have be come used to people in wheel chairs and handicapped people. Waiting in a movie line, kids sometimes lean up against him and even siton his lap. He also discussed his run for state representative in Portland four years ago. Callahan, in anoth er example of poking fun at him self as well as others, said many people were behind him, includ ing a large portion of the homosex ual community. “I think the gays called them selves the Fruits for a Vegetable,” he said. Callahan employed that type of humor throughout his presenta tion and said he continues to use it in his cartoons. “John Callahan doesn’t just grab your attention,” said Molly Sirios, an assistant counselor with Disability Services. “He holds it hostage.” PO. Box 3159. Eugene OR 97403 The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Mon day through Friday during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon. A member of the Associated Press, the Emerald operates inde pendently of the University with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private property. The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. 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