Teens Discovering "Tropic Thunder" Is Everyone's Favorite Quarantine Activity

In 2009, Tropic Thunder, particularly Robert Downey Jr's performance, spurred a backlash due to its use of blackface. In the film, he plays an awards-hungry actor, willing to go to "great lengths" for his performance, no matter how disgusting those lengths may be. This says nothing about the protests against its depictions of people with mental disabilities in the form of "Simple Jack."

Of course, once people saw the film, it became clear that this bit of other-wise unacceptable makeup satirized white actors and filmmakers who use other cultures, races and disabilities to garner favor from critics, win awards and serve their own egos. It's a significant plot point in the film: These types of performances are not ok. And yet, Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar for playing Stephen Hawking in 2014's The Theory of Everything and received a nomination for his role as trans artist Lili Elbe in the 2015's The Danish Girl. We've learned so little since Tropic Thunder's release.

Still, every few months, youngsters on social media who find images Downy Jr's Oscar-nominated performance (you read that correctly) complain about a lack of cancelation. Of course, devoid of context, the photos aren't flattering, but I digress.

Remember that time Robert Downey jr did full blackface and nobody said ANYTHING pic.twitter.com/PIBF65r2r1

— Quick (@YGOTFBKOST2) April 30, 2020

The frequent "rediscovering" of his performances has given rise to a new activity on the site: People watching the attempted-cancelation of Downey Jr over a movie that came out over a decade ago and was already very much a point of controversy. If anything, they should cancel him for his accent Dolittle, but I guess people would have to remember that that film exists first.

Every few months someone will find out about Tropic Thunder and then not acknowledge the context of his character being a crazy method actor taking it to far to the irritation of the actual black characters. https://t.co/OL3lMvIW3o

— Demiface (@SirDemiface) April 30, 2020

If you're not seeing the Robert Downey Jr. blackface outrage tweets from people who've never seen Tropic Thunder, you're in for a treat.

— Paul McClean (@paulmcclean) April 30, 2020

Every month, people expose themselves on this website for not ever watching the greatness that is Tropic Thunder or not having the intellect to understand the topics within Tropic Thunder https://t.co/H5Zhir5ZZY

— Satta ✨🍷 (@QueenSatta) April 30, 2020

Because Tropic Thunder was fucking hilarious and the joke wasn't on Black people, it was on white actors thinking they could play any role. https://t.co/bQdygNwEtd

— Phonte (@phontigallo) April 30, 2020

Robert Downey Jr played Kirk Lazarus, an Australian actor who was playing the role of Sgt. Lincoln Osiris, an African American Non-Commissioned Officer. He did not play a character in blackface. He played a white guy who was ridiculously committed to being in character always. https://t.co/SSixi7dSN7

— Zima Guy aka Texas Lt. Gov. Pat Patrick (@ChapGebassi) April 30, 2020

Teenagers: Robert Downey Jr wore blackface and got away with it & didn’t apologize. And you people defend him ?!?!Robert Downey Jr: pic.twitter.com/nRkiRa7OJ8

— Jade Lupinacci (@LupyMagic) April 30, 2020

12 year olds on twitter canceling Robert Downey Jr for doing blackface in a movie despite not realizing he’s making fun of white people that do blackface

— Arjun (@_marlanderthews) April 30, 2020

Wait till they find out he got OSCAR NOMINATED for it pic.twitter.com/zXnXZ9i8R5

— kinomozg (@kinomozg) April 30, 2020