Comments on: The Arc memo: Prepare for ‘massive action’ on ‘Tropic Thunder’

By: swandarox

swandarox — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:54:58 +0000

None of you idiots have even seen the movie. There are SO MANY better things to protest in this country than wasting your time on this movie. You protesters are as stupid as the “Simple Jack” character you say you don’t like. Go protest your hearts out, idiots. You will only end up promoting the movie you wish to stop.

By: Zack Svenson

Zack Svenson — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:33:25 +0000

Well done. I’m sure Paramount/Dreamworks appreciates the free publicity. You’ve been played for suckers and in the process have undermined your own very worthwhile cause. I thought it was a Paramount viral marketing campaign, but it’s bafflingly real. Look up the Streisand Effect sometime.

By: Larke Smith

Larke Smith — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:38:47 +0000

This is appalling! People with disabilities have to work a hundred times harder for things then the average person does. We should encourage them and love them not make them the butt of the joke! I want to know where the different protest sites are so that I can be apart! I am boycotting the movie and I also started a group on the social networking site, Facebook, that I invited all my friends too that shows how horrible this movie is, and how they shouldn’t give their money to such garbage. My brother is both mentally and physically handicapped and it is hard enough as it is with people staring, laughing, and calling him a “retard”. Shame on Dreamworks, Paramount, and the actors that find this sick and twisted movie funny!

By: Debby Tinker

Debby Tinker — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:06:51 +0000

Reading this is so discouraging. We advocate for our son constantly and try to promote respect for others, but we can only reach people one at a time. This will go out to millions. I feel like crying.

By: Helen Black

Helen Black — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:21:07 +0000

Lets go protest the heck out of this movie, it’s time we parents and advocates take a stand! I am ready!

By: Melissa Cognac

Melissa Cognac — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:31:09 +0000

Don’t the individuals with disabilities have enough obstacles to contend with without being ridiculed and laughed at for something they cannot control. I would have expected better judgment from these writers and actors. “Retard” is an offensive term and I am afraid that this movie will make it a mainstream phrase. Remember all the Napoleon Dynamite phrases? Come on, people! We are better than this trash! Don’t make us wish the screen writers were still on strike!

By: Theresa

Theresa — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:18:23 +0000

I feel that this is very sad, and discouraging. How much have we really grown from our past? Do we as a nation, ever learn to value and respect the people that make up our communities? A real community does not exclude anybody.

By: Karene

Karene — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:39:28 +0000

I know that the filmmakers and Ben Stiller will say that the movie is attempting to mock the film industry, but they are neglecting to realize that there are many other lenses from which to look at this movie. Will children/teens understand or care about this message? I can just hear that line “don’t go full retard” being echoed in school halls. It’s so hard to believe that the people involved in this film did not consider how people with intellectual disabilities would view this movie and how could they not be offended?

By: codeman38

codeman38 — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:38:14 +0000

Anonymous: Ooh...if that's the case regarding the entire movie, that makes the points I made in my own post analyzing the trailer, in which I contrasted how it handled issues of race and disability, even more salient.

By: Dave Hingsburger

Dave Hingsburger — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:53:08 +0000

Patricia, my hat’s off to you for your work in making this issue a public debate. When I search the web I see the disability point of view everywhere. I had not heard of this controversy until your blog, and I have been able to respond in a small way to the issue. Without your work and leadership this would not have been possible.

Thank you.