Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Protesting as Promised

Like they said they would, disability groups protested outside the LA premiere of Tropic Thunder on Monday. They’re upset with the film for its use of the word “retard,” which they consider to be hate speech.

DreamWorks has reportedly made changes to its trailers in response to the controversy, but so far there’s no indication that they will make changes to the actual film.

10 CommentsLeave a comment

  • You’d think the elite hollywood movie making system would stop making fun of people with handicaps, who are poor and uneducated but not by choice and stick with the money making sex, sex, murder, mayhem, drugs, drinking, con artists, deviancy and fracturing history by now. Ben Stiller is toasted crap at his best. Another Dumb movie like Borat.
    PLEASE READ!! Suspended from work for fight with Colleague who made fun of handicapped kids collecting money?
    First, let me preface what I’m about to say ,by saying that my little brother has Down Syndrome. He is the sweetest, most loving kid I know. Now, Today at work, Two kids with Down Syndrome came up to my office to collect money for The Special Olympics.Pretty much everyone in my office, of course me included gave a donation. I actually give a sizeable gift to the Special Olympics every year. After the kids left, a HEARTLESS colleague at work( whom I barely talk to) started making fun of the kids for over an hour calling them every derogatory term for the handicapped. This sent me into a rage, to the point where I was about to attack him, I had tears in my eyes. I was restrained by two of the girls I work with in my office. My boss ran out and made us both come into his office and suspended both of us for a day with no pay. HOW DO I HANDLE THIS!!!?
    Best Answer – Chosen by Voters
    Take your suspension and don’t fight at work anymore. That’s how you handle it.
    See? They don’t get it.

  • gumball, if you thought borat was “another dumb movie” you need to take a closer look at who might actually be a “retard”.

  • Did they protest “The Ringer” ? They are retarded if they didn’t protest that movie too.

  • Good call Joan.

    These protests are starting to get stale. Can’t imagine they’re too much good for gossip either. Movie writers already beat that dead horse for about six months too much.

    It’s a comedy movie. By definition the genre takes the piss out of everything and anything that’s considered funny in any way shape or form.

    These “groups” see everything else in every movie as humor, but that one element that they can relate to and interpret as an insult is seen as an instant call to arms. To satisfy every one of these groups you would have to kill humor in relation to anyone entirely. What fun would that be?

  • they should just lay low – judging by the “hilarious” previews i reckon this movie will be out of the theaters in about 5 minutes.

  • that’s so retarded. Protests are retarded. This is retarded. No you’re retarded. Let’s get retarded in here. yeah yeah

  • I don’t think they’ve changed it yet because I just went to the movies&ben stiller definitely still said retarded…

  • I have been working in the Developmental Disabilities field for over 17 years and I plan on seeing this movie, because I laughed at the previews. However, the word “retard” is the same for people with developmental disabilities as using the N word towards African Americans. The word did not need to be used in the film, it sill would be funny without. Someone mentioned the Ringer, that film had people with Developmental Disabilities in it and it at the end it had a positive message towards this group of individuals, there is the difference. Although I do not believe the “R” word needed to be use, I also do not believe in censorship. If you don’t want to see it, then don’t – The End!

  • Rainne do you actually believe that a film starring “Johnny Knoxville” about a guy who pretends to be retarded in the special olympics had a “positive message”??!!

    The guy is infamous for doing “Jackass”. The same sort of audience was meant for The Ringer.

    The studio was smart enough to know that even though they did the most offensive jokes they had to tame it down with the appearance of a positive message. You are completely naive if you think people watched that movie and didn’t walk away laughing AT the kids in the film and Johnny Knoxville’s antics.

    You paid a pretty damned steep price for your tiny “positive message”

  • um, donkey i usually love you, but i suspect you did not actually watch the ringer. at least not the whole thing. because while being hilarious, it also had a cheestastically “positive message.”