A Thunderous Slight: Disabilities Groups Call for Boycott of Movie, Tropic Thunder
August 10, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
More than a dozen disabilities groups—including the Arc of the United States, the National Down Syndrome Congress, the American Association of People With Disabilities—-are calling on Monday for a boycott of the movie Tropic Thunder, which is to be released this Wednesday. The film is directed by actor Ben Stiller and is, according to the August 10th New York Times, a “movie-industry spoof”:
A particular sore point has been the film’s repeated use of the term “retard” in referring to a character, Simple Jack, who is played by Mr. Stiller in a subplot about an actor who chases an Oscar by portraying a mindless dolt.
…..
DreamWorks and Paramount have shown “Tropic Thunder” in more than 250 promotional screenings around the country since April, but significant complaints came only recently, when marketing materials for the movie caught the attention of advocates for the disabled. The tag line on one mock promotional poster on a Web site, since removed, read, “Once upon a time there was a retard.”
The New York Times quotes a Dream Works spokesman, Chip Sullivan, as noting that “the film was not meant to disparage or harm people with disabilities and that DreamWorks expected to work closely with disability groups in the future,” and that no changes or cuts to the film will be made.
Sure, maybe no one thought they meant to “disparage or harm people with disabilities”—-and, it seems, some one did not think about how certain words might ring on the words of actual people, with actual disabilities.
Go here to see a video by the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) and Christschool.
Well, I’ll skip that movie!
I almost want to *want* to see that movie, just so my boycott of it would matter.
(Not my cup of tea, can you guess?)
Know what you mean too well!
ASAN and Christschool have produced a video on the R Word. It’s on You Tube now, and was produced to coincide with the opening of this offensive movie.
It looks like I can’t post links here so hope you’ll look for it and write something about it.
Here’s the link—–
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzgQ3LVNhps
and an article by Patricia Bauer.
and a post by Andrea, When Humor Is Not a Laughing Matter.
And
I just wrote an overly long commentary about this very subject on “Whittier on Autism” so I won’t go on, but it really does bug me when that word is used. It’s sort of antiqueted really, and most disabilities have a title now, that don’t all fall under retardation, which makes it even worse to use because it’s sort of broad and nonsensical in a way. I have to confess, I always liked Ben Stiller movies, but I may have to skip this one just for the principle of the matter!
The problem is; just like Zoolander, the movie will be the subject of quotes by teenagers for the next 100 years. So they are handing it out there.
BTW; Kate Winslet portrayed a similarly selfish actress in an episode of “EXTRAS” written by the guy who wrote “The Office” Ricky Gervais. She is playing a nun in the episode, in a deliberate attempt to win an Oscar, but said she considered doing a “Rainman” too. She says this when she meets the sister of another actress, who has cerebal palsy. (played by an actress/stand up commedienne who does have CP)
Ben Stiller appears in one of the first episodes of EXTRAS, so I can only assume he has seen this later show.
Hmmmmm….
xx
I originally saw this trailer a few weeks ago and now cannot find it anywhere – where the scene is showed with the phrase that’s being quoted everywhere. The phrase is “never go full retarded” as a word of warning from Robert Downey Jr.’s character to Ben Stiller’s character. I have been outraged at the defense of the scene, regardless of it’s context. From what I gather, the entire movie has references to “simple Jack”, Ben Stiller’s disabled character described as a mindless dolt. Nice.
I’m tired of hearing “we said that when we were kids” “it’s just a word” etc. We’re kidding ourselves if we think that using the word to describe something moronic, idiotic, ridiculous, something we would never want to be, is okay and not malicious in nature. I grew up when it was okay to make fun of other people by using hand gestures and noises to insinuate that they belonged in special education classes. All of that was a joke – the short bus, special ed, etc. Being disabled was and is something people don’t want to be, therefore it’s used as a jab against others. Just like using the word “girl” to refer to a boy is an insult or “gay” to describe something or someone you think is ridiculous.
I think people need to stop and listen to the words they use and understand the background behind so many of the phrases we use. As I have listened carefully to the words and phrases I have used, that I grew up hearing as something totally normal to say, I have been appalled at the amount of ignorance in my communication. Disrespect, in my opinion, comes in, when one refuses to alter how they use words because they don’t care how they come across and who they hurt by their words. I have slowly changed the language I use and hope that we can become a nation that grows up and stops defending the immature references that demean an entire group of people based on religion, ethnicity, sexual preferences or disability. Too much to hope for?
It is horrible to use that word, but the best thing to do is educate people when they use it, not be mad at them and alienate them. It just puts people on the defensive. Watch the “R Word”, it’s good.
Wow, I’m almost surprised that Ben Stiller would go that far. I guess I’ll be skipping this one as well.
Here’s my post, Words Hurt: The “R” Word. It covers more than the Stiller movie.
My experience is that folks say, “can’t you take a joke?”, usually when not on the receiving end, and when they kinda already know it’s not funny.
(Not a particularly satisfactory substitute for, “I’m sorry.”)
I saw the red line trailer for “Tropic Thunder”, and the thought on seeing “Simple Jack” subplot was that it was in poor taste and that quite a few someones had not really thought through the implications. There’s a complicated explanation about the intent of the satire, etc., etc., but the criticism stands. It seems like this process has to happen over and over until groups and individuals make it clear that something is not acceptable, not funny, not okay.
Story and readers’ comments at the Huffington Post
Thank you, Laura. You’re very good at choosing words — I want to cut and paste your comments to people who ask me why I don’t want to support this movie.
I’m sad for obvious reasons but also because I really like Ben Stiller and I didn’t think he’d go this low. Sigh
I’ve been really upset over this since I first saw the trailer a few weeks ago, but I realized something today. Until people like Michael Savage and Ben Stiller quit making money off garbage like this, they won’t see anything wrong with continuing with more of the same. The reason it works for them is because IT SELLS. We buy it. As a nation, we’re eating this up. These guys are getting rich or famous off of our ignorance or disrespect because we’re paying for it. We’re tuning in or showing up to buy our movie ticket. It’s the same reason paparazzi can continue to hunt down celebrities. It pays because we buy the magazines. We’re to blame here (we as a collective group of Americans, not anyone specific), not Ben Stiller or DreamWorks or even Savage to some extent. They may produce it and be responsible for their work (goodness, but who would want THIS nonsense to be their legend), but we’re the ones paying for it willingly, laughing the whole way. Until that stops, the ignorance and disrespect will continue to be rolled out in mass quantity.
Awareness can only get through the hearts and minds of people willing to see through the lives of others living in a difficult or discriminatory world. For everyone else, if they haven’t lived it, it doesn’t exist and therefore anything is funny and up for grabs.
P.S. Is Ben Stiller really going with the excuse that the movie is making fun of Dustin Hoffman, Sean Penn and Tom Hanks’ desperate attempt to collect an Oscar? Actors that out act him with each movie they make? Please.
Like it’s so “Oscar-winning” to “play the autistic/[insert named of intellectual/cognitive disabiity].”
One student in the summer course I was teaching used “retarded” a couple of times in the first weeks of class and I was trying to think of the best way to point this out to her, without getting her defensive. As it was, both my co-teacher-professor and I mentioned the use of the phrase as stereotypical and excluding in the course of discussing other topics and, by the end of the course, I realized that she was no longer using it.
Patricia Bauer blogged about a “going full r…” tee shirt that had already had made its appearance at CafePress (and has now been pulled).
I had just about logged out of the site when other products caught my eye, such as this “chuckle inducing” tee-shirt
or this “witty bumper” sticker
Both filed under tags “humor” and “funny”. There’s several pages of apparel and accessories based in poking fun at and belittling those in special education and with intellectual challenges.
As Laura said, among many well-chosen words,
“The reason it works for them is because IT SELLS. We buy it. As a nation, we’re eating this up.”
Apparently so.
And (sigh), last time I was in CA visiting my extended Asian American family, so aware of the “myth of the model minority,” heard a few too many “smart/dumb” jokes.
Well, Ben Stiller just lost another ticket to this movie. I told my husband about this last night, and he instantly said he would not see the movie. And he loves Ben Stiller and going to the movies, unlike me.
Regan, those shirts and bumper stickers are appalling. I’m afraid I would get road rage if I saw that on someone’s car, or rip off their shirt in public. I’m just not feeling very Zen today.
Here’s Ben Stiller defending the movie:
Ok, but seems to me that efforts should have been made prior to releasing the film, to reach out to the disability community (as was done for The Ringer).
Hi Storkdok,
I don’t get shocked by much, but it was eye-opening that something so blatantly insulting and provocative would be merchandised. As an experiment, I ran the search engine at CafePress for various racial epithets to see if something similarly “funny” would pop up. Zero. So I guess that someone believes that there are lines should not be crossed or there is a policy, but the disabled are considered fair game. I wonder if they actually sell many of those things.
Something that is more disturbing to me is the echo-chamber of enthusiastically given comments at the Huffington Post, with the variations of “Hey, don’t be so sensitive“, about the reaction to Tropic Thunder. Quite a field day, yes indeed.
Regan,
If I had a dollar for every time I was told (growing up) to “not be so sensitive” and/or “can’t you take a joke?” I would be so rich. Someone needs to take a stand, so I will happily stand up and call it like I see it…it is simply unacceptable.
I’ve been on a rant with this one for a few days, and given that it doesn’t open with us in Ireland for another five weeks, I’m hoping we can put a dent in local ticket receipts. As I’ve blogged, I’ve been swayed to varying degrees by certain comments made by the ’straight’ community, and many of the points are quite valid. But there is one touchstone in this that does not change, despite what BS says. (Had nobody spotted the BS connection?
) You can put it up to the black community offensively and they can put their dukes up right back at you. You can tell us Micks that we’re drunken brawlers and we’ll follow you home to argue the point. You can tell the Italians that they’re all mafiosi and they’ll show you that maybe they can be, just a little, just cos you said it. But my baby will not be able to tell Hollywood that it is wrong, unfair and immoral for them to give currency to coinage like ‘Never do full retard.’ And while I have God-given breath I will endeavour to do that for him. Ben Stiller can talk all he wants about actors reaching for something and going too far and this therefore being funny, but as Hammie says, that won’t figure in the minds of the fourteen year old who points and hurts. BS indeed.
Incidentally, fine work all on lobbying so hard and linking so well on this issue. It would be gratifying in the extreme to teach Dreamworks a lesson that they understand: insensitivity hurts both ways.
Regan,
I just ran the search engine at Cafepress and got more than 250 designs for about 1250 items total for the word “retard”. Like you said, no other racial epithets came up.
Yes, it is a bit eye-opening to see how much people are trying to profit off of the disabled. I expected a few, but not that many.
@Nick McGivney,
It all makes me think, mocking the developmentally disabled (all while saying hey, we’re just trying to make people laugh) may be the last acceptable prejudice………and a symptom of Hollywood’s own developmental delays.
What if this was on a teeshirt instead?
Words Hit Like A Fist
also,
Words Hit Like A Fist card front (pdf)
Words Hit Like A Fist card back (pdf)
and donated print run from Active Grey Matter, in webpost
Thunderous Fail
“…seriously considering standing outside the theaters showing it and handing out the marvelous card Dave Hingsburger’s team developed, Words Hit Like A Fist. Dave has generously shared his files so that you can do the same if you’d like -…”
and,
Also Words Hit Web Graphics
The “R-Word” is no joke
Maria Shriver, First Lady of California