From Marketwatch.com, Fox Business:

The head of the Arc of the United States called on Ben Stiller to meet with people with intellectual disabilities and their families about “Tropic Thunder,” and to engage in “an honest and open dialogue about the offense this film perpetrates on them.”

Peter V. Berns, the group’s executive director, also called on Stiller to apologize for the harm he had caused with negative image and what he termed “hate speech” in the film. He urged people to stay away from the film and instead join the Arc’s national Rally for Respect campaign.

(includes the text of the letter from Berns to Stiller)

In other news, at least two Internet petitions have gotten under way.

The American Association of People with Disabilities has started a petition calling on the entertainment industry to “remedy the harm that is being done by ‘Tropic Thunder’ and to model respect for people with disabilities through our inclusion in employment in the industry and in all aspects of the creative process that creates films and television shows we love so much.” At last count, it had gathered 607 signatures.

An independent petition seeking an apology from Stiller has been launched at ipetitions.com. It’s now at 3,079 signatures.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 15th, 2008 at 3:23 pm and is filed under NOT2BEMISSED, Tropic Thunder, advocacy, civil rights, movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post