Image of Protests of Tropic Thunder

[photo of an African American man with an intellectual disability wearing a sign at a NY protest that reads: When we have equality, then we will laugh. Behind him a middle aged woman carries a sign reading Retard is a Hate Word.]

from the Justice for All blog by AAPD (American Association of People with Disabilities)

An online petition protesting Tropic Thunder can be found at the blog, which reads in part:

What constitutes hate speech can only be defined by the community it seeks to reference, and as a community of people with disabilities, we adamantly declare the "R-word" and its prolific use in the film "Tropic Thunder" a prime example of such hate speech...

To sign the petition, go to the above link.

UPDATE from marketwatch.com (WSJ)

Peter V. Berns, Executive Director of The Arc of the United States remarked, "I've heard interviews of Ben Stiller in the last several days and he dismisses the controversy surrounding the movie. Stiller said that we don't understand that the movie is making fun of actors and they didn't intend to offend people with disabilities."The head of the Arc has written to Ben Stiller to ask him to meet with disability advocates. The letter says in part:

In recent interviews you've said that the film is not intended to make light of people with intellectual disabilities but is instead a satire on actors and the industry. I've seen the movie and the use of words such as "retard," "imbecile," and "moron" and the use of caricature in the depiction of an individual with intellectual disabilities are simply unacceptable.

It is offensive to the 4-5 million people that are living with intellectual disabilities, and the tens of millions of their parents, siblings, family members and friends. In fact, many people in the disability community would consider use of the "r" word in reference to a person with an intellectual disability to be hate speech, equivalent to use of the "n" word in reference to an African American.

I invite you to meet with a group of people with intellectual disabilities and their families in a city of your choosing - New York, Washington, DC, or Los Angeles. I look forward to a favorable reply.


The letter sent can be read here.