Beverly Beckham, writing in the Boston Globe about “Tropic Thunder,” says the movie is

the worst thing to come along for the developmentally disabled since public schools used the dunce cap to humiliate. Because in 107 minutes the word “retard” (or “retarded”) is said 17 times. This gives a green light to the movie-going public: If “retard” can be tossed back and forth on the big screen, getting laughs, getting legitimized, why not use it on the schoolyard or at the water cooler?

… It seems at first glance to be an equal-opportunity insulter.
But it isn’t. Body parts cannot take offense to what is being said. And excrement is only excrement. These words are just crass. Nothing more. “Retarded” is personal. “Retarded” targets people. “Retarded” hurts. This is why advocates for the mentally disabled are speaking out.

… “Retarded” is a stereotype too long perpetuated by Hollywood. No much different from Step ‘n’ Fetchit. Condescending. Controlling. And however unintentional the result may be, this new “don’t take it seriously” version of the retarded man is serious because it stirs up and serves up some very old themes.

See also:

• Second thoughts on Tropic Thunder boycott — Pamela Wilson of Bellaonline.com originally supported the boycott. Upon further reflection, she says she wants everyone in her community to see ‘Tropic Thunder’ so they will understand what offends the disability community.

If everyone sees this movie, many more will appreciate the concerns we bring to their attention. Everyone capable of reflecting on what they have seen has the capacity to understand our protest. We want other parents, human rights activists and others in marginalized communities to experience the language and imagery of the movie so they can make informed decisions about whether to restrict their children’s access to it.

It may be too much to expect from the writers of Tropic Thunder to comprehend that merely using language that demeans, humiliates and intimidates people with disabilities is a form of bullying. But I have higher expectations of people in our community who hear our stories, and hear from our sons and daughters. We must continue protesting, sharing our perspectives, and standing firm against attacks on people with intellectual disabilities. Our children and families are full members of our communities and we want businesses to know we consider their needs while expecting them to consider ours.

• Can we all stop using the R-word? — Paula Scafe in the Austin American-Statesman
• What’s in a word? Plenty — Charita Goshay in the Norwich [CT] Bulletin
• Those insulted at ‘Thunder’ don’t get joke — Chris Hicks in the [Salt Lake City] Deseret News

Writing in the [UK] Guardian, David Tolleson says the movie “Tropic Thunder” sends the harmful message to millions of moviegoers that discrimination against people with disabilities is socially acceptable.

For a population that has been subject to millennia of discrimination and abuse, even to the point of death, it is a major setback, courtesy of Hollywood.

Unfortunately, the damage doesn’t end with the frequent use of the word “retard” and the shockingly awful images of Simple Jack. More troubling is a segment of the film involving Stiller and Matthew McConaughey. When Stiller’s character says he wants to adopt a child, McConaughey looks at a photo of himself with his arm around a boy vacantly staring into space — clearly meant to have an intellectual disability — and says: “At least you get to choose yours. I’m stuck with mine.”

The message is clear — avoid having a child with a disability at all costs. For parents worried about bringing a child with a disability into a world where they may be taunted, or worse, Tropic Thunder may provide one more reason to terminate a pregnancy. Sad for many reasons, but particularly since studies show that overwhelmingly parents and siblings of individuals with disabilities actually rate the experience of having a loved one with special needs very positively.

… we still have work to do before widespread discrimination ends and all people are valued for the diverse and wonderful attributes they bring to our world.

Tolleson is the executive director of the National Down Syndrome Congress.

See also:

• Why is Ohio retarded but Connecticut isn’t? — Kim Stagliano, Huffington Post
• Going full insensitive: Movie’s humor is flawed by careless insensitivity – Winston-Salem [NC] Journal
• Plot no excuse for taking potshots— Tamara Dietrich, Newport News [VA] Daily Press
• Letter: A heightened awareness of how a word can hurt — Chicago Tribune
• Letter: Special people don’t need hurtful words – Quincy [MA] Patriot-Ledger
• Letters: Bid to ban use of ‘r-word’ — Houston Chronicle

There’s no shortage of opinions today about the use of the word “retard.” California First Lady Maria Shriver urges people to stop using it. Actor Josh Perry, star of the popular “Retarded Policeman” videos on Youtube, and his brother, Scott Allen Perry, think the word has lost its power to offend. (Josh Perry has Down syndrome.) Columnist Casey Seiler thinks the controversy over “Tropic Thunder” misses the movie’s use of satire. Advocates in Minnesota have a new video called “Offense Taken,” about a community’s organized response to the word. And more. Excerpts follow:

Maria Shriver, writing in the Los Angeles Times:

Dreamworks’ decision to include a public service announcement with DVDs of “Tropic Thunder” is an important first step, but far more needs to be done.

Just as important, parents must talk to kids at our kitchen tables about how we have felt when someone called us stupid, idiotic or lame. Because once we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, certain names just aren’t that funny any more.

I often quote the Hopi prayer that tells us not to look outside ourselves for a leader. It tells us that we are the ones we have been waiting for. We can exchange one “R-word” for another: respect. We can teach our children that name-calling hurts.

Let’s makes the “R-word” as unacceptable as the “N-word.” Think of all we can accomplish if we work together.

Video by Josh and Scott Allen Perry on Youtube: Boycott the boycotters. (Includes some language that wouldn’t be printed in a family newspaper.)

Josh: We’ve got news for you

Scott: The word retard doesn’t mean what it used to mean.

Josh: Words change.

Scott: People change.

(Graphic: Words have power when we give them power.)…

Josh: From now on, the ‘R-word’ is my word. I’m taking it back…

Scott: You want to boycott somebody?

Josh: Boycott the NDSS.

Scott: Why?

Josh: Because they’re acting like a bunch of retards…

Scott: Don’t give the ‘r-word’ the same power that was given to the ‘N-word.’

Josh: Or civilization goes right down the toilet.

(more…)

Writing in the [UK] Guardian, Peter V. Berns says the portrayal of a person with an intellectual disability in the film “Tropic Thunder” is offensive and shouldn’t be tolerated.

He says the use of the word “retard” and other insulting language in the film could spark abuse, bullying and violence against people with intellectual disabilities. An excerpt:

The oppressive power of these words has deep resonance for individuals with intellectual disabilities and for the disability rights movement. In the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, the use of the R-word in this film represents a serious setback. The portrayal of this character sends a clear message to the audience that the lives of people with intellectual disabilities are worth less and that it is acceptable to degrade and dehumanise them.

The history of people with intellectual disabilities in the U.S. evokes a dark time when these individuals suffered institutionalization, forced sterilization, segregation and other abuses. While the U.S. has made monumental strides toward including people with disabilities in the community, further progress will only be made if we speak out against bigotry, mistreatment and disrespect wherever we see it.

… We invite our colleagues in the disability rights movement, worldwide, to stand together and work to educate, inform and inspire people of conscience. Critics may try to dismiss our criticism as just some kind of politically correct talk, but that rejoinder is far too simplistic in the face of the suffering people with intellectual disabilities have experienced in their lives and throughout history. Individuals with disabilities should enjoy human rights on an equal basis with others without stigmatization, discrimination or prejudice. It is they who define themselves.

Peter V. Berns is the executive director of The Arc of the United States, the world’s largest community-based organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

From the CBS Early Show:

Robert Downey Jr. responds to the controversy over “Tropic Thunder.” When asked about the film’s use of the word “retard,” Downey said:

“My response to that — it’s interesting, because at different phases I can have different takes on it. One is like, well, isn’t that the whole idea, the country is based on we can express this and that. It’s all kind of business as usual. It’s strange to me we’re taking flack from a disabilities support group with all the other archetypes and stereotypes we tended to address and lampoon and al that. Nothing is above satire, last I checked.”

Here’s a public service announcement by Will Schermerhorn of Blueberry Shoes Productions, LLC.

The video was produced for and with the Arc of Northern Virginia and the Arc of Virginia,

Its goal: To “counteract the negativity of ‘Tropic Thunder’.”

Its theme: Respect.

When You Can Call Me…

(more…)

Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver and Special Olympian Loretta Claiborne talked about the “Tropic Thunder” controversy on ABC’s Good Morning America, as official weekend tallies showed the movie passing  “Dark Knight” at the box office. (The GMA video is available online; go to ‘today’s segments,’ click ‘more’ and scroll down.)

Claiborne said she found the movie “very offensive.” Moviegoers were shown saying they thought the criticism of “Tropic Thunder” was overstated. Here’s a partial and unofficial transcript of Shriver’s comments:

I think the main message here is that making fun of people using words, humiliating people, denigrating people using words, is not good under any context. It’s never okay.  We should be telling our children it’s never okay to make fun of someone. It’s never okay to use a word that tries to humiliate someone else.

The word retard was used not in a clinical way but in a playground talk kind of way to denote someone who is bumbling, someone who is hopeless, hapless, someone who has no reason to belong, to fit in, to have a life, to be part of the in crowd.

All those stereotypes have led our population to struggle to get into schools, to have friends, to be included in the workplace, to be able buy a home, to live in the community, because people don’t realize they’re human. They don’t realize they have gifts. This is the challenge this film brings to life. It brings out all those stereotypes again and again.

(more…)