Rant: I’m Boycotting Political Correctness

Tropic Thunder might be the funniest movie of the Summer. And when anything is so extremely enjoyable, there must also be an evil entity trying to put a stop to the pleasure. And like any good story, the villain in this case isn’t a cliche bad guy, attempting to rid the world of laughter. Not at all. In fact, I’m sure they believe they are doing the right thing for the betterment of this country, humanity, etc. And by THEY, I mean organizations - groups of people who have decided to band together in an attempt to make things better for the people around them, who clearly “don’t know any better”.

At face value, it might seem like a tough feat to defend a movie where a white guy puts on blackface… Where Ben Stiller plays a actor who takes on the role of a mentally retarded character in hopes of Oscar gold… Or Where Tom Cruise is hilariously funny and not the slightest but weird. But truth is, there is nothing wrong with Tropic Thunder. There is something wrong with the explosion of political correctness in America. The film does not cross any lines of political correctness, if anything it satires Hollywood’s treatment of mental disorders.

A coalition of disability groups have announced a national boycott of Tropic Thunder over the film-within-the-film Simple Jack. But it doesn’t stop there, they have begun to talk to members of Congress for “a resolution condemning” what he called “the movie’s hate speech.” Oh C’mon.  They can’t be serious, can they? It’s in the New York Times, so it must be true. Dreamworks has screened the film more than 250 times before opening week, and received little to no complaints until a viral website for the movie Simple Jack caught the eyes of these disabled advocacy groups. Paramount quickly removed the websites from the web, bowing to the group’s pressure.

Thankfully the studio has come out and announced that they would not be altering the cut of the film due to the pressures of such organizations.  And to that I say THANK YOU. It’s very easy for a big corporation to be bullied by these little groups in today’s connected society. Its is good to see that Dreamworks is not backing down.

  • Me
    I agree.
  • Craig
    I also agree.
  • Chump Force 1
    Can't wait to see the movie. Its looks as if "Simple Jack" is a parody of the 1968 film Charlie. Sadly in this day and age, you can't do anything without offending someone. It won't do anything to hurt the film and will end up giving it more free press.

    Nothing will come of threat of trying to get Congress to condemn the movie, its nothing but hot air...congress is on summer break until after Labor Day.
  • Buckley
    It's against the constitution. Can't happen.

    Fuck those retards.
  • Ryan
    Yes. I've been saying this since the very first time I heard a euphemism. For Christ's sake, the more politically correct we become, the less human we become.

    This is absolutely ridiculous.
  • corranhorn85
    That's retarded.
  • Lee
    yes, yes get all riled up and protect the constitution. no it shouldn't be edited. too bad it isn't really all that funny. wait till all of you watch tom cruise in a fat suit dance to 4 year old ludacris songs.
  • Adam B.
    Does the trailer do this movie justice? I keep wanting to think it's funny, but the trailer didn't make laugh at all. The concept of someone changing their skin color is funny I guess, but it didn't make me laugh. Maybe it's just not my kind of comedy or maybe there's more to the movie itself? anyone else have similar thoughts?
  • M&Co
    Testify.
  • Jon
    "There is something wrong with the explosion of political correctness in America."

    Really? An explosion? Where? Examples please. Your use of the term "politically correct" just irritates me because of the right's use of it as a preemptive attack on liberal ideas and language in the 80s and 90s.

    What we do have in the Tropic Thunder case is a bunch of groups boycotting a movie. The central issue we must examine--I hope without the buzzword "politically correct"--is whether Simple Jack is "hate speech". This is a much more useful conversation that the faux-issue of "political correctness". Even on this obscure message board, it's rules proclaim "No hate speech allowed." Is this message board politically correct also? Or is this rule a simple politeness which fosters a greater range of debate?

    So is it hate speech? I haven't seen it yet, but it seems to me your assessment of it as a lampoon of Hollywood and the Oscars sounds likely to me. "Hate speech"? Not so much.
  • Lame! Don't the groups realize they giving even more publicity to Tropic Thunder. Haha
  • 790
    I'm gonna laugh and go with it,,,

    This movie looks great and I need a good laugh,,, ;-)
  • Captain Awesome
    My life-long boycotting of Ben Stiller films is right there with your boycotting of political correctness, Peter!
  • RE: Jon

    "Even on this obscure message board, it’s rules proclaim “No hate speech allowed.” Is this message board politically correct also?"

    It's /Film's board, so they make the rules. Someone can technically post hate-speech, and have the freedom to do so, but "/Film reserves the right to delete comments". Like how it's Dreamwork's film, so they choose what they put in it.
  • AHAHAHAHAHAH
    Anyone who didn't think this movie was hilarious either has no soul or no grasp of Hollywood and why it was such a well crafted satire of said Hollywood. And these groups are retarded.

    But seriously, who the hell are they to get so offended over this movie, they clearly didn't get the point of the whole Simple Jack thing.

    I, for one, can't wait to see this movie AGAIN.
  • John Freeman
    Now all we have to do is wait until WWF starts to complain about Tugg Speedmans panda adoption website...
  • Jmoney
    Hey,we live in a world where a white man had to apologize to a black man for using the scientific term "black hole" to describe the slowness of a city council office, so this doesn't surprise me
  • The Dude
  • Jon
    Anyone have a link to the Simple Jack trailer?
  • blueberry
    I have to disagree with one thing. It's not that easy for a big corporation to be "bullied" by activist groups or else a lot of things in this world would have already been accomplished.

    Having said that, hooray for tropic thunder. It won't have to do much to surpass Pineapple Express' lack of laughs.
  • J.D.
    Jon, the above commenter, speaks like a fascist -- just like all of those who believe in the idea of "hate speech."

    There is no such thing as "hate speech." It's a creation by power-hungry people who want to control what comes out of your mouth. THEY believe that THEY can identify "hate speech" and then shut you down.

    And then they want the government to punish you. This is liberal fascism and it must be called what it is.

    You never hear conservatives speaking about "hate speech." It's always a product of the far left.... the same ideology that believes in big government controlling your life.
  • MKoch
    Just saw Tropic Thunder last night. It was a dead-on parody of Hollywood. If anything, it makes fun of the ignorance of actors who use the role of mentally disabled people in order to win acclaim. It also makes fun of actors who play fat people, and actors who play other races. If anyone should be protesting this film, it's SAG.

    But to J.D., who seems to want to use this forum to go off on an ill-informed political rant, fascism is a right-wing phenomenon, "liberal fascism" is a self-contradiction.

    Asa far as conservatives go, they decry "hate speech" as much as liberals do, but only for their own pet causes. Bill O'Reilly uses the phrase constantly.

    "Hate speech is hate speech...(snip)...People like Arianna Huffington should be taken out to the village square and publicly scolded."

    So according to conservatives, people should not only be punished for their own speech, but the speech of people they don't know who comment on their blogs.

    Now THAT's fascism.
  • It's a movie. Who cares?

    I didn't love that two cowboys were banging on a mountain, but did I boycott Brokeback when it came out?

    No, cause it's a movie.

    Who gives a shit?
  • Jim
    Pointing at the victim and crying "political correctness" is a desperate cop-out by bigots. Ben Stiller and Robert Downey, Jr. have a constitutional right to free speech and, although it is not spelled out in the constitution, a right to act like jerks. The people protesting "Tropic Thunder" also have a right to free speech. You have a right to try to label us politically correct and we, in turn, have a right to call you a bigot.
  • J.D.
    /\ Exactly. Unfortunately, the left takes it a step further and seeks to get the government to silence you. That's fascism.
  • MKoch
    http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/09/se...

    "MoveOn.org's "General Betray Us" advertisement was condemned today by the U.S. Senate.
    Voting 72-25, senators passed a resolution sponsored by conservative Republican John Cornyn of Texas."

    Seems like that's the sort of resolution the protest groups are going for.
    It's absurd to attempt to get Congress to do such a thing.
    On either side of the political spectrum.
  • I am a non-white Deaf woman and I 100% agree with you.

    People are trying so hard to win the "Oppression Olympics" and really need to STFU. I don't compare "Ableism" (that's a slang for prejudice against peopel with disabilities) with racism. I am so freakin sick of certain groups trying to scream "OPPRESSION!!! HATRED!!" when it's NOT as horrible as racism or sexism.
  • MKoch
    I think the issue here is not a matter of politeness. I am certainly polite, and I'm a great believer in it. I think the issue in this case is that there are people determined to miss the point of a satire and are determined to be offended by it. Tropic Thunder is making fun of Hollywood actors, not mentally retarded people.

    This has been the case for years. The Life of Brian (highly protested in the 1980's) mocked foolish people who blindly follow, not religion itself.

    Some people are just determined to be offended.
  • Stop exaggerating an issue that barely exists so that you can rise up as the Lone Voice of Sanity. So a small group wants to boycott a movie they'd never go see anyway. Boo hoo. Hardly proof that society has gone topsy-turvy with politeness ... oh, sorry, I'll use your boogeyman phrase: political correctness. Small groups fight for a cause people believe in and it's "rising up against corporations." They fight for one people don't believe and it's "bullying" those poor multinationals. And why the rant for such a completely mediocre movie?!?

    Bill O'Reilly called and he wants his unfounded righteous indignation back.
  • edc
    HOW DARE SOMEONE HAVE AN OPINION SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TO YOURS!

    actually, spend 20 years looking after a child with trisomy - then you can complain.
  • Jenbot
    Man, conservative america really has it out for everyone who isn't like them.
    This movie is fucken GOLD!!!!! It's awesome, funniest movie of the year hands now, and one of the funniest of all time. There is no hate speech! it's smart, it's witty it's funny. it doesnt just throw out word out there it does it in a smart and respectful way. This is bulljive bro bro
  • Matt
    Fuck pc
    I'm a huge advocate for freedom and if I want to be an asshole and insult someone I should be able to do it without litigation repercussions.
  • Potato
    The one thing I've learned about comedy, is that there are no rules. Anyone can be made fun of, even the comedians make fun of themselves. It's usually the sensetive ppl that get insulted by comedies etc. and in this case its these organizations, I agree with J.D they are either power hungry or just plain sensitive, they need to lighten up and get a life.
  • will
    i love how the heads of the organization thinks this movie is offensive. who knows maybe debbie downs will think this movie is funny.
  • I don't know about you, but any controversy, whether deserved or undeserved just makes me want to see a movie MORE. I think the fact that these advocacy groups think that Ben Stiller and co. set out to offend mentally ill people is more ridiculous than anything.
  • JJ
    J.D.,

    You sure heard the Bush administration, after 9/11, tell people to watch their mouths, heard conservative pundits accuse people of treason for daring to question the administration. And don't get me started on Catholic groups who try to shut down movies. But no, you are right--conservatives are never fascists. It's always the liberals with their "hate speech" whines.

    This "issue" of political correctness is tired.
  • Steven C
    If the retards don't like it then they just shouldn't go see the movie. This is America were we have freedom of speech so these retards should just shut the fuck up.
  • cinemaniac1979
    There are always people who can't seem to figure out the joke and will take offense at it at face value. These are the same people who read books like the Bible and the Secret and take them literally.

    If retards are offended, they should stand up and speak for themselves.

    They should be like, "That is OUR WORD. You can't say that word. Can I have a cookie?"
  • cLIFF
    The movie doesn't make fun of the retarded it makes fun of the fact the only reason most of hollywood make movie like simple simon is to make money and win awards not to raise awarness
  • Gator
    Based on the majority of responses on here, it is obvious there are a lot of ignorant, uneducated, clueless people who like to laugh at the expense of others (as it probably makes them feel like they are superior) who will enjoy this film. Perhaps one day some of you will be in a position where you will have to care for a family member with a disability or perhaps you yourself will become disabled. Yes, it could happen to you too! I wonder how funny you will think it is then to poke fun at our mentally disabled population? To those of you who find humor in Ben Stiller's portrayal of Simple Jack, in my opinion, are simply jack asses!
  • Matt
    By your response Gator it looks like you didn't really read the responses and just assume everyone here wrote that they love making fun of retards (pc eat my heart out). Satire, look it up.
  • Christine
    I'm all for not offending people, but fuck off! The movie is hilarious.
  • mark
    i was just on my lunchbreak , i work in westwood and there are a lot of protesters outside of the premeire in westwood village.. its not really that organized tho. gonna be a great movie
  • socially astute
    This is a movie that the socially "handicapped" will most certainly enjoy. Black face and mentally disabled....it is the lowest form of comedy. I know, I know it is a sophisticated movie satirizing hollywood. Spare me the explanation of the humor. It is low low down.
  • J.D.
    To JJ and MKoch --

    You're missing the point. Anyone can protest, condemn, or respond anyway they want. Go and protest this movie; who cares.

    But it crosses a line when one tries to get the GOVERNMENT to PUNISH you for your speech (provided it's not aimed at an illegal purpose).

    Not that I want to defend them, but O'Reilly and friends have never called for the government to punish someone based on free, non-illegal speech. Yeah they've condemned it, but who cares?

    And if you REALLY believe that fascism is a product of the right, please go re-educate yourself. For fascism to exist, you need a BIG, centralized government with much control over the people. Now which ideology wants small government? That would be the conservative ideology. Liberals believe government is the answer to everything, while conservatives believe government IS the problem. Just look at the health care debate: liberals want to get the government involved! That's ALWAYS their solution: "Let us control it; depend on us!"

    Hitler wanted an all-powerful government (and promised gov't-health care). He destroyed organized religion. He was NOT a conservative or right-winger of any type. The ideas of limited government were not on his radar.

    Maybe this will explain the link better:
    http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjBiYzdhOD...
  • Martin
    Cant wait for this movie.
  • Anomaly
    This only encourages me to see the movie even more.
  • MKoch
    J.D - I'd also suggest getting some information from liberals themselves instead of filtering it through conservative sources. None of your stereotypes are accurate. No liberal I know feels that government has the answer to everything.
  • Anomaly
    @J.D.
    Thank you for proving Godwin's law and providing a Reductio ad Hitlerum fallacy. References to Hitler and Nazis will now flood the discussion.

    (if you don't know what Godwin's law and Reductio ad Hitlerum are, look them up on wikipedia)
  • MKoch
    Ouch, looks like Anomaly is right. Godwin's Law. My calm, cool historical dissertation seems to have been left out. Too bad. I thought it was pretty good.

    Ah well, go see the movie. It's funny, it has no hate speech, It mock actors - and if you can't mock Hollywood, who can you mock? - not the disabled.
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