Moviemaker Morgan Spurlock goes after "the retarded kids"

by Karen Walrond (Subscribe to Karen Walrond's posts) Mar 27th 2006 12:36PM

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From US Weekly: Moviemaker Morgan Spurlock, known for his movie Supersize Me, the flick where he ate nothing but McDonald's meals for a month to show the effects on his body, was invited to speak at Hatboro-Horsham High School’s first-ever health fair. In what I can only assume was an effort to ingratiate himself with the students, his speech was laden with profanities as he made fun of the intelligence level of McDonald's employees.

But the worst part? Oh, that would probably be when he referrred to the “retarded kids in the back [row] wearing helmets." The special education students who were seated in the back row were quickly escorted out of the room by teachers.

Charming.

Comments (14)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

LB 3-27-2006 @ 12:51PM

I hate this guy! He is such a jerk. Too many people loved him 'cause his movie blasted MCD and they fell prey to that "the enemy of my ememy is my friend" crap. His free speech statement is rubbish.

Daisy 3-27-2006 @ 12:52PM

OMG! I can't believe he would say that! It's one thing to be talking to your friends and say something inappropriate but to actually point the 'retarded' kids out and say something is HORRIBLE! He should have been asked to leave. What an example!

LB 3-27-2006 @ 1:00PM

all the name of comedy-Morgan's blog-

http://blogs.indiewire.com/morganspurlock/

Ginny 3-27-2006 @ 3:10PM

Thanks for posting that LB. Now I know he's more of a jerk than I originally thought. How dare he even refer to HIMSELF as retarded for not being able to hear a question. He seems to think he did nothing wrong. JERK JERK JERK

Bonnie 3-27-2006 @ 4:01PM

I think you guys are over reacting. These weren't grade school students and from everything I read, both the US Weekly article and his blog page that LB was kind enough to post, he didn't say anything that they wouldn't hear on television. What was the school thinking anyway having him give a speech when one of the board members owned a McDonalds? Did they really think he wouldn't talk about his experiences with the movie? Isn't that essentially why he was asked to speak at a Health Fair? As far as the comments he made, it's common knowledge that it's generally not rocket scientists working in the fast food restaurants. It's also not uncommon for comedians to poke fun of authority, if he was visiting an army camp he would make jokes about the more senior officers to relate more to the troops, and it would be considered bad form for the officers to take offense. He's a comedian, ok arguably not a very pc one, but then how many of them are and a High School age audience is old enough to handle a few politically incorrect comments and a bit of swearing.

cee 3-27-2006 @ 4:11PM

I am sad for those poor kids. Making fun of handicapped people is not funny, it is in poor taste.

I didn't like his movie Supersize Me, I tried to watch it three times and fell asleep everytime. I found it boring and mundane. Fast food is not meant to eat three times a day, everyday.

I don't eat fast food at all so maybe that is why it didn't effect me or interest me.

Ginny 3-27-2006 @ 5:04PM

Bonnie - Even a high schooler would know not to refer to the special ed. children in the back as "retarded"
...even if they were on stage trying to "wooo" the crowd.

Shash 3-27-2006 @ 5:21PM

Bonnie, for the record, it wasn't funny.

I don't care WHO his audience was, he was a speaker to a group of kids, probably many of them regard Mr. Spurlock highly. (The standing ovation he recieved at the end of the speech gives me reason to believe that.) For Mr. Spurlock to single out special kids and "make fun of them" at their expense, is horrible. Not to mention, it continues the detrimental stereotype that special kids won't amount to anything, and that is not true. An apology on his website isn't enough. He needs to get back into the field and work again with special needs kids (like he alludes to in his letter) to see that they no longer truly fit the stereotypes he joked about; and that some "special" kids have gone on to do amazing things. They wrok hard to break through that stereotype, and deserve praise, not cintinued ridicule, even if it is wrapped up in humor.

Still not funny. Sorry to disagree with you.

Uly 3-27-2006 @ 9:48PM

"He's a comedian, ok arguably not a very pc one, but then how many of them are and a High School age audience is old enough to handle a few politically incorrect comments and a bit of swearing."

No. Just... no.

They're old enough to handle cursing, I agree, though it's *completely* inappropriate for an adult in a school enviroment. Nobody is old enough to be expected to sit there and be insulted, like the "retards" in the back row. Or, alternatively, any "niggers", "chinks", "spics", or "faggots" sitting in the auditorium.

It's not "non pc". It's fucking *rude* and *offensive* and absolutely unacceptable.

P's Mama 3-27-2006 @ 9:55PM

Being un-p/c is one thing, I can handle that, but going after kids with disabilities is reprehensible. There is just no humor in that.

Laura Snow 3-28-2006 @ 3:14AM

I worked at McDonald's as a teen and young adult and I'm not of a lower intelligence! Even the older people working there weren't 'stupid' I find that the most annoying from this article.

ann adams 3-28-2006 @ 3:25AM

I may lack Uly's colorful turn of phrase but I agree.

It was wrong on so many levels that for once I'm almost speechless. That could have been my great-granddaughter sitting in the back row so for me it's personal.

It was cruel, it wasn't funny, and I hate to think what it might have done to those kids. I know what it would have done to my Elcie.

Shame on him.

Uly 3-28-2006 @ 9:41PM

" I may lack Uly's colorful turn of phrase but I agree."

*shuffles feet*

It's a subject that upsets me. A lot. Can you tell?

ESP 4-14-2006 @ 1:49AM

Non-PC and Free Speech are the same thing-you can't have FS without non-PC speech.
Shame:
3. To mock at; to deride. Obs. or R.
1913 Webster

Morgan seems to have shamed the special needs students in the rear of the auditorium. I guess he should be shamed as well?