Tropic Thunder controversy!
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The big movie coming out this weekend is going to be Tropic Thunder! However, what started out as a funny looking comedy has suddenly found itself in the throes of controversy. Now, we all know how I feel about "boycotting" any movie (other than those bloody terrible spoof movies!) --- the more of a stink that you raise can generally be translated into MORE ticket sales for the thing that you tried to have shoved under the rug. Now, I think this movie will be big either way, and I think the people protesting aren't quite the weirdos that are always trying to get Harry Potter banned, but I'm interested in what you think about it!
Here are the controversies (that's right --- there's not one, but two!)
The movie, is a movie within a movie. It's a satire on Hollywood, where a bunch of huge stars have to make a war movie, but they get dropped into a warzone to make the movie more realistic. Robert Downey, Jr plays an award-winning actor who undergoes a special surgery to turn him from a white dude, into an African American.
If you've seen the preview, he does a pretty good job --- it looks funny. However, some people disagree. You see, there used to be a thing called "Blackface," which was usually white actors dressing up as black people and perpetuating racist stereotypes for comedy. Blackface was hugely responsible for a lot of the racist attitudes worldwide.
According to the filmmakers, their intention wasn't to be racist --- they are poking fun at Hollywood actors who want to go to any length to win awards, including undergoing crazy treatments to change their skin colour. As well, as you can see in the preview, there is another character who happens to be African American and disgusted with Downey's character, which was a good move. It's one thing to do blackface, but its another to lampoon blackface itself. What do you think?
The second controversy is pretty much the same as the first, but in regards to people with mental disabilities. Apparently the film uses the word "retard" quite a few times, and has a fake promo for a movie called Simple Jack, a story about a mentally challenged person. Again, Stiller and co. have said that they're poking fun at Hollywood, not mentally challenged people. What fo you think?
Have we gone crazy with political correctness, or should people pay more attention to the feeling of others? Is comedy sacred --- can anything be funny? Should people have more of a sense of humour about this kind of thing? Should edgier comedy be confined to an older group that can understand the implications of racism, or should kids be free to see this?
What do YOU think?
Comments
The double standard...
So we can't parody people who talk differently, look differently or act differently, yet we can laugh at comedians like Russell Peters, who has East Indian heritage but only speaks it in his act as an accent for self-parody (or East Coast comedian Ron James, for that matter, who piles on the stereotype 'newfie' accent for his show but is far more articulate and comprehensive in his real voice)? Can we only laugh at stereotypes perpetuated by performers who are of that heritage? How is that different?
The early years of silent Hollywood were rife with "white" actors playing 'black' and 'asian' roles, partly due to the fact that the public had a very strong perception of the taboo of 'real' interracial relationships onscreen.
Hank Azaria has played Apu on The Simpsons for, what, 17 years now?
Lighten up, I say. I don't condone racism, but political correctness is something I refuse to acknowledge. I still enjoy watching Blazing Saddles, because I know that the message is not lost under the heavy-handed and often derogatory humour.
You make some good points
You make some good points Keith (and Craig) but I don't really like comedians like Russell Peters either. I don't think it's funny to make your whole act about how East Indian you are, or how fat you are, etc. I mean, it's one thing to relate cultural stories like Russell Peters might, but it's another thing to perpetuate ignorant stereotypes for laughs, which I've also seen him do. I guess I'd have to see the movie to really see the context of the jokes. But if they have Downey making any "fried chicken" jokes, etc, then you could have a case for saying they are indeed perpetuating negative stereotypes. People will find these jokes funny. They will quote the funny lines. Those funny lines then go into history. Think about the phrase - "me love you long time." It's true meaning is devastating --- it harkens back to the what the prostitutes would say to GI's in the Vietnam War. It perpetuates the stereotype that vietnamese women are all dirty prostitues with bad english. Since then, the line has been parodied endlessly, making it a part of popular culture. How many people make that joke when they see a vietnamese woman from any walk of life?
Actually, I've seen that
Actually, I've seen that line repeated many times for comedic effect, but never in reference to any woman, Asian or otherwise. But that was a bad analogy to start with, since it didn't come out of a comedy or parody, but from a very serious VNW movie. The beauty of parody or satire is that first laugh locks in the memory, but then (if you are at all a thinking type person) you consider later the real context of the humor and get to see a bit more of yourself in that proverbial mirror. Maybe if that perpetual protest crowd would just step out of the way for a change, the social satire could have it's intended effect.
I just want to point out
I just want to point out something about double standards... didn't the wayans brothers do a movie called white chicks in which they painted their bodies white and stereotyped the behavior of white upper class girls? I mean I don't think anybody complained for that movie... I am really really tired of these politically crusaders in their self-righteous pedestals. I mean just take the movie as it is, a parody!! a loud mock of hollywood stupidity.
I agree...lighten up
I agree...lighten up people....I am really sick of this political correctness. How about forgetting political correctness and practicing common sense and common courtesy....which are not so common anymore. If we did that we wouldn't need political correctness. But all in all people really need to grow thicker skins and learn to laugh more.
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