But I do know that you can have a point when using a word like “retard” to make fun of the person using it, in the same way that the term “ni**erhating hat” is making fun of people in cowboy hats, rather than black people.
I wrote a parody called Rainforest Man in which Al Gore plays the role Dustin Hoffman made famous. When it won an award on the web, my wife forward it to her cousins, one of whom has a couple of autistic sons. They didn’t see the humor in the parody, partially because of their situation and partially because they are big big libs and luuuurve Al and Tipper Gore.
And they pointed out how I used words like “idiot” and “retard” in the piece. But those words were uttered exclusively by Bill Clinton, and it was meant to show him as a callous dirtbag. It was intended to juxtapose the real Bill Clinton with the sensitive caring persona he sells to saps.
It never even occurred to me that somebody would take offense at comparing Al Gore to Rainman. In my mind, I was riffing on the Dustin Hoffman performance (which I found comical and one-dimensional) and comparing it to Al Gore’s everyday personality. I wasn’t really targeting autistic people in general.
In two days, I’m going to the camp I’ve spent one week a year at for 28 consecutive summers. It’s is a camp for handicapped kids, including Downs and autistic kids, among others. So, right or wrong, I kinda give myself a little leeway, and consider myself sensitive to the issue at hand, despite my non-PC leanings.
I tend to believe that Stiller is making a point about Hollywood, while also having a good-natured laugh at the expense of the handicapped. He starred in “There’s Something About Mary” which caused similar outrage. The word “retard” was tossed around in that movie too, and many of the sight gags came at the expense of Mary’s handicapped brother. But, like “The Ringer” the overall tone of the movie was very sympathetic and endearing towards the brother.
When you’re making jokes at the expense of everybody in the film, like “Something About Mary” I think it’s sort of “mainstreaming” to have a few chuckles at the expense of the handicapped character. After working with them for so long, I can tell you that there are plenty of handicapped people who can take a joke and can dish them out as well.
This new movie seems to be making fun of a wide swath of people, so why leave anybody out?
Thanks dead, I appreciate having a civilized discussion about the issue. The examples of the usual responses can be seen here as well as other ones I’ve read on anonymous comment boards that are a lot less family friendly and I think that is where the issue lies (and pretty telling about the type of people posting those comments).
I think the difference between “Something About Mary”, your parody and Tropic Thunder is a matter of quantity. I actually thought “Something About Mary” was a pretty funny flick. Yeah I cringed when Dillon’s character talked about working with “retards” but his character’s shortcomings were well established, he used it once (or twice, I can’t remember) and the movie moved on. The relationship between Stiller’s and Cameron Diaz’ character and W. Earl Brown’s portrayal of Warren (yes, the aforementioned stereotypical portrayal but not as a repeated source of humor) and the other folks with disabilities was a far more positive on balance. I’m sure your wife’s lib cousin would have found any excuse to be offended by your parody.
All I can say is that I guess your perspective changes when something hits you personally. I was as anti-PC as anyone here before my son was born. I’ll say most of the un-”PC” words weren’t in my vocabulary anyway but I still thought the PC movement had run amok.
Friends and family members, no matter how well intentioned and understanding, really can’t grasp what is like to have a child with a disability (just as I’ll never know what my son will have to deal with on a personal level). My wife and I enjoyed and found a great level of comfort meeting up with other parents who went through the same experiences that we had because they got “it” without having to try to explain what “it” was. While there are some parents who will try to paint a rosy picture from day, most of us did go through a process (and yes, there is a progression of feelings) of having a child that others will and do view as “imperfect.”
We’ll have to agree to disagree on this matter but I do appreciate your point of view. Like I said before, it was one I shared at one point. But people like yourself aren’t where the problem lies (and kudos at your time at the camp).