ASAN: A PSA regarding Tropic Thunder

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The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) is pleased to announce the release of a new Public Service Announcement. This PSA is in response to Ben Stiller's upcoming movie "Tropic Thunder," and its extensive use of the R word. We encourage all individuals interested in discouraging the use of this hateful language to share this video with friends and family. We want this video to come up as one of the top results when people search for "Tropic Thunder."

ASAN will be announcing further suggestions for how advocates can respond to this movie's release during the course of the next few days.

'R' word? Please elucidate.

I thought this was meant to be a spoof film not to be taken seriously. I mean, how can you take Robert Downey Jr in blackface seriously?

"ret*d" would be my guess.

*Shrugs*

Too scared to use it in public, srriv345? I think that to most people with autism, they would treat that word with due contempt. But it's not that big an issue.

If you want to do some real advocacy work, stand up to Autism Speaks.

For many autistic people--on all "parts" of the spectrum--who are derogitively called that word everyday, this is an issue. The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network is concerned with a variety of issues affecting autistic people and the broader disability community. This includes opposing the mission and methods of Autism Speaks. I encourage you to learn more about us and what we have done in the past by looking at our website.

I choose to refer to the word in that way in both public and private because I am opposed to using the word, just as I am opposed to using other hateful words. It has nothing to do with being "scared."

Indeed. Just as most prefer to say "n word" rather than "n****r." It's not a matter of being "scared" to use it in public; the latter option is offensive and unnecessary. It serves only to express hatred and prejudice.

I was called that a number of times at school, before I was even diagnosed. It was kids being cruel, I had never even heard of autism and AS until I was diagnosed. This is more of an issue about people being bullied in general, and not just people with neurological conditions.



I have just skimmed it over, and am glad. I'm not a fan of advocacy networks, but nice to see one that isn't like Autism Speaks.

That said, in regards to Tropic Thunder, I still think that you are barking up the wrong (admittedly extremely tasteless) tree. I hope that you do not watch much British comedy, especially stuff like The League of Gentlemen.

in The Methodist branch of protestant religion traces its roots back to 1739 While studying at Oxford, Wesley, his brother Charles, and several other students formed a group devoted to study, prayer and helping the underprivileged. They were labelled "Methodist" by their fellow students because of the way they used "rule" and "method" to go about their religious affairs. They did not reject this name of scorn, but embraced it, making it their standard they rallied around.

the Society of Friends, but they were said to "Quake at the name of the Lord" were given the name of The "Quakers" in derision and they took the name in pride. The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, were called The Shakers because they 'shook in the name of the Lord' and that group also assumed the name in grace, nullifying the belittlement.

Lenny Bruce was once quoted as saying the only way to end the pain of a word is to repeat it and repeat it and repeat it until you take all the connotations away from the word, and it becomes just a word again. And he did it with the 'n' word, and was arrested for offending.

I say, we reclaim ret*d as a word of honor so many have made to suffer by bearing it proudly and by doing so, neutralizing it to offend no more. Why cower from it?

Merle

Yeah. After all, another similar term had been reclaimed not so long ago.

Which one would that be?

A rather derogatory epithet for people with Down's Syndrome. I have more hesitation in using it that the word 'ret*d'.

oh! I thought you meant "QUEER" that one was taken back some time ago and is now proudly borne by Gay guys for years. and Gay, that word was made acceptable after the Stonewall riots that took back being attacked and arrested for being homosexual.

but perhaps that is not the one you are talking about?

Merle

I think Dan Savage used to name his section "Hey fa***t" to try and take back that word for gays. I think it's called Savage Love now.

In any case, I've never been called a ret*d, and it's not something I've ever heard my son get called (though I did worry he was ret*d when he was about 15 months old, as he was very developmentally delayed, but this was purely in the diagnostic sense.)

ret*d doesn't really offend me.

They DO stand up to Autism Speaks. As well as that other hate and propaganda group, FAAAS.

"ret*d" just means "delayed". All people with Autism are ret*d in some way cognitively (whether verbally and/or overall IQ), and all people with AS are ret*d socially (many in motor development too).

If you mean when people use it in a derogatorily sense; people will use anything to attack others with if it's seen as inferior/belittling, and ret*d is a fairly benign word in comparison to many others.

Seriously?

How can you take anything in that film seriously, it looks ridiculous... if it was used in a more serious film then yeah ok, maybe, but it's a stupid spoof starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr in brown paint!! Come on, surely there are more important things to be worrying about??