Arc of The United States - Cultural Criticism

Cultural Criticism

Since its inception, The Arc of the United States - and its state and local chapters - have been involved with a number of controversial issues.

In the summer of 2008, The Arc was highly critical of the movie Tropic Thunder, in which Ben Stiller portrays "Simple Jack", a man with an intellectual disability. The Arc called the portrayal "offensive", and also objected to the use of the words "retard", "moron", and "imbecile" throughout the movie. The Arc was among a group of disability organizations, including the Special Olympics and the National Down Syndrome Congress which called for a boycott of the film. Spokespeople for Tropic Thunder, along with Ben Stiller, argued that critics like The Arc did not understand that the movie was intended to make fun of actors and the movie industry, not individuals with disabilities, describing the movie as "an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and its excesses and makes it point by featuring inappropriate and over-the-top characters in ridiculous situations" However, The Arc continued to criticize the film as containing hate speech, promoting offensive stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities, and being offensive to people with disabilities and their families. The Arc of the United States called for all of its chapters across the nation to picket and protest against the film, launched educational campaigns, and wrote open letters to Ben Stiller and the film's creators explaining their criticisms and calling for Stiller to meet with disability advocates to engage in "honest and open dialogue about the offense this film perpetrates."