Thursday, August 21, 2008

Movie Ridicules Intellectually Disabled

The Arc of Howard County is calling upon the community to boycott the new "comedy/action/adventure" movie "Tropic Thunder," produced by DreamWorks and distributed by Paramount.

"Tropic Thunder," although satirical in intention, depicts people with intellectual disabilities in a derogatory and demeaning manner.

The movie features Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black, who portray self-absorbed actors filming a movie together. A film-within-a-film, "Simple Jack," stars Stiller as a man with an intellectual disability. The labels "retard" and "retarded" are used in the movie for comic effect, and visual images ridicule people with developmental disabilities.

No matter the intention, it is unacceptable and extremely hurtful for a majority group to freely make jokes about a minority group, reinforcing the prejudice and discrimination that people with developmental disabilities have been fighting for generations.

In Howard County, people with developmental disabilities attend public schools, belong to faith communities, attend entertainment and recreation activities, live in neighborhoods and hold down jobs at businesses. They are our family members, our friends, our neighbors and our co-workers. They do not deserve to be ridiculed to get a laugh in a movie.

Carol A. Beatty

executive director

Joseph V. Murray Sr.

president, board of directors

The Arc of Howard County