wfn.org | Newsline: Disabilities Ministry issues statement on movie 'Tropic Thunder'

["COBNews Newsline" <cobnews@brethren.org>]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- Aug. 25, 2008
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director
800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org

DISABILITIES MINISTRY ISSUES STATEMENT ON MOVIE
'TROPIC THUNDER'

(Aug. 25, 2008) Elgin, IL -- The Church of the Brethren Disabilities
Ministry has issued a statement on the recently released movie, "Tropic
Thunder." The statement is made in support of people with intellectual
disabilities, said Kathy Reid, executive director of the denomination's
Caring Ministries programs.

"Tropic Thunder" is a DreamWorks production directed by and starring
Ben Stiller, released on Aug. 13. A portion of the plot is a fictional  film,
"Simple Jack," about a farmer with intellectual disabilities who is played
by the Stiller character. In its first 12 days, "Tropic Thunder" has  booked
more than $70 million in its worldwide gross.

"While some people think labeling and humiliating others is funny, we
believe such behavior is abusive and should not be considered
acceptable," the Disabilities Ministry statement said in part, adding that
the group is "appalled" by the movie.

"Under the guise of 'parody,' 'Tropic Thunder' insults and harms
individuals with intellectual disabilities by repeated use of the  'R-word,'
" the statement said. "The movie perpetuates derogatory images and
stereotypes of these individuals by mocking their physical appearance
and speech, perpetuating inappropriate myths and misperceptions, and
legitimizing painful discrimination, exclusion, and bullying."

The Disabilities Ministry is led by a five-member committee including
Pat Challenger, a retired educator with 32 years experience in public
education, 24 of those years spent in the special education field; Heddie
Sumner, a registered nurse who has worked in the aging services field
for 16 years, with an emphasis on advanced dementia care; Karen
Walters, a tax accountant and a licensed minister in the Church of the
Brethren, who has served on the Tempe (Ariz.) Commission on
Disability Concerns for 10 years; Brett Winchester, who has been blind
since birth, and is employed by the Idaho Commission for the Blind and
Visually Impaired; and Kathy Reid, who serves as staff representative.

>The full statement follows:

"We, the Church of the Brethren Disabilities Ministry, believe all
humans are made in the image of God. While some people think labeling
and humiliating others is funny, we believe such behavior is abusive and
should not be considered acceptable.

"We are appalled by the DreamWorks film 'Tropic Thunder,' released
Aug. 13, 2008. Under the guise of 'parody,' 'Tropic Thunder' insults and
harms individuals with intellectual disabilities by repeated use of the  'R-
word.' The movie perpetuates derogatory images and stereotypes of
these individuals by mocking their physical appearance and speech,
perpetuating inappropriate myths and misperceptions, and legitimizing
painful discrimination, exclusion, and bullying.

"We ask all of us within the Church of the Brethren to examine our own
actions, language (even in jest), and perceptions of persons with
intellectual disabilities, and to measure our actions against Jesus'
command to love one another. We ask that we engage in conversation
with our young people, offering a Christ-centered critique of a culture
that allows us to so easily demean others.

"Individuals with intellectual disabilities have been subject to
discrimination, abuse, and exclusion from society throughout history.
Around the world there are more than 200 million people with
intellectual disabilities. In the United States, more than 6 million of  these
individuals have suffered severe consequences, including
institutionalization; physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; denial of
education, employment, and healthcare; segregation; and targeted hate
crimes.

" 'Attitudes and expectations of the public, in part, determine the degree
to which children, adolescents, and adults with intellectual disabilities
are able to learn, work, and live alongside their peers without
disabilities,' according to the President's Committee for People with
Intellectual Disabilities. Thus we all bear some responsibility for the
wellbeing of people with intellectual disabilities. This is especially  true
for the entertainment industry, which exerts a powerful influence on us
all.

"As representatives of the disability community, we lift up the dignity of
individuals with intellectual disabilities, the challenges they and their
families face, and the meaningful and powerful contributions they make
to their families, their communities, and their country. We long for a day
when our world treasures every person."

Go to www.brethren.org/abc/disabilities/index.html for more
information about the Church of the Brethren Disabilities Ministry.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to
continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its
faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and
Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches.  It
celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts more than 125,000
members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and
sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and
India.

># # #

>For more information contact:

>Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
>Director of News Services
>Church of the Brethren
>1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
>800-323-8039 ext. 260
>cobnews@brethren.org

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