Comments on: A Thunderous Slight: Disabilities Groups Call for Boycott of Movie, Tropic Thunder

By: Regan

Regan — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:51:19 +0000

The "R-Word" is no joke Maria Shriver, First Lady of California

By: Words, Words, Words

Words, Words, Words — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:37:22 +0000

[...] depression”). In the midst of discussions about the “r-word” in the Tropic Thunder movie, the words we use to refer to “kids who are different” or “academically [...]

By: Regan

Regan — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:27:15 +0000

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

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:27:17 +0000

@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.

By: Storkdok

Storkdok — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:53:32 +0000

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.

By: Nick McGivney

Nick McGivney — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:50:57 +0000

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.

By: Storkdok

Storkdok — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:31:26 +0000

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.

By: Regan

Regan — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:09:29 +0000

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.

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:33:14 +0000

Here's Ben Stiller defending the movie:

.....Stiller has stuck up for his film, and insists that he wants it to be taken seriously. He tells MTV U.S. News website, "It's sort of edgy territory, but we felt that as long as the focus was on the actors who were trying to do something to be taken seriously that's going too far or wrong, that was where the humor would come from. "(The joke is on) actors reaching for roles in terms of hopefully winning awards."

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).

By: Storkdok

Storkdok — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:51:05 +0000

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.