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Films

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Original poster

Disablist terms used in the new George Clooney film, The Descendants

74 replies

TheyShootHorses · 13/02/2012 07:39

Just seen the new George Clooney film, The Descendants.

In the film his eldest daughter calls the youngest 'such a spaz'. They showed this clip at the Bafta's last night.

Later George calls her boyfriend a retard. He says ' don't use the word retard in a derogatory way, my little brother is retarded - JOKE!'

I really didn't find this funny, and I was shocked that these words were used. I haven't heard Spaz as an insult since I was at school in the 80's.

AIBU?

OP posts:

catsareevil · 13/02/2012 07:40

YANBU.

Shutupanddrive · 13/02/2012 07:42

YANBU!

Dustinthewind · 13/02/2012 07:42

YANBU, both words are completely unacceptable in any context.
Even if there are squeaks of 'Oh well, in America it isn't seen in the same way, it's not disablist at all'
It is wrong.
Ignorant.
Offensive.

TroublesomeEx · 13/02/2012 07:46

YANBU.

troisgarcons · 13/02/2012 08:00

use of words in another country isnt the same as ours and it's an age old debate.

"mong" is picking up use in teen-speak - simply because it comes from Ozzie soaps and means "mongrel", not 'mongol' as we would assume. But to our ears it is offensive becaue it means something different.

For all I know, not being up on Americanisms, "retard" may still be used in speach becaue "learning difficulties" or "special needs" isn't within their standard set of vocabulary.

peggyblackett · 13/02/2012 08:03

YANBU

JamRagRolyPoly · 13/02/2012 08:04

Those words are still acceptable in America

Voidka · 13/02/2012 08:04

As much as I hate both words, I have to agree with troisgarcons

troisgarcons · 13/02/2012 08:05

Those words are still acceptable in America

I thought 'retard' was, I've heard it in both sitcoms and docus.

valiumredhead · 13/02/2012 08:06

Ime those words ares till used and acceptable in America - doesn't make it right though.

troisgarcons · 13/02/2012 08:08

Americans are a little more plain speaking than we are. They say it as it is and really don't give a shit if they offend anyone.

Thye save their terms of confuddlement for "friendly fire" and "collateral damage" - so much cleaner than 'fuck! we shot our allies' and 'hell! we bombed a village of children and women by mistake'.

Grockle · 13/02/2012 08:09

Yep, both widely used in the Us - in professional settings. Children with SEN are 'retarded'

I heard spaz on cbeebies this week though was was shocked but in
I'll and cannot remember where it was so can't complain.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 13/02/2012 08:09

well its meant to show them behaving badly so YABU a little.

YABU also for just saying the words there in the title, don't want to read them every time am on MN.

Morloth · 13/02/2012 08:13

troisgarcons '"mong" is picking up use in teen-speak - simply because it comes from Ozzie soaps and means "mongrel", not 'mongol' as we would assume. But to our ears it is offensive becaue it means something different.'

It really doesn't you know. Mong has always been used as a derisory way of referring to someone with downs syndrome or to compare someone to down's syndrome, well since the early 80s in Australia anyway. The Australian pronounciation of Mongrel is closer to Mungral.

I think this is becoming my personal bug bear on Mumsnet.

'Wog' is one that has a slightly different meaning in Australia. Still derisory (in certain circumstances/contexts) but not nearly as loaded.

But Mong is a horrible word here as well as in the UK.

Spaz is used a bit more 'loosely' but anyone with half a brain cell can figure out that it isn't appropriate, the same with Retard.

swallowedAfly · 13/02/2012 08:14

i don't get the argument 'those words are still acceptable in america' - the words aren't acceptable, americans haven't accepted that yet and moved on. let's face it leaving people to die without basic healthcare is acceptable in america doesn't mean it actually is acceptable it means america has a fucked up situation going on in that area.

also big difference between a word still being used in a medical or diagnostic way and it being used as an insult.

i think the word retarded still has valid use - an approach can be retarded, a way of thinking or planning can be retarded in it's genuine sense of backwards thinking or undeveloped. yet i'd be really cautious of using it because i know to others it's offensive.

in this context the film could have very easily made use of other teen slang words that didn't cause offense to real groups of people - they chose not to. so no, imo yanbu.

eaglewings · 13/02/2012 08:15

YANBU

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 13/02/2012 08:15

saintlyjimjams · 13/02/2012 08:18

Actually retard isn't really acceptable in America anymore - there's quite a campaign about not using the word anymore.

Spaz has never been openly linked to 'spastic' in the US (in that I mean people don't realise the words are linked) so I can see why it's acceptable as to the American mind there is no link between spaz and CP

troisgarcons · 13/02/2012 08:19

morloth I stand corrected, mind you it never stopped Alf on Home and Away coming out with "you ming, you dirty dog" to all and sundry.

The kids have a lot of American sitcoms on, which I do tend to have an eye on as well - Big Bang Theory - jaw droppingly racist under the guise of the main character being autistic (even though thats never actually said) - we quite often we look at each other and say "they cant say that??? can they????" clearly they do and it's passed as fit for mainstream comedy. Two and a Half Men - again overtly sexist but funny though, don't care what anyone thinks. Scrubs, very loaded overtones of sexism and racism.

Dustinthewind · 13/02/2012 08:20

You don't want to read them?
OK
Better than having your child come home distraught because he's been called retard though, and having those words in the public domain legitimised in yet another popular film doesn't help.
Maybe he should just revert to his usual form of Frontier justice next time. Something many Americans still hold dear.

lavendergirl123 · 13/02/2012 08:21

In my experience, any child who is ''different'' is subjected to these names - at least this is the case on the estate where we live. I am a home educator and we are subjected to this every time we venture out. School holidays are a nightmare here.

JamRagRolyPoly · 13/02/2012 08:22

If it isn't accepted in America, like here, why was it on a big movie? Must still be pretty acceptable.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 13/02/2012 08:30

Dust..my prerogative not to read them..doesn't mean I condone calling kids it

ouryve · 13/02/2012 08:31

Spaz might not have the meaning in US vocabulary that it does in UK, but retard most certainly does.

jenfraggle · 13/02/2012 08:42

I agree that spaz is bad but the word retard means slow which is why it got picked up and applied to people with special needs (I'm not saying that is ok though, please don't think I am). I only found this out when working in the building industry and came across retarded cement, meaning that it has something added to it so that it doesn't set as quickly.

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