Matlin's character wasn't great [love Marlee, dislike Jodi] Her character was very up and down in the show and was prideful to a flaw, atleast in my opinion of the character portrayed and the way she [heather] desribed the character in her wording[minus the voice and less than perfect english]...
Eh it's all about taste. She knows what america finds funny and went with it, if you watch you know she really didn't mean it in a mean or ignorant way.