Comments on: Tim Shriver’s op-ed on ‘Tropic Thunder’

By: Laura

Laura — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:03:16 +0000

I have a brother who is challenged, yet I don’t take offense to this film. I understand the context in which it was intended. I do agree the the R word is ugly, but it is a reality in our world. D.W. Griffith’s film “Birth of a Nation” is extremely offensive and racist, but colleges all over the country show it for many different reasons. I do not believe that the writers of Tropic Thunder set out to hurt intellectually disabled people, and I believe that the majority of adults that see this movie know the difference between satire and hate speech. In addition, it has been shown that when a film causes a call for boycotts and controversy in the community, it often backfires and attracts more viewers. “The Last Temptation of Christ” is a perfect example.

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:17:38 +0000

Tim is so right. Mean is not funny. I and my family will boycott Tropic Thunder.

By: Dave Hingsburger

Dave Hingsburger — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:46:02 +0000

The protest has finally broken into the entertainment news section of my yahoo homepage. This is yahoo.ca I don’t know about the American one. I was beginning to think that no one would notice or care about the protest - but word is out.

By: Terri

Terri — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:34:52 +0000

A boycott is a good first step, but it is not enough. I don’t think our population commands enough wealth — and no one actually expects to see us in places like theaters (or in schools, at work, or anywhere else actually.) Our absence will not be noticed.

How is staying home different for people with disabilities?

We need an active, visible presence in our communities over the next couple of weeks so that the message of that movie is not the only voice our communities hear about disability.

By: Donna H. Saul

Donna H. Saul — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:34:26 +0000

I think a lot more people are going to have the same reaction to Simple Jack and ongoing “retard” gag as Tim Shiver did.

I can see the cartoon now of Ben Stiller standing on his Simple Jack soap box about “industry standard” which is collapsing under the weight of box office dollars.