Ben Stiller’s new movie starring himself, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. has offended some people with it’s repeated use of the word ‘retard’.
The movie is set to be released on Wednesday, but the premiere is tomorrow evening and Special Olympics chairman Timothy Shriver says that he and a group of people will be picketing the event.
Shriver, who has also worked in the film industry, (he co-produced the DreamWorks film, Amistad) says the movie is full of “hate speech”.
Chip Sullivan, a DreamWorks spokesman, did some clean-up work saying that the movie is “an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and its excesses and makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-the-top characters in ridiculous situations.”
He adds that the intention of the film was not to offend, and that, “No changes or cuts to the film will be made.”
I think the movie world has done it now, the word “retard” or “retarded” should not be in anyone’s vocabulary. My children were never allowed to use these words to refer to a friend. They grew up with mentally handicapped people in the family and knew what the words truly meant. My sister is menally handicapped, my husband had an aunt in a institution and I have a precious granddaughter who is mentally handicapped. She graduated from high school this year and participates in Special Olympics on the swim team, bowling, bocce, tennis and anything else they will let her do. These men and women are special, very loving and should not be viewed as being a blight on society. Please refrain from using words to put these special, God sent people down and making society look at them like they have the plague. They need to be encouraged and loved. Thanks
Retard means slow. Mentally retarded means mentally slow. Intellectually challenged sounds like way more of an insult to me. Retard is used in the music world and many other fields. Stop being so sensitive to words. They only have meaning if you give it to them. Shut up because this boycott over a word is retarded. Boycott because it looks stupid.