Read this letter to Ben Stiller written by Erin McKenzie’s brother Chris. Stiller directed and starred in the controversial film Tropic Thunder.
Dear Ben Stiller,
I’ve heard it often before, but regarding your portrayal of people with mental disabilities I have a hard time pretending that “you don’t get the point, its satire,” isn’t PR rhetoric. Logically, you can’t say anything you want and still call it “satire,” and a film can meander through satirical and non-satirical content. The argument here is whether some content of the film actually is satire. In the “full retard” scene, the thought behind the joke is satirical, but not the delivery. You know the audience this was intended for and hopefully you’re familiar with the struggles for respect and equality that the disabled community endures. In the attempt to ignite your joke you exhaust a stream of hate speech in neatly packaged catch-phrases that will stick in the mind of Johnny Teenager, who will parrot them back in the classroom. The message getting across to the target audience is that people with disabilities are “less than.” If your audience won’t get the point then what actually is the point? Either you didn’t realize the sensitivity of the matter or didn’t put much stock in it.
What would be the reaction if your character confronted Downey Jr.’s and began to lecture him on the pros and cons of going full n***** and half n*****? What would be the reaction if the great pains to explain Downey Jr.’s appearance and demeanor weren’t taken? I don’t think you’d have the balls to do it. It’d be like releasing the Kraken. You went after the mentally disabled community because it seemed easy—not because you’re diabolical and wished them ill will, not because you had some grand satirical point to make, but because it seemed like the path of least resistance for the amount of cheap laughs you could milk out of it.
Unfortunately the yield of cheap laughs will be eclipsed by the hurt feelings and further torment of people that have enough problems to deal with already. This is a community that was institutionalized until the mid 80’s (some institutions still exist) and still finds itself segregated in the classroom and workplace. Advocates for mainstream education have fought for years to have kids with mental disabilities included in the classroom and at community events but it’s an uphill battle against an eye-opening amount of ignorance. In terms of other minorities, they don’t have the volume, they don’t have the voice, they don’t have the understanding, and they don’t have the infrastructure that protects other minorities.
Maybe when the dust settles this will ironically serve as a lightning rod to promote awareness and swing the pendulum in the other direction. We’ll have to wait and see—you’ve packed this film with enough bully ammo and t-shirt fodder to last a full school year.
Sincerely,
Chris McKenzie
