Like I said, I just don’t find Jar Jar’s stupidity annoying. If anything it’s endearing. As for him being a racial stereotype, that’s simply ludicrous. What little evidence there is is circumstantial and laughably insignificant. The fact he doesn’t even look remotely like a jamaican alone should be enough to dismiss this claim. AotC Watto, on the other hand.
He’s not endearing to everyone. You don’t see Mr. Binks walking around Disney parks as other prequel characters do. Even Watto got a shop in the Orlando park named after him.
Does a character have to be in blackface before they meet your definition of being offensive to some people?
I don’t think George deliberately set out to make Jar Jar offensive. The problem lies in the culture that existed at Lucasfilm where anyone who could say Gee George, I dunno. Maybe that’s not such a good idea? was long gone and Lucas surrounds himself with yes men.
Yes to this.
I should add that in addition to my ideas above I would make the case to Lucas that it would be warranted for him to do a Special Edition of TPM to change some of the more unfortunate aspects of Mr Binks, and also to maybe edit out the Midichlorians.