The Real Offensive Language in ‘The Change-Up’

Posted on August 9, 2011 at 5:06 pm

Ellen Seldman, the mother of a special needs child, has written a heartfelt post for Parents.com about the offensive language in The Change-Up. It isn’t the (constant) four-letter words or graphic sexual references she objects to. It is the crude references to Down Syndrome. “It contains a scene in which a character asks a dad whether his twins are ‘retarded’ because they’re not yet speaking, then adds ‘I don’t know, this one looks a little Downsy.'”

I agree with her that the language is very offensive (I noted the use of the “r-word” in my review). I think it is important to point out, however, that the movie is not making fun of special needs kids. It is making fun of the “normal” idiot who uses that language.

The Change-Up is a very raunchy, graphic, intentionally provocative comedy. But it is no more on the side of the use of that language than it is of the other irresponsible and disgusting behavior by the character, including exposing the babies to very dangerous items and advising the older child to beat up a bully. I was more offended by the use of the r-word by characters portrayed more approvingly in other recent movies I have seen, most recently “Our Idiot Brother.”

I appreciate Seldman’s support for the very important “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign. My first job was at a school for developmentally disabled children that had the r-word in its name. That was a long time ago, and as with other words we now understand to be unacceptable, this one should be recognized as offensive and inaccurate. Parents should make sure they never use the word, even jokingly, and make clear to their children that they will not tolerate it.

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Understanding Media and Pop Culture

What Facebook Does to Kids

Posted on August 9, 2011 at 8:27 am

Atlantic Wire has a good post on the impact of Facebook on the brains of the teenagers who use it, based on a presentation to the American Psychological Association by psychologist Larry D. Rosen’s called “Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids.” Facebook has been so transformational that it is hard to remember it has only been around for seven years and only been available outside of college campuses for five, almost hard to remember life before status updates and likes. Our son went to college before social media. Two years later, our daughter arrived on her campus feeling as though she was already friends with some of her classmates by meeting them online.

It hasn’t been around long enough for long-term studies of its impact, but Rebecca Greenfield rounds up some of the research so far, finding that Facebook can promote “virtual empathy” and strengthen social skills. Perhaps most interesting, “When making friends on the social network, kids are more likely to overlook race and make friends based on interest, a UCLA study found.” But she notes that Facebook breeds narcissism and “doesn’t prepare kids for real-life talking.”

What to Watch for in ‘Rise of Planet of the Apes’ Reviews

Posted on August 4, 2011 at 3:55 pm

Of course the reviews of this week’s prequel, “Rise of Planet of the Apes” will refer to the previous movies and I look forward to seeing how many references to the earlier films they find in this one. I’m guessing it will be just about impossible for anyone to review the film without mentioning the current (and superb) documentary, “Project Nim,” the sad true story of a chimp that was raised by a family and used in language experiments and then subjected to unspeakable treatment in medical testing and then condemned to miserable solitude in the animal refuge that was supposed to be a loving home for him.

I’m going to keep an eye out and if there is a critic who does a particularly good job of bringing in these references (extra credit for bringing in the non-canonical Tim Burton “Apes” movie with Mark Wahlberg), I’ll put in a link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HEyPFezJxk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKdSXfPl8vY

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Understanding Media and Pop Culture

Joe Queenan on Movie Plots that Technology Killed

Posted on August 1, 2011 at 8:00 am

Brilliantly funny Joe Queenan has a great piece in The Guardian about how today’s technology would have saved some classic movie characters a lot of misery — and eliminated the plots for the movies and the enjoyment for the audiences.

Imagine Janet Leigh, driving around with that stolen money, looking for a place to spend the night. She’d check Trip Advisor on her iPhone and end up bypassing the Bates Motel. And Clint Eastwood could use caller ID to block those “Play Misty for Me” calls from Jessica Walter. The mistaken identity in “North by Northwest?” Not after Google!

You’ll think of some of your own examples when you read his list. “Casablanca?” You could print out fake letters of transit using Photoshop. “Citizen Kane?” He wouldn’t have to spend all that money on the newspaper; he could be a blogger!

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Understanding Media and Pop Culture

Harry Potter and the Curse of the Non-Fair Trade Chocolate

Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:18 am

The last of the Harry Potter films is out and Fandango reported over 5000 shows were sold out before opening day. It’s a likely candidate for this year’s box office champion with multi-million dollar revenues from tickets and perhaps even more from the lucrative licensing and product sales, estimated at over $14 billion by Brand Licensing Europe. But a recent campaign endorsed by four members of the Potter cast demonstrates that these partnerships can bring risks as well as rewards.

An advocacy group self-dubbed the Harry Potter Alliance has written a letter to the studio behind the Potter films, NBC Universal and Time-Warner asking them to make sure that the chocolate sold in the Harry Potter wrappers meets Time-Warners’ own ethical sourcing guidelines, with copies to Potter author J.K. Rowling, the corporations behind the theme park, and more.

The Harry Potter Alliance has also asked its members, over 100,000 in 70 chapters around the world, to support this initiative by uploading a video on the subject to CNN’s anti-slavery Freedom Project and by purchasing fair trade chocolate and sending the wrappers to Time-Warner.

Evanna Lynch, who plays Harry’s classmate Luna Lovegood, has signed the Alliance’s petition and made a statement in support of the campaign. Three other actors from the cast signed on this week.

Warner Brothers has agreed to work with the Alliance and assured them that their ethical sourcing guidelines are included as a part of every licensing agreement. In the US, most of the Harry Potter chocolate is sold in the theme park through a re-license arrangement, and their candy is a tiny fraction of the non-fair trade chocolate sold each year, so their involvement is limited. But their profile is high and their interest in the brand is strong, which makes them a good target for this campaign.

Harry Potter Alliance director Andrew Slack told me that Warners is “a cut above” the other companies. He is optimistic about making progress and Warner Consumer Products confirmed to me that they are working toward a solution. In the meantime, there are a few lessons to be learned about licensing risk.

1. Using an established name or brand to sell your product can leave you open for a judo-like upset, using your own strength against you. The chocolate companies and theme park paid for a license because they thought the Potter name would help sell chocolate. The boost the candy got from the name may be overtaken by the reputational hit the name gets from selling the candy. My favorite brand expert is Jonathan Baskin (he’s also my cousin), who says, “This illustrates the complexity of translating an imaginary idea into a concrete product or service. I can’t imagine that the short-term upside outweighs the risks.”

2. “Guidelines” are easy to agree to and difficult to enforce. Time-Warner may have an excellent ethical sourcing policy for its own products, but insisting on non-enforceable guidelines for licensees without any effort to check independent third-party assessments leaves them vulnerable to this kind of bad publicity.

3. The group that is making the most effective use of the Potter name is the one that did not enter into a license or pay a fee — the Harry Potter Alliance. It has no official connection to the J.K. Rowling trademarked properties but it has been named a “fan site of the month” by her website and she has spoken approvingly of its activities. Just as the wizards in the Potter books can’t match the healing properties of the muggle chocolates, businesses who think they understand the best use of brands have a lot to learn from the amateurs on this one.