[kj] OT Boycott the film Tropic Thunder

B. Oliver Sheppard bigblackhair at sbcglobal.net
Mon Aug 18 16:55:15 EDT 2008


Here is my take on the Tropic Thunder thing:

I am sympathetic to the spirit of Cliff's protest. Standing up for the
disabled and handicapped and being the voice of the voiceless,
protecting the most vulnerable members of society from ridicule and
disparagement, is an honorable thing.

However, there was a similar outpouring of protest over Clint Eastwood's
award-winning movie _Million-Dollar Baby_. Eastwood has an unflattering
history as someone who opposed implementing wheelchair ramps and other
accommodations into some hotels he owned, ordered by the US government
under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Eastwood's
outspokenness on why he should NOT have to accomodate handicapped
persons earned him no friends in the disabled community and others, and
it wasn't the man's finest moment in the media. It seemed like some
craggy-faced hero of old Westerns was overdoing his John Wayne shtick
and picking on disabled people, when he obviously has money to put in
some fucking wheelchair ramps if he needs to, isntead of being some
swaggering, "survival of the fittest" type of tough guy, which is how he
was coming off. But he said the government has no business trying to
make him accommodate disabled people. He came off as a jerk of the first
order.

Then Eastwood directed _Million Dollar Baby_, about a prize-winning
female boxer who becomes disabled, and Eastwood's character in the film
decides the only noble thing to do is kill her through euthanasia. On
the surface, this seems like a ballsy move for Eastwood given the
controversy he'd just been embroiled in: Here's Eastwood, who was
ranting about having to accommodate disabled folks, making and starring
in a movie where he "mercifully" kills a disabled woman, to put her out
of her misery. Disability activist groups were outraged.

However, I saw the film, and the film has nearly zero bearing on any of
Eastwood's personal politics, and seems worlds removed from anything
like that. The logic and power of the story in _Million-Dollar Baby_ is
such that the movie seems completely separate from any external
politicizing "in the real world," and was a deeply moving, heartfelt,
emotional piece that was actually extremely humanistic. It wasn't a pro-
or anti- position paper. It was simply an individual story. I didn't
think it was worth a boycott.

From what I understand, Tropic Thunder consists of a bunch of
self-obsessed, smug, arrogant Hollywood jerks, none of whom are
sympathetic. That one of them says the word "retard" could be further
evidence of the character's assholian-ness. All of the reviews I've seen
of the film say none of the main characters are likable, as
self-obsessed and arrogant as they are. That is supposed to be part of
the point...

-Oliver

blankwerks wrote:

> Isn't the film also about the ludicrous behaviour of a group of self

> obsessed actors? surely their dismissal and mockery of any group is

> down to the fact that they are in fact a load of complete wankers only

> able to think about themselves?

>

> I don't plan on seing the film, but I know the general premise is that

> they are arseholes who get taught a lesson and re-evaluate themselves.

> Their use of the "retard" word just goes to show how out of touch they

> are.

>

> Oh and protesting about it will certainly do one thing - gve it more

> publicity. And not get the studio to take it off release.

>

>

> 2008/8/18 <cliffmonka at alaska.net <mailto:cliffmonka at alaska.net>>

>

> Hiya ok here's a tv news story and daily news article from the

> protest boycotting

> the film Tropic Thunder we did on saturday,Peace,Cliff

>

> http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=8853261

>

> http://www.adn.com/arts/story/496381.html

>




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