Post by victoriasdad on Aug 8, 2008 20:59:35 GMT -5
Body: Body: ----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Molly
Date: Aug 7, 2008 2:35 PM
not only should we boycott this movie we should let retailers know that if they sell copies of this movie (such as walmart, target, ect) that we will boycott their stores also, lets not forget it was target that was selling buttons , shirts, and other memorabilia that said "your such a retar... after the napoleon dynamite movie. lets not wait until the dvd is already in the stores before we let them know how we feel, we should right them right now so they will have no excuse this time.
dennis
A national coalition of disability rights organizations has formally requested a meeting with executives at DreamWorks/Paramount to express concerns about negative portrayals of people with intellectual disabilities in “Tropic Thunder,” an R-rated raunchfest that is set to open August 13.
(Earlier posts here and here.
)
Ben Stiller plays two characters in the big-budget comedy: a fading action hero (above left with Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black), and “Simple Jack,” a kind-hearted dolt with bad teeth whose onscreen presence prompts frequent use of words like “retard,” “moron” and “imbecile.
”
At a hastily convened conference call yesterday, advocates voiced dissatisfaction over studio promotional materials that feature the slogan “Once upon a time … There was a retard,” as well as worries that the Simple Jack character reinforces hurtful stereotypes. The ad-hoc coalition also requested an advance screening of the film.
Among the organizations represented were the American Association of People with Disabilities, The Arc of the United States, Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Congress, United Cerebral Palsy, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, TASH, and the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts.
While the group was optimistic that the meeting and screening would take place next week, it also discussed possible organized efforts to attract negative attention to the film.
In a New York Times article this morning that references this website, studio executives brushed aside questions about the way the film portrays people with disabilities.
Here’s a comment from Stacey Snider, chief executive of the DreamWorks unit:
Ms. Snider acknowledged the risks inherent in the film. It is the first from DreamWorks, she said, to use a so-called red band trailer, which attempts to limit access to online viewers 17 or older.
(Visitors to tropicthunder. com can view it only after clicking on “Restricted” and entering name, ZIP code and birth date.
)
But the film’s humor, she said, comes at the expense of its own heroes, a corps of knucklehead actors, rather than of the handicapped or anyone else. “The star-studdedness of it, and the absolute playability of it, trumps it all,” Ms. Snider said.
And from the film’s star, director and lead writer Ben Stiller, there was this:
“It’s hard for me to tell people how to react,” he said. “The whole point of the movie is about actors, and the length actors will go to to advance their careers.
”
For disability rights organizations, the stakes are high. “Tropic Thunder” is among the summer’s biggest films, with major stars, a production budget of about $90 million and a promotional budget of tens of millions more.
Whatever messages are embedded in the movie will soon be seen by millions of people, and could help to define how people with apparent disabilities are viewed by the public. Current figures from the U.S. Census Bureau put the number of Americans with cognitive disabilities at 14.3 million, or 6 percent of the population 15 and older.
There will doubtless be statements from studio executives who say the film is an equal opportunity offender. It pokes fun at racial stereotypes, with Robert Downey Jr. dressing in blackface and citing the theme song of “The Jeffersons.” Jack Black does fart jokes.
Everybody’s offended, right?
Let’s answer that with some questions. People of different races surely were involved in the making of this film, and were able to express opinions about which references were humorous and which might have gone too far. So were people with different sexual orientations.
How many people with cognitive disabilities were involved in the making of this film? Were any people with cognitive disabilities involved in focus groups for this film? How many are employed by Dreamworks, or by parent company Paramount?
And one more question for studio executives: If you had a family member or loved one with a cognitive disability, how do you think they would respond if somebody called them a “retard”?
For reference: Dave Hingsburger’s essay on one girl’s reaction:
http://davehingsburger.
blogspot. com/2008/05/that-word-this-girl.
html
&
Susan, Proud mom of Michael (32), Justin (25) Emily (22ds), and Jordan (20).
