I can not begin to explain how much I hate the word retarded and how much more I hate the word retard. I can not put into words the boiling in my blood, the quickening to my pulse, the breaking of my heart. I can not tell a person who doesn't have a child or children with a disability WHY those words are SO wrong but they are. I have said it before and I will say it again- those words carry physical weight- and they hurt.
I used to like actor Ryan Reynolds. I used to think he was a funny guy- maybe even cute. Now I think he is just an ignorant jerk who makes money demeaning and belittling people like my miracle men.
In the movie "The Change Up" with Jason Bateman, Ryan's character makes reference to Jason's movie twins asking if one is retarded and commenting the other looks a little bit downsy. Nice. Classy. Completely unnecessary.
This is not the first movie that Ryan Reynolds has been in that uses the "R" word. In every movie he is in you are almost guaranteed to hear it. I've learned this the hard way. In one movie, Waiting, one of the characters actually says, "That's like being the smartest kid with Down syndrome." So sick.
Why? I ask this question often when I hear things like this. WHY? What purpose does that word in a movie serve? None. It serves no person but to show that the person saying it has no sense of right and wrong. And before someone tries to tell me that they are actors and they are being paid to play a role I say, "NO! They are WRONG!"
Just because you are taking a paycheck does not mean you can't stand for something that is good and right and just plain decent. Just because you are being paid does not mean you can't stand up and say, 'this is wrong.' Just because you are taking a paycheck does not mean that you can't set a better example for the millions of people who look up to you, want to be like you, wish they were you. I would LOVE to be some famous big shot so I could use the platform of fame to EDUCATE people.
There is a 90% rate of abortion for babies diagnosed prenatally with DS. People like Ryan Reynolds and those who write the crappy comedies he is in are part of that problem. Shame on Hollywood. Shame on actors who lack basic decency to defend those who can not defend themselves. Shame on them for refusing to use the word retarded or retard in movies. Just shame on them for being spineless, uneducated, uncaring jerks.
And just for the record- my miracle men are a blessing. They are the most amazing blessing I could imagine. Someone like Ryan Reynolds should *BE* so lucky to have kids like mine.
1 comment:
Isn't it amazing how as parents of children who have Ds we now have some sort of radar for the "R" word and others like it. Sometimes I hate feeling the sting each time the word is spoken over all I just really hate that word! I too have lost a lot of respect for a lot of things/people/stores etc... because of their demeaning and offensive ways.
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