Groups Boycott Tropic Thunder as Offensive to Developmentally Disabled

According to Patricia Bauer on her Disability News Web site, the new Ben Stiller flick, Tropic Thunder, contains a scene that can be considered "hate speech" directed toward individuals with developmental disabilities. Why? Because it makes prolific use of the word "retard."

From what I can gather from a transcript of the scene, Ben Stiller's character is discussing with Robert Downey Jr.'s character a failed movie attempt from his past where he played a character named Simple Jack, who is obviously just that: simple. Downey tells Stiller that the reason his movie failed was that he went "full retard" as opposed to just acting slow like Dustin Hoffman in Rainman or Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump. This afternoon the forums on SPEDWatch of Massachusetts lit up with suggestions of demonstrations and boycotts. NPR News ran the story once Timothy Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics threw his hat in the ring to encourage anyone who supports individuals with special needs to boycott the film.

Now, being a Special Education teacher of students with moderate to severe special needs, I spend a lot of my time with children who have a range of developmental delays up to and including Down's Syndrome which is the most widely recognized developmental disability, marked by unique facial features that make it easy to spot. While I would never allow any of my students to use the word "retard" while speaking of themselves or others, the word has been around since 1895 (according to Webster's Dictionary) and is as widely used as the many variations of the "N" word. Hollywood has been producing characters with developmental disabilities for years and Tropic Thunder is no different. In fact, the movie is actually making fun of Hollywood's tendency to reach laughable heights when filming a movie. So it raises the question of whether or not the actions of these special interest groups borders on the suggestion of censorship.

After reading the transcript of the scene in question, I have to wonder how other movies that have openly mocked individuals with disabilities have managed to slip under the radar. How did we not get incensed over Johnny Knoxville's portrayal of a developmentally disabled individual in The Ringer? Not only did he act "retarded" but the entire plot of the movie follows his attempts to crash the Special Olympics! Is it simply because there wasn't an open use of the "R" word? Was it because he didn't wear overalls and false teeth like Ben Stiller does in Tropic Thunder?

The other question that begs asking is, does protesting or boycotting the film send the right message? Indeed our society really hasn't come that far in the treatment of individuals with developmental disabilities but neither has it come that far in the treatment of minorities, homosexuals, and women. However, one rarely sees the boycotting of a movie that openly makes fun of gay men, uses the "N" word, or objectifies women because we believe in the freedom of speech and the freedom of creativity, of artistic license. Everyone who goes to see a film written by Ben Stiller expects to be offended at some point in the movie but the American movie going public knows to take it all with a grain of salt. They don't protest, they don't boycott. They may groan or roll their eyes when a particular joke or scene strikes a chord, but they don't call for censorship.

In the meantime, while we are busy boycotting Tropic Thunder, what happens to the rest of the issues that should be on the front burner? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I just signed my new contract today and school starts in a few weeks. That means new education plans, evaluations, referrals. Aren't our students and children much more important than a movie that we can choose to view or not? And to further that thought, shouldn't we see the movie before we pass judgment? Working with Special Education students, our message is one of tolerance and open mindedness. Let's practice these virtues before we attack Ben Stiller and his occasionally inappropriate sense of humor. And Patricia Bauer, I actually still find fart humor rather funny.