Did you know that a person is diagnosed with leprosy every two minutes? Did you know that the word "leper" is totally funny, not in a ha-ha way, but in that way where you're not entirely sure you're spelling it right, even when you are?
Anyway, leprosy is apparently still a fairly widespread disease, and it's totally not okay to make fun of that fact, as Aardman Animations is discovering. Apparently a couple of leper advocacy groups have asked the studio to make changes to their upcoming film The Pirates! Band Of Misfits (which, in another weird turn of events, is apparently called The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists! overseas), which, if you've seen the trailer, handily inserted above, apparently features an adventure in which the titular pirates raid a ship looking for gold, only to find a group of dirty, dirty lepers.
(Disclaimer: I actually don't know if lepers are dirty or not.)
Apparently the scene in question has been removed, or altered in some way; Ain't It Cool is stating that the ship has been switched from having lepers to having scientists aboard, although I can't find that info in any other article about the brouhaha, with most of them only saying that Aardman is going to make changes to the scene in question to make it more palatable and less offensive to said leper groups, including the International Federation Of Anti-Leprosy Associations. I guess they've already made a bit of a point to me; call me a sheltered American, but I always assumed that leprosy was one of those ancient biblical diseases that had long since been eradicated, like tuberculosis and malaria. We're learning something today!
Leprosy is pretty nasty. It's like cockrot for your whole body.
Totally reminds me of that Simpsons episode where Bart and Homer think they have leprosy.
Leprosy is gross, which is why it's totally fine to make fun of it. The only way I want to hear or think about lepers is in a humorous fashion.
Also, I hope none of the lepers' jaws fell off while they were complaining about this.
Lame. That was one of the funniest parts of the trailer, when the lepers arm fell off. Such a shame that if one person or group is offended by a joke, they cut it out of a film.
I didn't even know they had released a trailer
Now I do. Seems like it could be fun.
Wow these leper advocacy groups aren't doing a good job because I had no idea leprosy was still a thing and no-one I know did either
I kind of feel like they shouldn't change the movie.
Sure leprosy sucks really badly, but if the entirety of humanity had to constantly edit our sense of humour then our jokes/one-liners/generally acting stupid wouldn't be funny, it would be boring.
A joke can become offensive out of context to anybody and everybody, and if the person who's offended does get the context they get too much of a stick up their ass about it and decide that everything must be censored and edited down to a dumbed-down version of the movie that's designed for everybody instead of designed for people who actually like a certain movie or genre.
Being PC-friendly is so often over used, and has the result of making life less colourful and simply more grey and boring.
Racism sucks, homophobia sucks, peadophilia REALLY sucks but this whole: "This offends ME PERSONALLY so I speak for my entire group of people who don't even know about this or who I am when I say that this should not happen, nor should you sigh at me for saying so! You will put up with my attitude because I'm loud and obnoxious and you can't stop me making shouting la-la-la-la at the top of my lungs whilst holding my hands over my ears until things change!!!!!!!" multiple exclamation marks to show his closed mind.
It exists therefore it can't be in a movie. I understand.
The thing I find most hilarious about this whole thing is this: Where have they been for the hundreds if not thousands of other leprosy related jokes the media has done over the history of film and media?!
Also, I understand its a harsh and disgusting disease, but really, its containable, controllable, and curable!!!! Get over yourselves. This like that lady that got mad cause Drive had little Driving in it.
Rather than scientists, they should make them all ex-lepers. That would make everyone happy, right?
I'm a ghost and I am super offended that there is also a ghost ship! TAKE IT OUT AARDMAN!
Wait... I am a scientist. Should I be offended now?
Hey! I'm a leper and I'm pissed they're messing with this scene!
(disclaimer: I am not actually a leper. I only play one on TV)
The $10 spent on a movie ticket could have fed a homeless person for a couple of days, so it's not like movie goers aren't already apathetic to the sick and dying.
Nothing is funny. No laughing. Wear your sterile suits and go back to work.
Lets just eliminate all comedy. Then the world will be at peace, right?