Editorial: Movie should be a catalyst for change-Lincoln [Nebraska] JournalStar

Editorial: Be responsible with free speech — Tuscaloosa [Alabama] News

Op-Ed: Is film a joke or humiliation? By Lennard J. Davis — Chicago Tribune

Op-Ed: Not Funny-Winston-Salem [NC] Journal

Op-Ed: Labels close doors-Yakima [Washington] Herald

Letter: Respect those with cognitive disabilities-Tuscaloosa [Alabama] News

Letter: Movie’s use of r-word is no laughing matter-Indianapolis Star

Letter: R-word is offensive hate speech, even in a comedy-Delaware Online

From various sources:

Op-ed: No excuse for the R-word – The Dallas Morning News. Wayne Carter, an editor for the newspaper’s website, says thoughtless use of insulting language jeopardizes the public’s acceptance of people like his son, who has Down syndrome. Carter is particularly troubled by recent estimates of a 90 percent abortion rate in cases of Down syndrome.

An excerpt:

So this is about more than hurt feelings. This is about the place the mentally challenged hold in our society. What does the future hold for our son in a world where so many people, if the choice had been theirs, would have killed him before he was born?

On a post on our movies blog about the controversy, a reader commented that nobody has a sense of humor anymore. I responded that I have a sense of humor, I get the intent. But as the father of a child with Down syndrome, I have a hard time swallowing the use of that word in any context. Another reader responded to my comment with this advice: “Wayne, The world ain’t gonna change on your account.”

Well, may be it won’t, not on my account or that of any of the people with whom I stand on this. But we can’t let it be so because we didn’t try.

Op-ed: Dad of youth with disabilities says controversy is overblown — Writing in the Chicago Tribune, David Greising says the word “retard” can’t be compared to the word “nigger.” To do so is to “cheapen the treachery” of the racial slur, he says. Greising’s 18-year-old son Wes has disabilities and cannot speak.

When I heard Downey use the word “retard” in the movie, I felt he was on Wes’ side, not making fun of him. And just for the record-for those who say children with disabilities might be ridiculed because of this movie-never in Wes’ life have we heard that he was made the object of ridicule. Our society has matured since a generation ago, when my boyhood friends and I heartlessly felt “retarded” kids might be the butt of jokes.

… The filmmakers knew precisely what they were doing with the word “retarded.” They used it well. They aimed their satire at Hollywood, and perhaps even at our simplistic understanding of people with disabilities.

If the boycotters think it through, perhaps even they will start to catch the joke

Op-ed: Lodging a complaint on political correctness – Andrew Lisa in the [Vineland, NJ] Daily Journal

Intellectual disabilities?

Listen, words like “retard” are crude and mean, and if you make fun of people with disabilities, you’re an idiot.

But how much can I be expected to remember?

Disabilities group wants ‘Tropic Thunder’ canned – Daytona [FL] News-Journal. Movie theater owners say they’d like to pull “Tropic Thunder,” but to do so would jeopardize their contracts.

Articles:

• Movie’s jokes not so funny to group — Detroit Free Press
• Local family joins protest of ‘Tropic Thunder’ - [Spokane, WA] Spokesman Review
• Review: Yes, ‘Tropic Thunder’ offends. That’s the point — Arizona Republic
• Advocates protest ‘hate speech’ in movie – Milford [MA] Daily News

Letters:

• Letter: Hurtful movie – Chicago Tribune
• Letter: Movie hurts battle to end negative stereotypes — Chicago Tribune
• Letter: Insensitive film fosters intolerance – The Times [Trenton, NJ]
• Letter: Offensive movie deserves boycott – Springfield [MO] News-Leader
• Letter: Movie mocks, pokes fun at people with disabilities — Ottumwa, Iowa, Courier

From the Los Angeles Times:

Gerry Rich has departed as president of worldwide marketing at Paramount Pictures, the parent company of DreamWorks. Rich, who had two years left on his contract, oversaw the marketing campaign for “Tropic Thunder.”

Contacted by the LA Times Friday, Rich declined to say why he was leaving. “I felt it was time to leave,” he said. “I’m going to take some time and regroup and figure out what comes next.”

A marketing website for “Tropic Thunder” was yanked recently after complaints by disability rights organizations. It featured a promotional image of Ben Stiller in character as Simple Jack, with the tagline “Once upon a time … there was a retard.”

Another post on the marketing of “Tropic Thunder” is here. Includes text from the plot synopsis that was posted on the marketing site.

More than two weeks ago, I kicked off the public conversation about the use of the word “retard” in “Tropic Thunder” and its marketing materials with this post: ‘Tropic Thunder’: Once upon a time … there was a retard.

Since then I’ve been bringing you up-to-date coverage of the controversy, and have provided a forum in which people have been able to express their views. I’ve frankly lost count, but I think  the number of comments here currently stands at something around 700. It has been a lively discussion, with many differing and often emotional opinions expressed.

Now I’ve weighed in with some opinions of my own. They can be seen in the Sunday Opinion section of the Washington Post: A movie, a word and my family’s battle. My point: The thoughtless and widespread use of the word “retard” as an insult sets back progress that has been made toward including and accepting people with disabilities, and hurts us all. Here’s how the piece starts:

Margaret and I were lingering in front of the multiplex one evening last summer, a mom and her adult daughter laughing about the movie we’d just seen, when a gaggle of cute pre-teen girls sauntered past.

The one in the lead jerked a thumb in our direction and made a goofy face to her friend. “Look. Retard,” we heard her say, and Margaret wilted. Her chin trembled. One by one, the other girls turned to look, nudging one another and whispering. The last girl spun all the way around as she slowly walked by, eyes fixed on my daughter.

The piece is accompanied by an edited version of the “full retard” scene from the movie.

You can also see me expressing my views on “The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet,” a national Fox talk show. Appearing with me were David Tolleson, executive director of the National Down Syndrome Congress; Eddie Barbanell, a star of “The Ringer,” and Gitesh Pandya of boxofficeguru.com.

[And in case anyone wonders if I've seen the movie: Yes, indeed, I have. Check my post on it here.]

Patrick Goldstein, blogging at the Los Angeles Times, wonders whether audiences would be laughing if Ben Stiller were making fun of Jews instead of people with disabilities. An excerpt:

Just as an exercise in the art of tolerance, let’s change just one word in a couple of the excerpts that John Horn ran from the current “Tropic Thunder” reviews. Here goes:

1) “‘Tropic Thunder’ is drawing fire from special interest groups for its frequent use of the word ‘Jew,’ but discerning audiences will know where the humor is targeted. And they’ll be laughing too hard to take offense.” Christian Toto, whatwouldtotowatch.com

2) “Comedy needs the right to be offensive, and Stiller at least has the courage of his convictions. When he uses the word ‘Jew,’ it’s deliberate, not casual.” Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com.

… I raise these questions not to criticize the movie, but to remind us — you as a moviegoer as well as me as a writer — that there’s always a thin line between inspiration and offensiveness. If you’re a satirist, it’s one thing to cross that line, another thing not to bother giving thought about whether you’ve made it clear enough whom you are really making fun of.

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.

(Photo from Hartford Courant)

Lots more about the continuing “Tropic Thunder” controversy. We’ll be following it throughout the day. Let’s start here.

Stiller defends “Thunder” on the CBS Early Show. With video. Stiller says the movie is a comedy, and that people should view it in context and lighten up. (Note: Robert Downey Jr. also appeared on ABC Good Morning America, but didn’t discuss the controversy over the word “retard.” He says the filmmakers made a conscious effort to avoid offending people with racial humor involving his character, which he played in blackface.)

I appeared yesterday on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, a national Fox network program, along with David Tolleson, executive director of the National Down Syndrome Congress; Eddie Barbanell, one of the stars of “The Ringer,” and Gitesh Pandya of Boxofficeguru.com. David, Eddie and I talked about why the disability community views the word ‘retard’ as hurtful. Gitesh said that protests add to the film’s appeal at the box office. Eddie’s comments definitely provided the high point of the segment. With video.

Eddie also appeared with Tim Shriver on Fox & Friends. (With video.) An excerpt from Shriver’s remarks:

We’re not questioning Ben Stiller’s intent. We’re questioning and challenging the content. We don’t know what he was thinking when he was writing. We didn’t have people on the set. Nobody invited people with intellectual disabilities to screen the film in the early days. Nobody asked us to see whether this movie crossed the line. They did ask other groups. They did not ask for the voice of people with special needs.

Film critics stand firm against ‘Tropic Thunder’ protests by advocates for the disabled in the Los Angeles Times. In a wrapup of reviews from 11 media outlets, John Horn notes: “Quite a few film critics appear to be agreeing with the studios and the filmmaker, not the protesters.” Includes excerpts from reviews in Salon.com, the San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Los Angeles Times, MTV and elsewhere.

Disabilities just aren’t funny, an op-ed by Jim Flanigan in the Albany [NY] Times Union. The executive director of the Rensselaer Arc says the movie is a “turkey” and urges people to stay home. An excerpt:

The people responsible for “Tropic Thunder” claim that they were equally offensive to many groups. The movie does make fun of actors, egotistical producers, farts, agents, war movies filled with explosions and drug dealers, all of which could be considered fair game. By adding people with disabilities to this mix, Stiller, Dream Works and Paramount are sending a not too subtle message to their young audience that they, too, are fair game.

Funny or offensive? Blackface, ‘retard’ jokes may shoot down ‘Tropic Thunder‘ — Q&A with Slate.com reviewer Dana Stevens on washingtonpost.com

Also:

Protesters speak out against ‘Tropic Thunder’ film – Hartford Courant blog

‘R-Word’ sets off protests — Chicago Tribune

Letters:

• The R-word isn’t funny — Let’s give it a rest –in the Tallahassee Democrat
• Slurs are unacceptable — in the New Orleans Times-Picayune