In today’s world, it is hard to believe that some people would still use a term such as “retard” and other offensive terms, and not expect some backlash. Yet this appears to be the case with Dreamworks Studios and director Ben Stiller. Their movie, Tropic Thunder, contains a story line focusing on a actor that once played a character called Simple Joe. Not only does the movie Tropic Thunder use the term “retard” repeatedly, Stiller, the film’s director and star, has repeatedly defended its use, and both Stiller and Dreamworks appear to be surprised by this controversy.
While I haven’t seen the movie myself, I have read a number of commentaries online and they seem to be split along “party lines.” People associated with the disability community are uniformly appalled by the movie and its content, and those associated with the movie industry are defensive and claiming that the movie is a satire and that therefore the terms used are not meant to be offensive. A clip of one of the controversial scenes can be seen on the About.com movie site and About.com’s Rebecca Murray has posted her review of the movie. The National Down Syndrome Congress has called for a boycott of the movie for the reasons listed on their site.
Have you seen the movie or are you boycotting? Share your opinions here:
