Now This Is Retarded

A while back, the girlfriend and I were at the movies and saw a preview for Tropic Thunder. I immediately thought, "a comedy film about Americans getting shot at in a South Asian jungle - this is not going to sit well with some folks." I just didn't figure out it would come from this angle:

A coalition of disabilities groups is expected as early as Monday to call for a national boycott of the film 'Tropic Thunder' because of what the groups consider the movie’s open ridicule of the intellectually disabled.

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A particular sore point has been the film’s repeated use of the term 'retard' in referring to a character, Simple Jack, who is played by Mr. Stiller in a subplot about an actor who chases an Oscar by portraying a mindless dolt.

Of course, it's perfectly OK for someone to decide to boycott a film on such grounds. I boycott lots of films because they suck, for example. And it's even OK to try and convince other folks to do the same.

But this is just, well, retarded:

Mr. [Timothy] Shriver [chairman of the Special Olympics] said that he had also begun to ask members of Congress for a resolution condemning what he called the movie’s 'hate speech' and calling for stronger federal support of the intellectually disabled.

Oh, please. For one thing, Congress has better things to do than wag its collective finger at movie makers for making fun of a particular group. For another, if a broad satirical movie is really "hate speech," then the term is so broad as to have no real meaning.

Contrary to popular opinion, you do not have a right to be free from offense in this country. The First Amendment ensures that people can say mean things about your or your group. And it also ensure that you can verbally fire back. That's all that is needed.