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Producers of the controversial comedy Tropic Thunder claim disability advocates are upset because they haven't seen the film in context.  Lawrence Carter-Long, has.  In this commentary, the founder and curator of the provocative disTHIS! Film Series (disthis.org) explains where the film-makers got it wrong:

To those who have been in a cave the past few weeks, the film Tropic Thunder starring and directed by Ben Stiller featuring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jack Black, includes a plotline where Stiller's down and out action star previously portrayed "Simple Jack" an intellectually disabled person in an attempt to revive his career. After concerns were raised by disability advocates, a promotional website for “Simple Jack” was pulled prior to Thunder’s premiere.

As personal fan of satire with a provocative film series with disability themes of my own, I waited to reserve judgment on Tropic Thunder until after seeing the film.  What I saw disturbed me, but not for the reasons originally feared – or often discussed.  

What's the fuss? Simplistic explanations point toward political correctness and understandable condemnation of the word "retard." If only it were that, um, simple.  A more thorough examination suggests the biggest mistakes made by Dreamworks were those of omission.  
 
Director Ben Stiller told the Los Angeles Times he decided against his initial idea of a "post-Platoon" syndrome for actors who survived a tough shoot in the jungle for fear people would “think you're making fun of veterans."