The statements of journalist Gabriel Levinas regarding that "society is not prepared" to have as president "a person who is stuttering" like Eduardo "Wado" de Pedro, generated the repudiation of different sectors of society and a response from the Minister of the Interior. However, far from retracting, the communicator and art critic ratified his statements.
Levinas said Sunday in statements to the program Solo una vuelta más, which is broadcast by Todos Noticias that he would like "a country that we are so intellectually evolved that the president can be a person who is stuttering."
"But if you are going to put a person of this nature as a candidate for president, you know that in Argentina he will fail, because society is not prepared for that. Why do you put it the same? Why do you point it out the same?" said Levinas, referring to De Pedro and the possibility that he could be the presidential candidate of the Frente de Todos.
And he continued with his presentation: "I don't know why they do it... goes to (Peter's) death." And he made a comparison with other figures of Peronism: "With the oratory of (Carlos) Menem, the oratory of (Nestor) Kirchner, the oratory of Cristina (Fernández), the oratory of (Juan Domingo) Perón, (De Pedro) is a guy who cannot do oratory," said the journalist.
What "Wado" De Pedro said about the sayings of Gabriel Levinas
In his social networks "Wado" de Pedro published a video where he talks about his stuttering during an act.
"I have a speech disfluency. Does anyone stutter?" he asks the audience and begins to count the people in the audience who answer in the affirmative.
"Argentina against bullying. We are going to work to make a better society, accepting each one as we are, looking for positive leaders who cut the situation of bullying, "he harangues the crowd.
And he adds that they will work to "cut with a society with hate speech" to "build a better society."
The repudiation of the Argentine Association of Stuttering
After Levinas' comments went viral on social networks, on Monday the Argentine Association of Stuttering (AAT) repudiated the statements as "discriminatory and pejorative."
"Once again we find ourselves in the need to repudiate comments of a discriminatory and pejorative nature, in the face of the absolute ignorance of the subject," they pointed out from the AAT.
Through a statement released by De Pedro's spokesmen, the association emphasized that "this type of assertion does nothing but harm people who stutter."
"People with stuttering are not unable to perform in the academic/professional field, nor are they prevented from achieving their personal goals," they said.
The statement released by the Argentine Association of Stuttering after the statements of Gabriel Levinas.
Gabriel Levinas ratified his sayings and gave as an example the Orthodox Jews
This Monday, in statements to Radio con Vos, Levinas ratified his statements and said that "far" from him is "segregating anyone."
"What I said was very clear: I would like a country where Wado de Pedro is possible as president and that people vote for him as an ordinary person," he said by way of clarification.
But he quickly stressed that "knowing society and knowing how it thinks and seeing the results of what is happening to us in life, we know that this (stuttering) is an impediment, an obstacle."
In turn, the journalist revealed that if Sergio Massa, Daniel Scioli and Eduardo "Wado" de Pedro are presented as candidates, he would vote for the current Interior Minister.
"I'm not saying I don't want a stutterer, I'm saying I think people aren't going to vote for a stutterer. Maybe I'm wrong and they're going to vote anyway," he said.
Later, in statements to America TV, Levinas provided an example that in his opinion explains his sayings about the stuttering of Fart.
"I live in Once, where some religious Jewish gentlemen live, my countrymen, who were dressed with sideburns, long beards, big hats in the middle of summer, black suit and one of them wants to be president of the nation. And I say: it seems to me that they are not going to vote for him because Argentina is not there to vote for such a person," he explained.
Finally, he stressed that his status as an Orthodox Jew would not translate into an inability to exercise the function of president. "What I think, thinking about what people see or would vote, gives me the feeling that this countryman would not be voted for because of prejudice," he concluded.
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