Has Zoe apologized to you yet?

@1: Zoe and Dan are both right. Dan shouldn't be making comedic hay from the struggles of a deaf person when he's able-bodied, and Zoe should be able to look past the offensive elements of an ultimately touching play honoring a deaf-blind person. No one need apologize.

So a straight white able-bodied dude can't or shouldn't write things with minority races, minority sexualities, or disabled characters unless they are ... what? Completely serious? Can't write them as funny characters, or let them touch on any identity issues? Somebody should really tell Joss Whedon he should stop making money off of funny or ass-kicking female characters, and should leave out lesbians (especially when they make a joke hinging on their queerity). Oh, and since he cracks repeatedly on the various mental health issues of his characters, he pretty much ought to be pilloried. Too insensitive.

This is prohibitive to comedy, art, and inclusiveness. How boring would it be if only un-privileged could represent their flavor of minority status. Yes, having a more varied set of creators is great, but wouldn't it be nice if creators of all stripes could be willing to create with all the various types of people they are familiar with?

I have not seen this piece, but the response seems to be from those who have that Helen isn't mocked for her disability. Can we consider that characters in a comedy aren't necessarily the butt of a joke and can be handled with sincerity?

Dan, your people are right; you are rubbish at self-promotion. Why did I not know this play was happening? For at least two months, I've been faithfully reading your column and your blog plus listening to the podcast, and no mention. And now it's over. My brother in Tacoma will never get a chance to see the premiere.

You really need a Web site that lists *everything* you're working on, all the time. All your projects, all your appearances, all your books, all the places you guest blog...plus, plus, plus.

Tweets are ephemeral; no one who doesn't hate you will trawl through your past shares. A Web site is forever and all in once place. Make it easy for us!

I agree with @3. Just because you are not part of a group does not mean you have no right to write about that group -- or that you have a moral obligation not to write about them. A non-minority writing about minorities will face some difficulties because they are writing about something they do not know firsthand.

But also, we forget that writing from a different viewpoint can actually make you *more* compassionate for that viewpoint. By setting up blindness (or anything else -- femaleness, queerness, blackness) as something completely alien and ineffable to the able-bodied (etc), you are already in a sense saying that it's self-defeating to try to learn about blind culture. You are shutting out those who would understand you.