Tropic Thunder Boycott
Tropic Thunder Boycott:Special Olympics & Disability Groups Tropic Thunder Protest-The Special Olympics have teamed up with at least 21 other disability groups to demand a nationwide boycott of the new Ben Stiller-directed film entitled “Tropic Thunder”.The disability advocates are protesting over what they call “negative portrayal” of the developmentally disabled.In several promotional poster for the film which have since been removed the tagline read:
“Once upon a time There was a retard.”
The offending word is also used frequently in an exchange between Stiller and co-star Robert Downey Jr., who is a blond-haired, blue-eyed in real life but undergoes a skin treatment to play a black soldier.Peter Wheeler who is the spokesman for the Special Olympics, said on Monday:
“We are asking people not to go to the movie and hope to bring a consciousness to people about using derogatory words about this population.”
There may be picket signs on the red carpet tonight at the Westwood premiere of “Tropic Thunder “.
Stiller may be a comedian but ridiculing the mentally handicapped and playing around with racism seem far from being funny.But then again nothing like a good old controversy to sell a product especially in Hollywood.
Hopefully the “Tropic Thunder” boycott will bring more consciousness to Hollywood.
Category: Movie
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