When Words Wound by John Franklin Stephens
So, what's wrong with "retard"? I can only tell you what it means to me and
people like me when we hear it. It means that the rest of you are excluding us
from your group. We are something that is not like you and something that none
of you would ever want to be. We are something outside the "in" group. We are
someone that is not your kind. I want you to know that it hurts to be left out
here -- alone. Nothing scares me as much as feeling all alone in a world that
moves so much faster than I do.
Right Now.
More Ruminations on the National Boycott of Tropic Thunder
Of course parts of Tropic Thunder are funny. I have no doubt satire is present in the movie. Unfortunately the ongoing "retard" gag completely misses its alleged mark because the script doesn't make the separation between the classic Hollywood portrayal of people with intellectual disabilities and actual people with intellectual disabilities obvious enough. The Simple Jack scene at the beginning of the movie is obviously a satirized take on Hollywood's presentation of mental retardation:
The DreamWorks marketing site www.simplejackmovie, now taken down, referred to a trailer. The site featured lushly photographed footage of Stiller as Jack romping through fields of wheat hitting butterflies with a sledgehammer, and blowing the seeds off a dandelion. A woman’s voice was heard saying, “Chet, I’ll talk to any retard I like.” And an accompanying plot synopsis described the “Simple Jack” film this way: (Text from the now-removed DreamWorks marketing site)Methinks this is obviously tongue in cheek - an obvious jab at Hollywood and its all too common patronizing portrayal of intellectual disabilities. This could have actually presented an (albiet in the worst of taste) an opportunity to have a constructive conversation about that portrayal.
Set in the depression era midwest, down on their luck farmers Chet Chetkinson and his wife Rebecca get dealt a winning hand when a traveling carnival leaves a “freak” behind. The stitching on his shirt says “Simple Jack,” but Rebecca quickly learns that he is anything but simple when a ferocious junkyard dog lunges for her and Jack calms the growling beast with a few soft words and some hand gestures. Rebecca runs to tell Chet, who is hard pressed to believe her stories of an “idiot” that can “talk to animals.” Chet succumbs to Rebecca’s pleas, and they take Jack in.
Testing Jack’s “ability,” Chet makes him train and groom their wild, unbroken mustang, Nutmeg. Sure enough, after a few short weeks, Nutmeg is the pride of the Dust Bowl circuit. Things are looking up, but how will Chet deal with Rebecca’s growing platonic love for Jack? Can he “simply” let it be? Tugg Speedman stars in what one critic called “one of the most retarded performances in cinema history.”
But, in the context of the movie, it doesn't. It just doesn't.
Not. At. All.
Speaking of which, as every mainstream critic and blogger seems to be shielding their glowing reviews of Tropic Thunder's Simple Jack storyline with the cliched "Equal Opportunity Offender" defense and parading Robert Downey Jr.'s black faced Kirk Lazarus as evidence of such, I would like to point out an essential difference: relevance. When is the last time you saw an actor appear in a film in black face? As a Hollywood technique, it hasn't been employed since the 1930's yet Stiller and Dreamworks were still very conscientious about how far they were taking the gag because even they realized it might still be too soon.
Conversely, when is the last time you hear "You're so retarded" or "That's so retarded"; was it as long ago as yesterday? Where did you hear it? On the playground, from a cashier at the grocery store, on prime time television during dinner? As far as I can see, the only place I haven't hear it yet is Sesame Street and the nightly news. I have faith that Sesame Street will stay strong, but I wish I could say the same for the news...
If you are going to satirize a current cultural phenomenon, you have to take extra care to insure the audience is laughing at the right target. This was less challenging with the black face gag because it is less likely that someone would take something so old school and outrageous seriously, but degrading the intellectual disability community isn't outrageous. It isn't old school. Apparently, as we are finding out, it isn't even surprising.
It happens every day, thousands of times over at the behest of every kind of person. Occupational therapists and teachers have allowed themselves to buy into the slang definition of retarded as meaning "ugly, bad, and stupid"; professionals and adolescents alike carelessly use it without any idea of the impact it has on the disability community.
As Tropic Thunder has.
I have no doubt that it this blunder wasn't intentional, nonetheless, it is what it is (though it certainly didn't hurt their media exposure, did it?). Had Ben Stiller and Dreamworks examined the Simple Jack/ Tugg Speedman storyline with the same critical eye they viewed the black face gag, they could have prevented this self declared "misunderstanding". Because such foresight was not put into the Simple Jack gag, here we are today. Complete with a bewildered Ben Stiller awkwardly explain that no offensive was meant, k?
After the offense was brought to the studio's attention, before the movie was even released, they had an opportunity to minimize the damage. It would have been unrealistic to think they would re-cut the movie, but concessions could have been made. How easy would it have been to place a PSA in front of the movie? In fact, Blueberry Shoes had already put one out...Dreamworks would only have had to add the reel to the projection booth.
How about issuing an apology? And by apology, I do not mean the self defense statements currently floating about, but one that actually acknowledged the validity of the disability community's concern; one that didn't of paint us as the over reactionary politically correct thought police? Accepting the tiniest about of responsibility would have gone a long, long way towards toning down the argument. Of course, then Dreamworks wouldn't have been able to milk the press coverage like a farmer milks a cow (oh peanut butter! Is my cynicism showing again?)
But it is what it is.
And that is a studio whose only concession was pulling the Simple Jack marketing campaign. That is a studio who sent a message when it didn't make make an effort to minimize the damage inherent in the slander present in its 100 million dollar production. We in the disability community have received that message, and to say I am underwhelmed would be compliment to the studio. I choose to believe that message is "Not our problem" but I wouldn't debate someone who argues it is "F off".
Which sucks.
It sucks because I couldn't agree more with Stiller and his assessment of the hypocrisy inherent in a Hollywood that would never dream of parading a white actor out in black face, but does the same for characters with intellectual disabilities. Those roles should be reserved for actors with disabilities. Not only would that kind of casting standard bring authenticity to the portrayals of mentally disabled characters, it would represent actual integration of the disability community in a media sorely lacking in both sincerity and inclusion.
Take the now infamous Never go full retard scene because it is a perfect illustration of a script that doesn't deleiver. From Patricia Bauer's website:
Tell me where, exactly, in the context of this dialogue, exists the separation between Tugg Speedman as the punchline and those with mental disabilities? Implicit in the scene is the premise that it is funny because it would be retarded to act so retarded...a premise that has devalued people with intellectual disabilities right out of the gate.
It would have been so very easy, especially considering that Ben Stiller worked on this script for a full decade, to negate the negative portrayal of mental retardation that the Never Go Full Retard scene relies on. Had Ben Stiller included an actual person with mental retardation to the cast (God forbid! Employ people with intellectual disabilities? Bite your tongue!) to contrast Tugg Speedman's interpretation of a person with mental retardation, this bit might have vilified the one dimensional presentation of people with intellectual disabilities found in Hollywood. Instead the painful absence of such balance in the movie leaves Tropic Thunder aiming it's laugh track at the disability community. Think, just for a moment, of the impact an actor with an intellectual disability would have had in a scene criticizing Tugg Speedman's portrayal of Simple Jack. How simple would it have been to add something like this:
"I saw your movie, Simply Jack"
"Yeah. Did you like it?" (said slow, loud, and patronizingly in tune with the character of Tugg Speedman)
"No. It wasn't retarded. It was stupid"
A plot device such as the above would have driven home the separation between laughing at Hollywood and mocking people with intellectual disabilities; it would have helped balance the entire Simple Jack story line. This is exactly the same technique Ben Stiller employed when he wrote in the character of Alpa Chino, played by Brandon T. Jackson, an actual African American actor whom acted as a control factor next to Robert Downey Jr's outrageously black faced Kirk Lazarus.
The “full retard” scene between Stiller’s Speedman and Robert Downey Jr.’s Kirk Lazarus is more extensive than the clip distributed on the internet. Among the lines not included in the Internet version:
Stiller: You know, it was an intense experience, you know? I just did the work. I watched a lot of retarded people, spent time with them,observed them, watched all the retarded stuff they did …..
… In a weird way, I had to free myself up to believe that it was okay to be stupid or dumb.
(Exchange with Downey Jr.) To be a moron. to be moronical. To be a moron. To be an imbecile. To be the dumbest M**** F***** that ever lived … Stupid ass Jack.
Stiller: By the end of it I was like, wait a minute. I’ve flushed so much out … how am I going to jump start it up again?
Downey: Yeah, you was farting in the bathtub, laughing your ass off …
Tell me where, exactly, in the context of this dialogue, exists the separation between Tugg Speedman as the punchline and those with mental disabilities? Implicit in the scene is the premise that it is funny because it would be retarded to act so retarded...a premise that has devalued people with intellectual disabilities right out of the gate.
It would have been so very easy, especially considering that Ben Stiller worked on this script for a full decade, to negate the negative portrayal of mental retardation that the Never Go Full Retard scene relies on. Had Ben Stiller included an actual person with mental retardation to the cast (God forbid! Employ people with intellectual disabilities? Bite your tongue!) to contrast Tugg Speedman's interpretation of a person with mental retardation, this bit might have vilified the one dimensional presentation of people with intellectual disabilities found in Hollywood. Instead the painful absence of such balance in the movie leaves Tropic Thunder aiming it's laugh track at the disability community. Think, just for a moment, of the impact an actor with an intellectual disability would have had in a scene criticizing Tugg Speedman's portrayal of Simple Jack. How simple would it have been to add something like this:
"I saw your movie, Simply Jack"
"Yeah. Did you like it?" (said slow, loud, and patronizingly in tune with the character of Tugg Speedman)
"No. It wasn't retarded. It was stupid"
A plot device such as the above would have driven home the separation between laughing at Hollywood and mocking people with intellectual disabilities; it would have helped balance the entire Simple Jack story line. This is exactly the same technique Ben Stiller employed when he wrote in the character of Alpa Chino, played by Brandon T. Jackson, an actual African American actor whom acted as a control factor next to Robert Downey Jr's outrageously black faced Kirk Lazarus.
Speaking of which, as every mainstream critic and blogger seems to be shielding their glowing reviews of Tropic Thunder's Simple Jack storyline with the cliched "Equal Opportunity Offender" defense and parading Robert Downey Jr.'s black faced Kirk Lazarus as evidence of such, I would like to point out an essential difference: relevance. When is the last time you saw an actor appear in a film in black face? As a Hollywood technique, it hasn't been employed since the 1930's yet Stiller and Dreamworks were still very conscientious about how far they were taking the gag because even they realized it might still be too soon.
Conversely, when is the last time you hear "You're so retarded" or "That's so retarded"; was it as long ago as yesterday? Where did you hear it? On the playground, from a cashier at the grocery store, on prime time television during dinner? As far as I can see, the only place I haven't hear it yet is Sesame Street and the nightly news. I have faith that Sesame Street will stay strong, but I wish I could say the same for the news...
If you are going to satirize a current cultural phenomenon, you have to take extra care to insure the audience is laughing at the right target. This was less challenging with the black face gag because it is less likely that someone would take something so old school and outrageous seriously, but degrading the intellectual disability community isn't outrageous. It isn't old school. Apparently, as we are finding out, it isn't even surprising.
It happens every day, thousands of times over at the behest of every kind of person. Occupational therapists and teachers have allowed themselves to buy into the slang definition of retarded as meaning "ugly, bad, and stupid"; professionals and adolescents alike carelessly use it without any idea of the impact it has on the disability community.
As Tropic Thunder has.
I have no doubt that it this blunder wasn't intentional, nonetheless, it is what it is (though it certainly didn't hurt their media exposure, did it?). Had Ben Stiller and Dreamworks examined the Simple Jack/ Tugg Speedman storyline with the same critical eye they viewed the black face gag, they could have prevented this self declared "misunderstanding". Because such foresight was not put into the Simple Jack gag, here we are today. Complete with a bewildered Ben Stiller awkwardly explain that no offensive was meant, k?
After the offense was brought to the studio's attention, before the movie was even released, they had an opportunity to minimize the damage. It would have been unrealistic to think they would re-cut the movie, but concessions could have been made. How easy would it have been to place a PSA in front of the movie? In fact, Blueberry Shoes had already put one out...Dreamworks would only have had to add the reel to the projection booth.
How about issuing an apology? And by apology, I do not mean the self defense statements currently floating about, but one that actually acknowledged the validity of the disability community's concern; one that didn't of paint us as the over reactionary politically correct thought police? Accepting the tiniest about of responsibility would have gone a long, long way towards toning down the argument. Of course, then Dreamworks wouldn't have been able to milk the press coverage like a farmer milks a cow (oh peanut butter! Is my cynicism showing again?)
But it is what it is.
And that is a studio whose only concession was pulling the Simple Jack marketing campaign. That is a studio who sent a message when it didn't make make an effort to minimize the damage inherent in the slander present in its 100 million dollar production. We in the disability community have received that message, and to say I am underwhelmed would be compliment to the studio. I choose to believe that message is "Not our problem" but I wouldn't debate someone who argues it is "F off".
Which sucks.
It sucks because I couldn't agree more with Stiller and his assessment of the hypocrisy inherent in a Hollywood that would never dream of parading a white actor out in black face, but does the same for characters with intellectual disabilities. Those roles should be reserved for actors with disabilities. Not only would that kind of casting standard bring authenticity to the portrayals of mentally disabled characters, it would represent actual integration of the disability community in a media sorely lacking in both sincerity and inclusion.
Honestly, it astonishes me that a movie the purports to expose the Hollywood hypocrisy of using self important actors pandering to an Oscar audience by exploiting people with intellectual disabilities, doesn't actually have any people without developmental disabilities in the cast. How is that not the teapot calling the kettle black? How is Tropic Thunder not a symptom itself of the culture it is indicting?
However, because Tropic Thunder truly blundered and was so sloppy and careless with the Simple Jack storyline, Tropic Thunder completely missed it's mark. Instead of creating something that could feasibly actually exist in synchronicity with some disability rights advocacy, it has done far more harm than had it never attempted to tackle such a tricky subject in the first place.
However, because Tropic Thunder truly blundered and was so sloppy and careless with the Simple Jack storyline, Tropic Thunder completely missed it's mark. Instead of creating something that could feasibly actually exist in synchronicity with some disability rights advocacy, it has done far more harm than had it never attempted to tackle such a tricky subject in the first place.
And nowhere is that damage more evident than in the backlash against the Tropic Thunder boycott. Wowza - as offensive as Tropic Thunder is, is has nothing on some of the commentary sparked by both a valid and an important debate regarding Hollywood's portrayal of people with disabilities. (How is that for irony? Tropic Thunder did spark the same discussion it purports to have intended ...it's just on the crappier side of the debate.)
Point in case:
Have you seen the comments left at Chewing the Fat?
And that, my blogging friends, that is why we are bringing on the Thunder.
If you're bringing on the thunder too, just post your link below and I'll add it to the Master Thunder list.
* And as a final and more personal note, might I add that until recently, Robert Downey Jr. was my boyfriend? True, he didn't know it, but we've been together since the eighties. I was there for him when he was jumping into unsuspecting neighbor beds hopped up on the white stuff, and thrilled when he made a comeback on Ally McBeal. Jack Black, though he has made some absolute crap, was brilliant in Be Kind Rewind, and that, now that, was a piece of film. Ben Stiller has been known to make me giggle too.
This breakup hasn't been easy for me. I was so ready to work with Tropic Thunder and its beloved cast, but my ethos (which is often suspect itself) cannot excuse the delivery of the movie because they allege good intent. My demographic was pooped all over and my daughter was treated like antibiotic resistant E coli. And I am pissed off.
They hath forsaken me (sigh; grasps tissue and blots at eyes) and a divorce is pending.
I am going to try to get every single cent I can.
Point in case:
John Says:
August 16th, 2008 at 10:01 am
It amazes me now many well-intentioned folks are going full retard over a stupid movie. It’s like a Special Olympics event to see who can generate more publicity and make the phrase *more* popular, because, just like the Special Olympics, no matter who “wins”, you’re still retarded!
“Never go full retard!”
SimplerJack Says:
August 14th, 2008 at 11:24 am
So why the big fuss? Retarded people won’t even know they’re being made fun of. No harm, no foul.
Have you seen the comments left at Chewing the Fat?
And that, my blogging friends, that is why we are bringing on the Thunder.
- Chewing The Fat
- Stairsteps
- ReJenerationsS
- Chewymom
- Chanelle and Tristan
- Dylan Update
- Ten Squares, Three Squiggles
- Mauzy's Musings
- Big Dawg Tales
- 5 Minutes for Special Needs
- Terrible Palsy
- All 4 My Gals
- Down Blogger
- Pinwheels
- Banana Migraine
- Gabi's World
- Shawen Stories
- Garden of Eagan
- 2 Pirates and a Princess
- Wheelchair Dancer
- Equal Not Special
- The Special Parent
- Beneath the Wings
- Barriers, Bridges, and Books
- Our Vietnamese Ladybug
If you're bringing on the thunder too, just post your link below and I'll add it to the Master Thunder list.
* And as a final and more personal note, might I add that until recently, Robert Downey Jr. was my boyfriend? True, he didn't know it, but we've been together since the eighties. I was there for him when he was jumping into unsuspecting neighbor beds hopped up on the white stuff, and thrilled when he made a comeback on Ally McBeal. Jack Black, though he has made some absolute crap, was brilliant in Be Kind Rewind, and that, now that, was a piece of film. Ben Stiller has been known to make me giggle too.
This breakup hasn't been easy for me. I was so ready to work with Tropic Thunder and its beloved cast, but my ethos (which is often suspect itself) cannot excuse the delivery of the movie because they allege good intent. My demographic was pooped all over and my daughter was treated like antibiotic resistant E coli. And I am pissed off.
They hath forsaken me (sigh; grasps tissue and blots at eyes) and a divorce is pending.
I am going to try to get every single cent I can.
Never Go Full Stiller...
Posted by Emily Elizabeth Labels: Advocacy, Rants, The "R" Word, Tropic BlunderUnless you live under a rock delightfully free from the modern day media and maybe a little less delightfully free from the information superhighway (I love me some Internet), you have probably heard all about the new Ben Stiller and Dreamworks Studio film, Tropic Thunder. You have probably been told about it's satirical take on Hollywood exploitation and the self absorbed, ego maniacal nature of its' biggest stars. And lucky you, you found out about its movie within a movie premise, the Simple Jack character and tag line "Once upon a time there was a retard". Of course you probably have even seen the now infamous scene starring Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. in which Downey Jr.'s character (in full black face) gives the sage advice to "Never go full retard".
If you know all about Tropic Thunder, then you definitely know about the national boycott of the movie for it's usage of the word "retard" and it's portrayal of people with mental retardation. The National Down Syndrome Society in conjunction with the Special Olympics, and a host of other disability rights advocacy groups have drawn a line in the sand and they won't be crossing it. Ever.
Let's review:
And let's not forget the official marketing campaign:
Of course there is also the offshoot merchandise you can purchase for a mere $14.99 on the Internet:
This concludes the review section of today's rant.
Now for the goods...
Here is a collection of some recent "film" criticism regarding the movie and it's notorious controversy. It is a perfect example of the backlash against a campaign seeking respect and dignity for people with intellectual disabilities. Suddenly the movie, which certainly is not in the same category as film, has champions across the main stream media looking to defend, get this, its integrity as social commentary. Seriously.
I'm not making this up.
I am not exactly sure which is more insulting - the assumption that because I find the usage of the word "retard" offensive in the context of this script I am inherently incapable of understanding satire; the open acknowledgment that a bigoted slur is repeatedly used but is excused under the guise of satire, or that Ben Stiller is actually courageous for writing a screenplay that relies on degrading an entire class of people to send the outstandingly original message that Hollywood is corrupt.
Rest assured I get satire. I love satire. Satire, when done correctly, is an incredibly effective social commentary tool, and usually very funny. The more subtle it is, the funnier it gets.
This is not satire. Satire would be a movie featuring the characterization of a white Hollywood movie star lobbying for a choice African American role whom foolishly appeared in blackface and used the N word repeatedly amongst actual African Americans in an attempt to become the character. That would be satire. Interestingly enough, in a Tropic Thunder story from The August 15th issue of Entertainment Weekly, this was said:
That dialogue was cut because it crossed the line (i.e. satire fans everywhere - it wasn't worth the risk of alienating the African American demographic to make it's point), but the derogatory use of the slur "retard" is used 17 times. 17 times because the powers that be (i.e. the holder of the almighty checkbook) decided the million or so people in this country affected by intellectual disabilities and mental retardation didn't constitute a big enough demographic to worry about offending. Or maybe they think we are poor as hell.
Satire, when done correctly, makes its target obvious. Unfortunately Tropic Thunder, in its misguided attempt at satire concerning mental disabilities, fails to do so like nobody's business. Let's examine (just for kicks, k?) the phrase (and merchandise) touting the line "Never Go Full Retard". This outrageous slur fails to make the separation between the one who would act retarded and the one who is mentally retarded that satire requires. The end message is that nobody should ever act retarded or be retarded because both are presented as undesirable and comical.
As we all have heard (endlessly, might I add) from Ben Stiller and his Dreamworks croonies, the film isn't mocking people with intellectual disabilities, just the actors who would portray them in film. I am sure that every 12 year old who gets a hold of a shirt that says "never go full retard" will wear it thinking "I am making fun of an actor and his misplaced Oscar aspirations". That's exactly what will be on the lips of every adolescent on the school bus this fall. Really.
Ultimately this is a cheezy slapstick movie going for the cheap laugh in over the top scenes. This is not a"film" nor in any way is it associated with art or constructive social commentary. It's a frat boy fart movie that a studio sunk ninety million dollars into betting that a unconscientious audience would turn it into a goldmine, regardless of ethics.
And in that bet, the studio completely wrote off the demographic of the intellectual disability community...as though those with mental retardation, learning delays, autism spectrum disorders, brain injuries, physical disabilities resulting in oxygen deprivation, and those that love them, have no spending power. As if we are too busy trying to stay alive and learn to read that we would never, ever consider going outside, yet alone going to the movies. As if we didn't even exist except as a punchline.
My money is as good as anyone else. I buy movie tickets. I buy t-shirts. I buy into media hype too.
Just not Tropic Thunder's. I will never "go full stiller" again. I would rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick than pay eight dollars to see a poorly disguised disability slur made at the expense of an entire class of people. All so I can come to the not played out at all conclusion that Hollywood is corrupt and insincere. Wowza - that's a revelation. Oh, I'm sorry - is my sarcasm showing again?
And then there are the bloggers. Yes...apparently every morally bankrupt excuse for humanity in the country has an Internet connection. Yippee.
No he didn't.
He is taking back the word retard. Never mind that this self proclaimed owner of words never had a right to it in the first place, but it would just really bum him out if he didn't feel comfortable using it as a synonym for "ugly, bad, and stupid". Never mind that it is a medical diagnosis that many people have; never mind that it kills most people in the disability community to hear it used in such a disrespectful way. Regardless of the endless words in the English language dedicated to insulting other people, it would be a travesty to have utilize one that didn't assume that mentally retardation is the very worst thing that could ever happen in all of the world. It's all about him and his right to slur others. In fact, it would be a violation of his first amendment rights to ask him to stop using the word retard as a slur. How dare we even think we could ask?
And if I read one more "My auntie works with the mentally retarded so if this movie was offensive, she'd know it. She thinks it's hilarious" comment I will vomit. If, by chance, I am lucky enough to have any such nieces or nephews reading right now, please know three things:
1) Your auntie isn't "in the know".
2) Your auntie desperately needs a new job.
3) If I were you, I wouldn't actually admit to anyone, ever, that my aunt is Nurse Ratchet.
So the bloggers that be are wrapping themselves up in founding principle of our country - the first amendment. An amendment that was designed to protect those that have been disenfranchised and persecuted for the beliefs and ideas; one that offers shelter for those that make a stand for their rights those around them. The first amendment is one of the most noble of all amendments and this is what is being used to justify what amounts to tired bullying and bigotry.
Unbelievable.
Do I think that Tropic Blunder should be banned? No, I don't. Do I think that the word "retarded" should be banned? No, I don't. The right to free speech is an integral part of my belief system and because of that, and only because of that, I don't. I don't think the N word should be banned either, because I don't think words should be banned, but I sure as hell would be furious to hear it used in the same context that "retarded" is being employed in Tropic Blunder.
Lord knows using the word retarded as a slur is far more damaging than the F-bomb, and we, as a society, have made all kinds of restrictions concerning that word. That you won't ever hear on prime time, but the same is not true for the "R" word.
I think people should choose not to use it in the pejorative sense because that is the right thing to do. That is why racial and sexual oriented slurs and epithets are frowned upon in the public eye of society. We, as a society, have decided it is not okay to belittle and humiliate a historically oppressed people based on characteristics beyond their control...at least not outside the privacy of our own homes.
However I do hope that Tropic Thunder flops like no one has failed before. I hope that the stand the disability community is making hits Hollywood and society right where it hurts - in their pocketbooks. In my perfect Utopia this movie will make "Waterworld" look positively successful.
Ultimately this movie and the controversy around it have made one thing painfully clear. People with intellectual disabilities, whom have a rich history of imprisonment, institutionalization, abuse, forced sterilization, public humiliation, segregation, and exclusion are still, in today's society of IEPS and mainstreaming, second class citizens. Forty years after the disability rights movement began in earnest, after the Individuals with Disabilities Act was signed into law, this movie proves that people with intellectual disabilities are still fair game to denigrate and mock in the full eye of public society; that it is still so socially acceptable to use mental retardation as a comic prop that a significant portion of the movie going population is shocked by the disability community's response.
The turn of the century saw the feminist fight for the right to vote; the middle of the century was rife with the fight for civil rights - both legally and socially. There have been great victories on both of those fronts, and while neither sexism nor racism is by any means dead in this country (in fact both are alive and kicking today), we have drawn important boundaries regarding social treatment of women and ethnic groups. Imagine, for a moment that the tag line for Tropic Blunder was "Never Go Full N*gg*r". Can you? Can you even imagine a major studio releasing a movie containing that kind of volatile racial slur with all it's connotations of historical abuse, segregation, and prejudice, in that context?
I think not.
Then riddle me this - why, for the love of god, should another class of disenfranchised people with a history that is also rich in suffering at the hands of a society that has dehumanized them, accept it?
Tropic Thunder, with it's unabashed disability slurs continues to propagate a negative stereotype of people with intellectual disabilities as stupid and embarrassing buffoons in a world doesn't take them seriously as it is. The nature in which Tropic Thunder has presented people with disabilities unfortunately is typical of a world that has failed to successfully integrate people with intellectual disabilities into society. We live in a country that doesn't often employ them, only occasionally houses them, and defines a monthly maxium benefit of $666 from Social Security (as long as you don't make more than $800 a month of your own accord, of course) and access to a publicly funded education as "inclusion". If people with intellectual disabilities were fully integrated into society, their medical diagnosis would be treated with the same dignity other diagnoses are; parents of typically developing children wouldn't keep complaining about all the resources spent on Special Education Students or publicly discuss whether the addition of children with special needs to mainstream classes will suck the smarts right out of their own children. Certainly if people with intellectual disabilities were full integrated in society, a major studio would never dream of actually promoting a film with the tag line "Once upon a time there was a retard".
Maybe you want to see the movie before you judge it, which is of course, reasonable criteria for any judgement. Please know though, that the minute you buy a ticket, you are buying into a caste system our society has forced people with mental retardation into...one that exists as the very bottom tier.
And should you decide to chance it and buy into this system of prejudice, know it is at my daughter's expense. Know that they are talking about her when they use the word retard. Know that she is their "retard".
Know that this is the R word that society should be utilizing.
Friends don't let friends see Tropic Thunder because friends don't let friends go full Stiller.
After all, how Stiller would that be?
Oh, and by the way...the mainstream bloggers have got it wrong. We are taking the word retarded back. It was never yours to begin with so quit yer bitchin'.
And no, you can't borrow it.
If you know all about Tropic Thunder, then you definitely know about the national boycott of the movie for it's usage of the word "retard" and it's portrayal of people with mental retardation. The National Down Syndrome Society in conjunction with the Special Olympics, and a host of other disability rights advocacy groups have drawn a line in the sand and they won't be crossing it. Ever.
Let's review:
And let's not forget the official marketing campaign:
Of course there is also the offshoot merchandise you can purchase for a mere $14.99 on the Internet:
This concludes the review section of today's rant.
Now for the goods...
Here is a collection of some recent "film" criticism regarding the movie and it's notorious controversy. It is a perfect example of the backlash against a campaign seeking respect and dignity for people with intellectual disabilities. Suddenly the movie, which certainly is not in the same category as film, has champions across the main stream media looking to defend, get this, its integrity as social commentary. Seriously.
I'm not making this up.
* "Not only is 'Tropic Thunder' guaranteed to offend, it already has. One of the mock films it references, 'Simple Jack' and its story of a developmentally challenged young person who talks to animals, uses the tag line 'Once upon a time . . . there was a retard.' This has so upset advocacy groups that news reports say a coalition of them is intending to call for a nationwide boycott to protest 'the movie's open ridicule of the intellectually disabled.' But it would be regrettable if 'Tropic Thunder's' undeniable excesses, including having an actor indulge in the 21st century version of blackface, blinded viewers to the reality that, like it or not, there is genuine humor and palpable satiric intent underneath the waves of unnerving bad taste and political incorrectness." -- Kenneth Turan, the Los Angeles Times.
* "The scene in which the derisive Alpa Chino [Brandon T. Jackson] nails Lazarus' recitation of black-uplift homilies as nothing more than the lyrics to the 'Jeffersons' theme is funny; but the one in which Lazarus quietly explains to Speedman that his 'Simple Jack' character failed because he made the mistake of going 'full retard' -- rather than softening his character with cuteness in the manner of 'Forrest Gump' -- is so on-the-nose accurate, it takes your breath away." -- Kurt Loder, MTV
* "A coalition of disability-advocate groups is organizing a boycott of 'Tropic Thunder' based on what they see as the offensiveness of the 'Simple Jack' gags. . . . But comedy needs the right to be offensive, and Stiller at least has the courage of his convictions: When he uses the word 'retard,' it's deliberate, not casual." -- Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
I am not exactly sure which is more insulting - the assumption that because I find the usage of the word "retard" offensive in the context of this script I am inherently incapable of understanding satire; the open acknowledgment that a bigoted slur is repeatedly used but is excused under the guise of satire, or that Ben Stiller is actually courageous for writing a screenplay that relies on degrading an entire class of people to send the outstandingly original message that Hollywood is corrupt.
Rest assured I get satire. I love satire. Satire, when done correctly, is an incredibly effective social commentary tool, and usually very funny. The more subtle it is, the funnier it gets.
This is not satire. Satire would be a movie featuring the characterization of a white Hollywood movie star lobbying for a choice African American role whom foolishly appeared in blackface and used the N word repeatedly amongst actual African Americans in an attempt to become the character. That would be satire. Interestingly enough, in a Tropic Thunder story from The August 15th issue of Entertainment Weekly, this was said:
EW: Your Costar Brandon T. Jackson told me there was a scene in the script where Osiris (Robert Downey Jr. in blackface) uses the N-word and that he said it went over the line.
Downey: Brandon might have saved the movie that day.
Stiller: For sure.
That dialogue was cut because it crossed the line (i.e. satire fans everywhere - it wasn't worth the risk of alienating the African American demographic to make it's point), but the derogatory use of the slur "retard" is used 17 times. 17 times because the powers that be (i.e. the holder of the almighty checkbook) decided the million or so people in this country affected by intellectual disabilities and mental retardation didn't constitute a big enough demographic to worry about offending. Or maybe they think we are poor as hell.
Satire, when done correctly, makes its target obvious. Unfortunately Tropic Thunder, in its misguided attempt at satire concerning mental disabilities, fails to do so like nobody's business. Let's examine (just for kicks, k?) the phrase (and merchandise) touting the line "Never Go Full Retard". This outrageous slur fails to make the separation between the one who would act retarded and the one who is mentally retarded that satire requires. The end message is that nobody should ever act retarded or be retarded because both are presented as undesirable and comical.
As we all have heard (endlessly, might I add) from Ben Stiller and his Dreamworks croonies, the film isn't mocking people with intellectual disabilities, just the actors who would portray them in film. I am sure that every 12 year old who gets a hold of a shirt that says "never go full retard" will wear it thinking "I am making fun of an actor and his misplaced Oscar aspirations". That's exactly what will be on the lips of every adolescent on the school bus this fall. Really.
Ultimately this is a cheezy slapstick movie going for the cheap laugh in over the top scenes. This is not a"film" nor in any way is it associated with art or constructive social commentary. It's a frat boy fart movie that a studio sunk ninety million dollars into betting that a unconscientious audience would turn it into a goldmine, regardless of ethics.
And in that bet, the studio completely wrote off the demographic of the intellectual disability community...as though those with mental retardation, learning delays, autism spectrum disorders, brain injuries, physical disabilities resulting in oxygen deprivation, and those that love them, have no spending power. As if we are too busy trying to stay alive and learn to read that we would never, ever consider going outside, yet alone going to the movies. As if we didn't even exist except as a punchline.
My money is as good as anyone else. I buy movie tickets. I buy t-shirts. I buy into media hype too.
Just not Tropic Thunder's. I will never "go full stiller" again. I would rather poke myself in the eye with a sharp stick than pay eight dollars to see a poorly disguised disability slur made at the expense of an entire class of people. All so I can come to the not played out at all conclusion that Hollywood is corrupt and insincere. Wowza - that's a revelation. Oh, I'm sorry - is my sarcasm showing again?
And then there are the bloggers. Yes...apparently every morally bankrupt excuse for humanity in the country has an Internet connection. Yippee.
Tropic Thunder's Retard Saved From Political Correctness
That's right, calling your buddy a "retard" is now hate speech. The next time one of your friends does something stupid, think before you verbally lynch him...If you don't like the word, don't use it. Don't see Tropic Thunder. Or see the movie and hate it. You're not required to like it, but that doesn't give you the right to stop the rest of us from using it, or from seeing the movie if we want to. That's what living in a free society is supposed to be about. Leave retard alone. We're taking it back.
No he didn't.
He is taking back the word retard. Never mind that this self proclaimed owner of words never had a right to it in the first place, but it would just really bum him out if he didn't feel comfortable using it as a synonym for "ugly, bad, and stupid". Never mind that it is a medical diagnosis that many people have; never mind that it kills most people in the disability community to hear it used in such a disrespectful way. Regardless of the endless words in the English language dedicated to insulting other people, it would be a travesty to have utilize one that didn't assume that mentally retardation is the very worst thing that could ever happen in all of the world. It's all about him and his right to slur others. In fact, it would be a violation of his first amendment rights to ask him to stop using the word retard as a slur. How dare we even think we could ask?
And if I read one more "My auntie works with the mentally retarded so if this movie was offensive, she'd know it. She thinks it's hilarious" comment I will vomit. If, by chance, I am lucky enough to have any such nieces or nephews reading right now, please know three things:
1) Your auntie isn't "in the know".
2) Your auntie desperately needs a new job.
3) If I were you, I wouldn't actually admit to anyone, ever, that my aunt is Nurse Ratchet.
So the bloggers that be are wrapping themselves up in founding principle of our country - the first amendment. An amendment that was designed to protect those that have been disenfranchised and persecuted for the beliefs and ideas; one that offers shelter for those that make a stand for their rights those around them. The first amendment is one of the most noble of all amendments and this is what is being used to justify what amounts to tired bullying and bigotry.
Unbelievable.
Do I think that Tropic Blunder should be banned? No, I don't. Do I think that the word "retarded" should be banned? No, I don't. The right to free speech is an integral part of my belief system and because of that, and only because of that, I don't. I don't think the N word should be banned either, because I don't think words should be banned, but I sure as hell would be furious to hear it used in the same context that "retarded" is being employed in Tropic Blunder.
Lord knows using the word retarded as a slur is far more damaging than the F-bomb, and we, as a society, have made all kinds of restrictions concerning that word. That you won't ever hear on prime time, but the same is not true for the "R" word.
I think people should choose not to use it in the pejorative sense because that is the right thing to do. That is why racial and sexual oriented slurs and epithets are frowned upon in the public eye of society. We, as a society, have decided it is not okay to belittle and humiliate a historically oppressed people based on characteristics beyond their control...at least not outside the privacy of our own homes.
However I do hope that Tropic Thunder flops like no one has failed before. I hope that the stand the disability community is making hits Hollywood and society right where it hurts - in their pocketbooks. In my perfect Utopia this movie will make "Waterworld" look positively successful.
Ultimately this movie and the controversy around it have made one thing painfully clear. People with intellectual disabilities, whom have a rich history of imprisonment, institutionalization, abuse, forced sterilization, public humiliation, segregation, and exclusion are still, in today's society of IEPS and mainstreaming, second class citizens. Forty years after the disability rights movement began in earnest, after the Individuals with Disabilities Act was signed into law, this movie proves that people with intellectual disabilities are still fair game to denigrate and mock in the full eye of public society; that it is still so socially acceptable to use mental retardation as a comic prop that a significant portion of the movie going population is shocked by the disability community's response.
The turn of the century saw the feminist fight for the right to vote; the middle of the century was rife with the fight for civil rights - both legally and socially. There have been great victories on both of those fronts, and while neither sexism nor racism is by any means dead in this country (in fact both are alive and kicking today), we have drawn important boundaries regarding social treatment of women and ethnic groups. Imagine, for a moment that the tag line for Tropic Blunder was "Never Go Full N*gg*r". Can you? Can you even imagine a major studio releasing a movie containing that kind of volatile racial slur with all it's connotations of historical abuse, segregation, and prejudice, in that context?
I think not.
Then riddle me this - why, for the love of god, should another class of disenfranchised people with a history that is also rich in suffering at the hands of a society that has dehumanized them, accept it?
Tropic Thunder, with it's unabashed disability slurs continues to propagate a negative stereotype of people with intellectual disabilities as stupid and embarrassing buffoons in a world doesn't take them seriously as it is. The nature in which Tropic Thunder has presented people with disabilities unfortunately is typical of a world that has failed to successfully integrate people with intellectual disabilities into society. We live in a country that doesn't often employ them, only occasionally houses them, and defines a monthly maxium benefit of $666 from Social Security (as long as you don't make more than $800 a month of your own accord, of course) and access to a publicly funded education as "inclusion". If people with intellectual disabilities were fully integrated into society, their medical diagnosis would be treated with the same dignity other diagnoses are; parents of typically developing children wouldn't keep complaining about all the resources spent on Special Education Students or publicly discuss whether the addition of children with special needs to mainstream classes will suck the smarts right out of their own children. Certainly if people with intellectual disabilities were full integrated in society, a major studio would never dream of actually promoting a film with the tag line "Once upon a time there was a retard".
Maybe you want to see the movie before you judge it, which is of course, reasonable criteria for any judgement. Please know though, that the minute you buy a ticket, you are buying into a caste system our society has forced people with mental retardation into...one that exists as the very bottom tier.
And should you decide to chance it and buy into this system of prejudice, know it is at my daughter's expense. Know that they are talking about her when they use the word retard. Know that she is their "retard".
Know that this is the R word that society should be utilizing.
Friends don't let friends see Tropic Thunder because friends don't let friends go full Stiller.
After all, how Stiller would that be?
Oh, and by the way...the mainstream bloggers have got it wrong. We are taking the word retarded back. It was never yours to begin with so quit yer bitchin'.
And no, you can't borrow it.
Cue theme music.
I Hath Returned...
Posted by Emily Elizabeth Labels: Blogger Apologies, Comments for the Poor, Cutest Kids
Ahhh...summertime. I feel I barely knew thee before you began to run away.
So obviously I am a bad, bad blogger. The long summer days and warm nights are a jealous lover; The summer haze stole me from my cyberspace love and forced me to leave the desktop all alone; abandoned in the land of nada with nary a playmate.
It's not my fault. Summer is a high maintenance mistress.
But, I have pulled myself from her humid grasp long enough to announce my return. Hopefully a nice long return...but as my attention span is my own worst enemy (fruit flies have longer life spans) and time keeps chasing me down (with the constant tick of the tock - my lord, enough already!), just know that I have the best of intentions.
The WonderBabes have fared well this summer. Playdates, beaches, and dirt, oh my! They have been busy little bees and are growing so fast. Miss E now uses her own "shopper in training" cart at the grocery store and has finally taught her little bro-ham how to jump (and by jump I don't mean the classic crouch and stand up while screaming - I'm talking wind beneath his legs). As for my little squeaker Gabe (also known as the brand new two year old), well this is the season he officially has just no time for eating and sleeping...the child is living on air and timeouts.
For you, my cyber peeps, I have a treat. In fact, I have a deal to make. If you can hear the echo of my long lost typing through the halls of cyberspace and decide to come back for a 'lil status quo check up on Lovely and Amazing and the Case of the MIA Blogger, I'll post some of the best WonderBabe photographs to grace the walls of Blogland and maybe...just maybe, a video.
What was that? You'll come back? Why, of course I'll make good on my end of the deal.
Our Floridian Vaca...
Gabe's very first time seeing the ocean (they became the bestest of friends)...
Cousin Sophie
Apparently Emma can make friends at the speed of light....
Gabe's Birfday Toddler Ruckus...at an amusement park no less...
Two and already driving...
And for the Grand Finale, A great meeting of the minds!
So. for my Blogland 'peeps o' mine, come out, come out wherever you are!
Also known as it is finally summer. Thank. God.
So...what has BlogLand missed during my unexpected sabbatical? The WonderBabes did return from their family vacation in the Southland and I found out that five days really is too long to live without wonder. Thankfully during their absence I only embarrassed my self slightly (what with the girlfriends, whine, and empty abode) and avoided jail time completely. Whoo Hoo!
What happens in the empty house, stays in the empty house. Who needs Vegas?
Since the Fiercesome Twosome jumped back into my arms we've had long summer days filled with stroller rides, swings in the park, afternoon ice cream, the screams of transition accompanied by the infamous Drop and Flop (that would be all Gabe; Emma played the Dead Weight card back in her toddling days) and the first official wading pool visit of the season. A visit that, might I add, proved an almost two year old can drown in a mere two feet of water. Yeppers, I have discovered that when Gabe falls in the pool he doesn't stand up, but just sinks helplessly to the bottom of the pool (OMG! Why don't you stand up!). So a healthy fear of water has emerged for Danger Babe and his neurotic mother has finally calmed down again (I still have images of him slowly sinking beneath the less than knee deep water, somehow aligned perfectly horizontal to the concrete pool floor).
Little Miss E is out of school for the summer and excepting the Monday program she and Gabers are enrolled in, it looks like the Wonder Parents (as in I wonder what we'll do today? Where are the Arts and Crafts people?!!!) will be responsible for filling a dangerously empty schedule (theirs, not ours). May the force be with us.
We have decided to start with a family vacation to the beautiful state of Florida where we will introduce Gabe to the ocean and be thankful for his new found fear of water. We will be staying on the beach with family and dreams of hot tubs and waves are already running through my head. That adventure begins this weekend and will last through the firecracker holiday. Can anyone say Pina Colada?
So now, for the WonderBabe fans, I have kept you waiting long enough with all of the "blah, blah, blahing" - it's time to git your picture on!
So...what has BlogLand missed during my unexpected sabbatical? The WonderBabes did return from their family vacation in the Southland and I found out that five days really is too long to live without wonder. Thankfully during their absence I only embarrassed my self slightly (what with the girlfriends, whine, and empty abode) and avoided jail time completely. Whoo Hoo!
What happens in the empty house, stays in the empty house. Who needs Vegas?
Since the Fiercesome Twosome jumped back into my arms we've had long summer days filled with stroller rides, swings in the park, afternoon ice cream, the screams of transition accompanied by the infamous Drop and Flop (that would be all Gabe; Emma played the Dead Weight card back in her toddling days) and the first official wading pool visit of the season. A visit that, might I add, proved an almost two year old can drown in a mere two feet of water. Yeppers, I have discovered that when Gabe falls in the pool he doesn't stand up, but just sinks helplessly to the bottom of the pool (OMG! Why don't you stand up!). So a healthy fear of water has emerged for Danger Babe and his neurotic mother has finally calmed down again (I still have images of him slowly sinking beneath the less than knee deep water, somehow aligned perfectly horizontal to the concrete pool floor).
Little Miss E is out of school for the summer and excepting the Monday program she and Gabers are enrolled in, it looks like the Wonder Parents (as in I wonder what we'll do today? Where are the Arts and Crafts people?!!!) will be responsible for filling a dangerously empty schedule (theirs, not ours). May the force be with us.
We have decided to start with a family vacation to the beautiful state of Florida where we will introduce Gabe to the ocean and be thankful for his new found fear of water. We will be staying on the beach with family and dreams of hot tubs and waves are already running through my head. That adventure begins this weekend and will last through the firecracker holiday. Can anyone say Pina Colada?
So now, for the WonderBabe fans, I have kept you waiting long enough with all of the "blah, blah, blahing" - it's time to git your picture on!
The WonderBabes also joined me to celebrate their Godparents' ten year anniversary by renewing their vows in front of their loved ones. I was the official image maker for the day and tried not to wince too hard as I completely shirked in my supervision duties and Pinko Grammy and Type A Grampy picked up the slack. They fielded the Fiercesome Twosome during their numerous escape attempts as I remained safely behind the shutter muttering "some people's kids" to everybody I could. Pinko Grammy and Type A Grampy miraculously survived.
And the (still) happy couple
Now that you are all caught up - go forward basis, baby! Stay tuned for the next exciting installment of Summer 2008 which could answer such burning questions as Will Gabe ever tire of Time Out? Will Emma finally learn to use the big girl swing all by herself? Will their mother invoke a moratorium on the all too familiar Drop and Flop? And of course, the best one yet - What does a vacation look like?
"It's not about wining or losing, it's about having fun."
I couldn't agree more.
Yep. That's me. Prove it isn't.I love the Internet.
Archie hath tagged me with the Me Me Meme. This is all his fault.
What I was doing 10 years ago: Desperately trying to find a phone company that would take mercy upon me and give some service to the college poor after returning home from a month abroad while Pinko Grammy (not so patiently) awaited the promised phone call of my safe return. After receiving some not-so-nice messages my employer logged (as in "you need to call your mother right now. I cannot repeat what she said"), she finally did receive the anticipated reunion call. About a week late.
That was when she found out I had begun living in sin with a boy who didn't have a phone.
I am definitely going to hell for that.
But, on the plus side, I did eventually marry Sir Snores Alot, didn't I?
5 things on my "to-do" list today:
1) Work
2) Make sure Sir Snores Alot and WonderBabes actually make their flight
3) Make sure Sir Snores Alot and WonderBabes make it off the flight
4) Realize that I am home alone. As in a.l.o.n.e. Not even a babysitter. Just me and our three high maintenance felines. Wowza. Seriously.
5) Uncork wine bottle and run amok in my skivvies with loud offensive music blaring as I shout obscenities at the cats.
Did I mention that I'll be alone?
*Note to self - don't forget to draw down the shade*
And I'll add a bonus item too:
6) Call Sir Snores Alot and WonderBabes at bedtime for a virtual goodnight kiss and remind them how much they miss me.
Bad habits: None. Whatsoever. Didn't you see my picture above? I'm off on another goodwill mission tomorrow. I'm thinking of buying a third world country and setting it free.
Ok, it is possible that I have a bit of a problem with fibbing. Just a tiny bit.
Of course, there is the issue of my to do list, item 5.
You make the call.
5 places I've lived:
1) In my head
2) Outside of my head
3) In Brad Pitt's head (again, refer to aforementioned picture)
4) In a closet
5) In the Cheese Belt
And for the viral part of this meme - 4 people I want to know more about:
Jen at I Never Thought, Anne at Archie's Room, Carey at Dream Big; and Pam at Rhett's Journey.
I apologize in advance.
Kinda.
Okay, I may be lying just a little bit about the bear part.
The Fantastic Four and their tired mamas toured the local (and imported) wildlife at our free zoo yesterday. Great fun was had by all...which is impressive because yet again, Gabe's zest for life and little legs led gleefully him away from the group...again, and again, and again. Insert childish happy laugh followed by a most unhappy authoritarian (or so I like to think) "Gabe, come here!"
As Mama C said "That kid is running his way right into a child leash".
My sentiments exactly.
Barring the restraints that li' G might soon find himself in, here are a few Kodak moments from our animal fest.
Not only did Emma and Gabe get to ride on the train, Emma also got to ride on her first official "real" amusement park ride...right next to moi. We, along with all the other trusty four and five year old fire fighters, put "out" a fire blazing from a "burning" building (and by fire and burning I mean paint and paint). We stood in two person fire carts that went up and down, round and round while we held our fire hoses and sprayed to our hearts' content. Fake fire - real water. Emma loved it.
Lil' G and Baby A were too wee to join us. Baby A handled it much better than Gabe. He really put some force into that tantrum. Luckily I was on an amusement ride...feeling nice and amused.
The return home brought snores aplenty and this little adorable scene.
How cute is that?
This will be the Summer of the Fantastic Four. I can feel it already.
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