'Tropic Thunder' unleashes a word of hurt

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK -- The movie "Tropic Thunder" opened this week. For most Americans it was an unremarkable event. But for some it has served as a stark reminder of a past we do not want to remember.

The movie's pejorative use of the word "retard" has evoked strong reactions from the disability community around the world, reactions ranging from shock and anger to dismay and sadness. A national coalition of disability advocacy groups has called for a boycott of the movie. Tim Shriver, president of Special Olympics International and the most visible spokesperson for the boycott, says that use of the "R-word" reinforces stereotypes that are demeaning and degrading, counteracting efforts to help the public recognize the humanity and potential of people with intellectual disabilities.

These discussions take me back to a huge, sprawling residential institution in central Georgia. It was 1971, and I was working on a locked ward of 88 women, "retardates," all of whom lived in one large room under conditions most of us cannot imagine.

These women, many of whom had been diagnosed as idiots, morons or imbeciles, had been abandoned by their families and by a society that did not know what to do with them and did not want them to be a part of their lives.

Thankfully much has happened since 1971. The large residential institutions have been closed. Federal legislation requires that schools serve all children, including those with disabilities. Advocacy groups, parents and people with disabilities have worked hard to establish supports and services that allow people with intellectual disabilities to live full and satisfying lives with their families and in their communities.

For all of these people, "retard" reawakens memories of decades of hard work trying to correct a terrible part of our history. More important, it symbolizes the struggle that families and people with intellectual disabilities face every day as they strive to be accepted and included in the rest of the world.

To no one's surprise, Internet bloggers have reacted quickly to controversy over the movie. A number have argued that the "overreaction" of the disability community is yet another case of political correctness gone amok.

Although I have not seen the movie, I'm sure it has its high points and is entertaining. I suspect that when "retard" is used it may even be funny.

Sure, some people may feel a little uncomfortable and won't know how to respond, as is often the case when friends or relatives tell sexist or racist jokes. But most viewers will have no inkling of the depth of hurt that this word causes for individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families.

In the end, "retard" is just a word. But using words that devalue a person's worth based on something completely out of their control is not just hurtful. It also sends a powerful message about how we as a society truly feel about people who are not like us and in the end demeans the people who use it.

I would like to think that the producers and actors who used the word did not intentionally set out to hurt people with intellectual disabilities. But the intent of an act is different from the result of an act. In this case, the result might be the resurgence of a word and an attitude that many of us hoped had been relegated to history. As a number of bloggers have suggested, perhaps a better title would be "Tropic Blunder."

(Don Bailey, Ph.D. is a distinguished fellow at RTI International, where he conducts research on individuals with disabilities and their families.)