There is a movie called “Ted” that includes a teddy bear that has a foul-mouth. This is definitely not a movie for children! Somewhere in the movie, there is a joke about Lou Gehrig’s disease. This has made several people quite upset.
There is a new movie called “Ted”. At first glance, the description of the plot may sound as though it is a children’s movie. John Bennett, played by Mark Wahlberg, made a wish when he was a child. He wanted his teddy bear to come to life. The wish came true, and Ted has been with John ever since.
Now, John is an adult. He has a girlfriend, named Lori (played by Mila Kunis). She wants her relationship with John to become more serious, but, Ted is getting in the way. The character of Ted is voiced by Seth MacFarlane, who is the creator of “Family Guy”. That show is a cartoon, but is definitely not for kids! The movie “Ted”, despite having a talking teddy bear as a main character, is also not for children.
This potential confusion about the appropriate audience for the movie is not what is creating controversy. Instead, the problem is with a joke that is said in the movie. At some point, John becomes annoyed with Ted, and says:
“From one man to another, I hope you get Lou Gehrig’s disease”.
Now, anyone familiar with the work of Seth MacFarlane is going to expect to hear comments and jokes that are rude, insensitive, and sometimes even disgusting. I would assume that the majority of the audience who goes to see “Ted” in theaters is expecting this sort of humor. However, this particular joke has crossed the line in a way that perhaps was not intended.
Lou Gehrig’s disease is also called Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. It is a serious neurological disease that has no cure. It causes muscle weakness, slurring of speech, and muscle twitches. The disease progressively affects a person’s ability to control the muscles that they need to use in order to move, speak, eat, and breathe.
People who went to see the movie “Ted” are very likely hoping to laugh at inappropriate jokes. Many are laughing at the joke about Lou Gehrig’s disease. This is very upsetting to people who have this disease, or who have loved ones that have it. It seems to make this group feel as though the audience is laughing at people who have Lou Gehrig’s disease, or that they are laughing at the people who care for someone who has it. It would have been better if the joke was worded so as not to include a disease that has no cure.
Image by falcon1961 on Flickr