on Tropic Thunder Controversy: Stiller Responds at 21:05 08/11/2008

Love Ben Stiller, too, usually. This time the problem is in the promotion of the film. I've started hearing "full-on retard" as a phrase being used by people. As the mom of a little girl with Down syndrome, I find the phrase as ugly as the "N" word or names that have been used to put down Hispanic people or Jewish people. It's a hate word. It isn't funny. It isn't OK to put down other people as the butt of jokes in the workplace, so why is it OK in school or public to use "tard" or "retard" as a way of putting someone down? It just makes it OK to hate people. Laughing at people who have done nothing to hurt you and who cannot generally defend themselves is pretty sad. How is that funny? BTW folks, in The Ringer, the people with the challenges made the jokes not the "normal" characters. Special Olympics saw The Ringer and OK'd it because it didn't make people with challenges look stupid. It showed that they were just like everyone else in their feelings and sense of humour. This movie shows lame-ass actors trying to kiss up for Oscars and minimizing the people they portray to earn those Oscars. It's an interesting premise, but badly done. Stiller owes people with intellectual challenges an apology for the stupidity that will be copied by idiots everywhere.