Re: Yahoo! News Story - Mental disability groups protest 'Tropic Thunder'

[Guest guest]

> Comedy tends to be an equal opportunity offender. Disabilities, old age, race

you name it

> if everyone got angry every time a joke offended someone we would be left in a

laughter

> less world. What fun would that be?

I disagree that it's an equal opportunity offender. Imagine taking this movie

and replacing

every time they (two white guys) say " retard " with the word " nigger " . (A lot of

people here in

the south would find that really funny.) Would NEVER happen. Society does draw

some lines

about what is acceptable. Why isn't hate speech towards those with mental

handicaps

included?

What happens is that people become desensitized to it and it eventually becomes

an

accepted part of our vocabulary.

I am actually surprised that there are parents here who think it's OK. It's YOUR

children who

will be subjected to this kind of name calling - and no one seems to think it's

a big deal.

Sara

[Guest guest]

Remember last summer when a new childrens movie came out, " Horton

hear's a Who " they were going to offer free passes to everyone child,

if they got their shots up to date as well. That got protested -

until they shut down the vaccine movie passes.

In EOHarm , jacqueline martin-sebell

wrote:

>

> It doesn¢t hurt my feelings when someone calls any of my kids

retarded

> (because I know its not true and its ignorance on their part). It

does make me upset for them of course.

>

>

>

> What it does is put mis-truths out there! People who don¢t know

> anything about people with disabilities (whatever kind) are going to

> watch this movie. This movie doing this and saying this is going to

> perpetuate the " retard " word (that those in the disability business

(so

> to speak) have been trying to get rid of for years!

>

>

>

> What pisses me off about it is that people are going to come out of

the

> movie thinking its ok, even truthful, and will begin to use it

> themselves!

>

>

> I am very disgusted about this movie, and surprised as well that

others don't see the harm it will do.

>

>

>

> Jackie

>

> Mommy of 2 Beautiful Autistic Angels On Their Way to Recovery!

>

>

> Join my Vaccine group! Talk everything about vaccines (the good,

the bad, and the ugly)!

> http://groups.myspace.com/vaccines

>

> Autism Awareness Myspace Page

> http://www.myspace.com/jacquelinemartinsebell 

>

> Autism Awareness '08 Video

> http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?

p=3d724f26c7d9dc863d1322 & skin_id=701 & utm_source=otm & utm_medium=text_ur

l

>

[Guest guest]

>

> I use the " r " word on a regular basis and so do most of my sons specialists,

therapists,

educators etc.  I am not the least bit offended by it. I also use the word queer

occasionally

despite the fact that I went to art school where the majority of my male friends

were gay.

And just this morning I called my husband a weenie nothing against the penis. So

really are

we mad that they used the " r " word? Or that they poked fun at people? What is

the real issue

here? Are we just looking for something to be angry about? There is a BIG

difference between

entertainment and being cruel to a particular individual or group. A sense of

humor is a very

personal thing and censorship has no place in this country. If you don't think

it's something

you would be entertained by than don't see it. It is certainly no ones place to

tell you what

you should or should not find funny.

What? Um....yes - I find the word " retard " just as offensive as the word

" nigger " . BOTH should

be taboo. If you allow your son's specialists, therapists and educators to refer

to your son as

a retard - then there is something wrong with you.

Sara

[Guest guest]

I seriously hope that none of your child's

specialists/therapists/educators are saying RETARD! Are they

saying " Retarded/Retardation " as in Mentally Retarded or Mental

Retardation-- that is acceptable. RETARD is a word that is meant to

be a put-down. I really hope that you are just confusing the two and

that you don't have a school full of staff saying RETARDS.

W

>

> I use the " r " word on a regular basis and so do most of my sons

specialists, therapists, educators etc.  I am not the least bit

offended by it. I also use the word queer occasionally despite the

fact that I went to art school where the majority of my male friends

were gay. And just this morning I called my husband a weenie nothing

against the penis. So really are we mad that they used the " r " word?

Or that they poked fun at people? What is the real issue here? Are we

just looking for something to be angry about? There is a BIG

difference between entertainment and being cruel to a particular

individual or group. A sense of humor is a very personal thing and

censorship has no place in this country. If you don't think it's

something you would be entertained by than don't see it. It is

certainly no ones place to tell you what you should or should not

find funny.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I mostlly hear a low I.Q. referred to as delayed - its a softer way

of putting it. And I have never heard a teacher - therapist refer to

a student as retarded.

So you don't have a problem with this, or neighbor's, making fun of

your kids? There will be more after this movie, here is one already

on You Tube. Geez our next generation is hard at work!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bmxn-u1ZN8

The Media has caught on to using different words for

gifted children and adults.

We not longer call people having seizures - as having he/she has fits.

In EOHarm , Jane wrote:

>

> ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!? When was the last time you opened a text

book or a medical journal or an IQ test?  Mentally Retarded is a

widely used term to describe a certain level of cognitive impairment.

If you have spent any time debating this term with your child's team

you need a hobby! There are far bigger fish to fry.

>

>

>

> Re: Yahoo! News Story - Mental disability groups

protest 'Tropic Thunder'

>

>

>

> >

> > I use the " r " word on a regular basis and so do most of my sons

specialists, therapists,

> educators etc.  I am not the least bit offended by it. I also use

the word queer occasionally

> despite the fact that I went to art school where the majority of my

male friends were gay.

> And just this morning I called my husband a weenie nothing against

the penis. So really are

> we mad that they used the " r " word? Or that they poked fun at

people? What is the real issue

> here? Are we just looking for something to be angry about? There is

a BIG difference between

> entertainment and being cruel to a particular individual or group.

A sense of humor is a very

> personal thing and censorship has no place in this country. If you

don't think it's something

> you would be entertained by than don't see it. It is certainly no

ones place to tell you what

> you should or should not find funny.

>

> What? Um....yes - I find the word " retard " just as offensive as the

word " nigger " . BOTH should

> be taboo. If you allow your son's specialists, therapists and

educators to refer to your son as

> a retard - then there is something wrong with you.

>

> Sara

>

[Guest guest]

Yes it is hard to stop when we still have groups like the " Association

for Retarded Citizens " and state departments of " mental retardation " ,

etc , etc. It has to stop there first.

>

> ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!? When was the last time you opened a text book

or a medical journal or an IQ test?  Mentally Retarded is a widely used

term to describe a certain level of cognitive impairment.

[Guest guest]

No doubt Special Olympics, ARC and other groups will receive generous

donations from the movie's production company. After all, they and

many chat groups around the country have provided a huge amount of

free, nonstop publicity. Pretty much guaranteed to be a blockbuster,

based on the buzz that's being generated.

How nice to have a distraction from the continuing antics of the CDC,

toxic waste producers, Pharma, and their big buddies in government,

all of whom continue on their merry way with causing mental and

physical illness and disability.

[Guest guest]

No, it's not hard to stop. Are we going to wait to stop calling

women " bitches " until there is no longer an AKC or national dog

breeders association?? Association for Retarded Citizens is not

putting down anyone, or being derrogatory to anyone. Retards is a put-

down. Again, it is dependent upon how the word is used.

It's not hard to stop using put-downs.

> >

> > ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!? When was the last time you opened a text

book

> or a medical journal or an IQ test?  Mentally Retarded is a widely

used

> term to describe a certain level of cognitive impairment.

>

[Guest guest]

How did this despicable word creap or crawl into " comedy " . I don't

like it any better than the the " potty mouth " words. Just using my

First Amendment rights....Is it like....what we eat....garbage

in....garbage out.

> >

> > I use the " r " word on a regular basis and so do most of my sons

specialists, therapists,

> educators etc.  I am not the least bit offended by it. I also use

the word queer occasionally

> despite the fact that I went to art school where the majority of my

male friends were gay.

> And just this morning I called my husband a weenie nothing against

the penis. So really are

> we mad that they used the " r " word? Or that they poked fun at

people? What is the real issue

> here? Are we just looking for something to be angry about? There is

a BIG difference between

> entertainment and being cruel to a particular individual or group.

A sense of humor is a very

> personal thing and censorship has no place in this country. If you

don't think it's something

> you would be entertained by than don't see it. It is certainly no

ones place to tell you what

> you should or should not find funny.

>

> What? Um....yes - I find the word " retard " just as offensive as the

word " nigger " . BOTH should

> be taboo. If you allow your son's specialists, therapists and

educators to refer to your son as

> a retard - then there is something wrong with you.

>

> Sara

>