LOS ANGELES () - Groups that advocate for the handicapped called on Sunday for a national boycott of the Ben Stiller comedy "Tropic Thunder," citing what they enunciate is its negative portrait of people with intellectual disabilities.
"We are asking the great unwashed not to go to the flick and promise to play a knowingness to citizenry about exploitation derogatory words about this population," said Peter Wheeler, spokesman for Special Olympics, one of 22 disablement groups countrywide protesting the satire.
The plastic film, directed by Stiller, will be released on Wednesday by Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures and its DreamWorks unit.
The groups plan to picket the movie's premier on Monday evening in Los Angeles's Westwood residential district.
"That will be the take up of a nationwide protestation," said Wheeler. "We will continue to be vocal about the destructive gist of this film."
He said the groups are specially offended by the film's repeated enjoyment of the word "slow up" regarding a character, Simple Jack, played by Stiller in a subplot about an thespian.
Representatives of the Special Olympics, the Arc of the United States, the National Down Syndrome Congress, the American Association of People with Disabilities and other groups met with studio executives final week to discuss the film, but DreamWorks did not make any changes.
Peter Berns, executive director director the Arc, aforementioned in a memo the groups presented various ideas to the studio, from requesting an apology to fixing the film in front its waiver, to producing a national educational movement.�
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