Petition calls to boycott ‘Zoolander 2’ & why we shouldn’t

A petition is floating around that is calling for a mass boycott on Ben Stiller’s new film Zoolander 2. It’s not as if a bunch of us were going to be running towards the box office anyway, but the petition is starting up a conflict about something that is trivial.

The petition states that the movie is mocking queer culture with Benedict Cumberbatch’s character.

“In the “Zoolander 2″ trailer, an androgynous character played by Benedict Cumberbatch is asked by Zoolander and Hansel if he is a ‘male or female model’, and if they ‘have a hot dog or a bun’. Additionally, Cumberbatch’s character is clearly portrayed as an over-the-top, cartoonish mockery of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals. This is the modern equivalent of using blackface to represent a minority.”

Wait … what? Of course, if this type of character, and treatment, popped up in any serious movie then we would have a problem. But, take a step back and realize that these critiques are for Zoolander. Sure, it has a weird cult following, and I’m sure a lot of basic people will flock to the big screen to watch Ben Stiller attempt to revitalize his career, but boycotting the movie because it is insulting to queer culture is not the reason you should forego seeing it.

In Zoolander, no one is normal. Every character is an “over-the-top, cartoonish mockery” of some form of person. So, adding a realistic character into the movie wouldn’t make sense. It wouldn’t fit. And if the character was set in reality, amongst every other outlandish personality, it would be more of a concern.

This petition is not asking for equality, or visibility, it’s asking for special treatment. The two main characters in the film, are idiots, obviously. So when they ask about Benedict’s private parts, it’s because they are stupid. This is a completely made up society, that draws from the ignorance of real people. So, by asking to leave queer jokes out of a comedy that is based in ignorance, are you inferring that the queer community is too high brow for such low humor? (See John Waters) Are you saying that no jokes are allowed to be made about queer people? (See privilege) Or are you not able to laugh at yourself? (See sense of humor)

Equality: the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. By asking a comedy to not make jokes about queers, even as they poke fun at nearly every other culture, isn’t asking for equality, it’s asking for privilege.

There are plenty of reasons to boycott this movie. Don’t go see it because it looks atrocious. Don’t go see it because Ben Stiller hasn’t starred in a good movie since Meet the Parents. Don’t go see this movie because the first one was barely mediocre. Don’t boycott this film because you aren’t able to laugh at yourself, or your community.

Check out the cause of this controversy below. Don’t worry, the ‘mockery’ happens within the first minute, so you don’t have to torture yourself and watch the entire trailer.