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Terry-Rossio-684968318.jpg

'Shrek' Screenwriter Uses Racial Slur And False Equivalency To Advocate Anti-Vaxxer Agenda

By Kristy Puchko | Film | November 26, 2018 |

By Kristy Puchko | Film | November 26, 2018 |

Terry-Rossio-684968318.jpg

Terry Rossio is best known as a screenwriter behind such hits as Aladdin, Shrek and The Pirates of the Carribean. He is worst known as an anti-vaxxer who employs false equivalency and racial slurs in an attempt to further his cause.

Twitter users became all too aware of the latter this holiday weekend when Rossio responded to a tweet from The 100 writer Julie Benson, where she suggested donating to organizations that help underprivileged children receive potentially life-saving vaccines. Here’s her tweet.

And a screenshot of Rossio’s response.

One more time for the white people who somehow have missed the damn memo: don’t use the n-word. Just don’t.

Especially do not use it to try to declare some other word is just as bad. Because every time you do, that word is not one censored in news articles. So, you’re wrong. More specific to this embarrassing incident, there’s not a history of injustice—including enslavement and literal lynchings—against anti-vaxxers. So, you’re wrong. Plus, anti-vaxxers aren’t being stereotyped because of a physical trait over which they have no control. They are being judged for their actions, which put theirs and other children at risk. So, you’re wrong. And worse, Rossio, you are a writer. Your JOB is to know how words work. So, you’re wrong! And Twitter rose up to let you know.

Here’s a sampling of responses to Rossio’s now deleted tweet:

Two days later, Rossio issued what some news outlets are calling an “apology.” I guess because Rossio’s the not the only writer here who doesn’t know how words work.

Terry, using “the actual word” wasn’t a problem. Your comment would have been just as ignorant and horrid if you had written:

“My heart goes out to all the parents of vaccine damaged children, who have to not only endure the sadness of their loss, but also the vitriol of ill-informed and insensitive people (such as those here). Anti-Vax is equivalent to calling someone an n-word and makes as little sense.”

It’s still wrong, as in both false and morally grotesque. The only thing you got right is that it makes “little sense.” If only there was some sort of resource a writer could refer to when they needed to be sure they understood the definition of a word.