The Arc's Open Letter to Ben Stiller

Over 780 chapters of disability advocacy group The Arc will be handing out flyers at movie theaters across the country this weekend in protest of the use of the word "retard" in Ben Stiller's comedy, Tropic Thunder.

According to JustPressPlay.net, the organization, whose name originally stood for The Association of Retarded Children, has now gone a step further and composed an open letter, inviting Stiller to "engage in an open and honest dialogue surrounding the offense" in one of three cities (Stiller's choice), in an effort to make the filmmaker see things from their point of view. Moreover, The Arc is demanding an official apology from Paramount, DreamWorks and Stiller himself.

The open letter reads as follows:



August 14, 2008

Mr. Ben Stiller


Red Hour Films


629 North La Brea Avenue


Los Angeles, CA 90036



Dear Mr. Stiller:



I am writing on behalf of The Arc of the United States (The Arc), a
 national organization that advocates for people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities. With more than 750 state and local chapters and
 hundreds of thousands of employees, board members, volunteers, clients,
 members, donors and supporters, we represent the world's largest
community-based organization of and for persons with intellectual and
 developmental disabilities.



I am inviting you to meet with some of these people and engage in an
 open and honest dialogue surrounding the offense, intentional or
unintentional, caused by your movie, "Tropic Thunder." As you know, members 
of The Arc and other disability rights groups assert that the movie
contains images and language that are extremely disrespectful in its
 portrayal of the fictional character "Simple Jack," a person with an 
intellectual disability.



In recent interviews you've said that the film is not intended to make 
light of people with intellectual disabilities but is instead a satire on 
actors and the industry. I've seen the movie and the use of words such as
"retard," "imbecile," and "moron" and the use of caricature in the 
depiction of an individual with intellectual disabilities are simply
unacceptable.



It is offensive to the 4-5 million people that are living with
 intellectual disabilities, and the tens of millions of their parents,
siblings, family members and friends. In fact, many people in the 
disability community would consider use of the "r" word in reference to a 
person with an intellectual disability to be hate speech, equivalent to use 
of the "n" word in reference to an African American.



I invite you to meet with a group of people with intellectual 
disabilities and their families in a city of your choosing - New York,
 Washington, DC, or Los Angeles. I look forward to a favorable reply.



Sincerely,



Peter V. Berns


Executive Director