Disney Racist!....Really?!

Consider this a mini series of hubs I'm writing based on one argument...er discussion.

Disney is loved by all, it's animated films touting princesses, adventures and more has found a place in every child/grown up/family's heart. Not to mention its live action films or as my little cousin calls it 'the real people movies', the world still can't get enough of Captain Jack Sparrow.

All this aside it still managed to create a semi heated verbal battle, discussion type thing concerning it's level or racism, blatantly or otherwise...as in subliminal.

It struck a cord in me...a few in fact. Is/was Disney racist? Why had it not cross my mind before? Hence me writing about it.

I love Disney and have been hooked since birth...well maybe since my terrible two's. I was born in 1987 and for me I just didn't see it or if it existed since then, it totally went over my head. As (Jeff Dunham's) Peanut would say 'NNYEWM!' while he does his classic over the head gesture.

So let's explore.

No Disney isn't racist. Not anymore...

It has however produced features, films with some offensive, racist or overly stereotypical scenes. I have read a few blog posts on this matter and the examples of racism used which I will get into later, don't apply anymore. No I'm not saying that just because they whipped up a black princess.

So the discussion I mentioned earlier, well we decided we'd research our arguments and when we next got together we'd have it out, after all we're all grown ups now. I was on the Disney's side.

Here are all the examples of racism or the highly offensive characters in Disney films.

Fantasia- Sunflower.

In the Pastoral Symphony sequence; there was a black centaur who was half donkey, facial features were exaggerated and was a handmaiden to all the pretty white,half human half horse centaur ladies. I agree this was racist/offensive. I mean half donkey, why the hell couldn't she be half horse?! That to me wasn't the worst of it but the fact that she seemed to be their servant, dare I say slave. She is akin to the cotton/sugar cane picking, happy Negro, BIG lips, nappy hair, 'dandified coon' and things of that nature. Watch it here.

The Indians-Peter Pan.

Their depiction is offensive and very misguided. The colour changing of their skin from an accepted colour to red...seriously?! It's very patronising. Again I agree here.

The Crows & Rustabouts (Circus workers)- Dumbo.

In the opening sequence there are black 'faceless' men hard at work. They bare no individual identity and sing about working all day and night and not learning to read or write. We meet the crows in a tree, where Dumbo and Timothy the mouse wake up from the night's rest. The crows, have mercy! Posses characteristics of jive talking African Americans akin to the time the film was created. The leader is called Jim Crown. They speak poor english and and even had to respond to 'why are you up here [in the tree]'. This sparked the, everyone must be in there place argument.

I really loved the crows and honestly never saw it as racists but I get why it's offensive. To me the rustabouts song is far more offensive and racist. Hell even the whole story is a lil racist. Casting Dumbo out because he looks different, who can only befriend another outsider, the mouse;because elephants fear them.

Darker characters with white features, like Esmeralda having green eyes, or Jasmine being overly sexual in dress and not fully Arabian looking. This is a weak argument for me as I couldn't any less about things like that. Perhaps I'm biased I lurve Esmeralda, Jasmine and all the other ethnic female characters.

Since we're talking about Jasmine, another is The Merchant's song Arabian Nights in Aladdin, where there was a really offensive line,

"Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face"

This was replaced with a better line

"Where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense."

The controversy with the song was it depicted the Middle East as a place that will enthusiastically remove a limb if your face wasn't up to par.

Another problem was that Jafar, the villain looked more ethnic, while the hero was fairer skinned. in a sense showing being darker or not white as bad and being fair/white as good.

Uncle Remus- Song of the South

The happy plantation worker is perfect fodder for the racism fire. I personally didn't see it as being full blown racism. I enjoyed it and if you haven't seen it, you can watch it on Youtube. Is it bad/wrong that I didn't find it offensive? I feel like I should. My dad explained to me why it's considered racist. He said it acted as the 400 years of slavery didn't exist and that black people were happy and didn't see anything wrong with it. Uncle Remus also played a stereotypical black man, in those times. So I understand why it's offensive but didn't fully get it when I watched it.

Asian Stereotyping in Chip n' Dale, Lady & The Tramp and The Aristocats

It speaks for itself.The cat singing about the fortune cookie and shanghai while playing the piano with chopsticks in hand is uber ridiculous. Just watch the video >>>>

Hanumanman in Phineas and Ferb

The most recent case. The Asian boy, Baljeet Patel turns into Hanumanman as his super hero alter-ego into he episode Out of Toon. While the others in the team, Team Improbable that is, turn into alter-egos fitting their personality or things they like to do. Seems off while he changes into something attributed to her race and religion. Baljeet is known as the geek of the group, especially his compulsive need to get only A's in school, another stereotype. In another episode, there is angry, violent gelatin and when asked what extra ingredient is used Baljeet admits its curry. Hate to say it but these do seem OFF!

I can add a few more but I believe these are enough for now.

My argument is time and relativity.

Fantasia and Dumbo were released in the early '40's where racism was a socially accepted way of life. So the films, TV shows, even some books and comics represented the culture at that time. Sunflower was cut from the film in 1960 and eventually edited out for the 1990 50th Anniversary Edition. Why? Because it was just too flippin' offensive. Not to mention a change in times call for a change in film especially films, the next generation, future of the world,children would watch.

This also applies to Song of the South which never made to VHS or DVD. This too was released in the '40's, 1946 to be exact and represents what society made of lack people back then or at least what they assumed they were.

Now in Dumbo no changes were made, which s surprising. I mean the Jim Crow name and faceless, singing illiterate black rustabouts weren't warranted some change. The Jim Crow name poses an issue as it is a direct reference to The Black and White Minstrels and the black face methods of depicting 'dandified coons' that looked like golliwogs (another now removed concept). The leading man went by the name 'Daddy Jim Crow'.

I agree this is offensive but it doesn't make Disney a racist company. I'll explain why later on.

The Merchant song in Aladdin was changed and really bringing up ancient films, even films that were changed/ made more PC, only aids the argument that it was racist but in a time where racism was the norm.

Consider Pan's Indians, Disney I believe righted wrongs in Pocahontas. The portrayal of Indians is more balanced, a total 180, someone did actual research right?!

The trouble is we judge these old films by our standards today. We fail to acknowledge our ideas of racism differ now than back then. I can view such things in it's entirety and not feel squeamish but that's because I understand why things were the way they were back then.

I do not agree with it at all and I'm not justifying! Racism is wrong now, then and forever. But in relation to the time and place in which Disney made such films, it was accepted until the Civil Rights Movement engendered change in the '60's.

I don't find Disney racist at all, they made changes for a reason. They saw certain errors and modified them.

As far as Phineas and Ferb go, I agree that it's offensive. Like I said earlier I'm mixed raced, part Asian and this is NOT COOL. Even if I wasn't part Asian, I find it a bit 'out there'. Especially the Hanumanman hero, why the hell wasn't he Geek Chic or something. They might as well have called him Asian Dude or Musallah Man. It's fairly innocent and is mainly stereotypical but I didn't like it. I'm willing to let his need to get all A's and avoid shame curtains slide, because it is well known that in Indian culture, much importance is placed on education. This is fairly harmless.

I believe education is the key. You teach your children that we're all equal and all human beings at the end of the day and the world would be a better place. My brother loves Dumbo, his favourite bit is the scene with the crows, he can't see the racism in it, because he is young and innocent still. Many children dismiss any racist/offensive tones the shows mentioned because they don't get it, this could be considered a plus and hopefully it's not transmitted subliminally. Then again this is where parent/guardians come in. Equality much like charity starts at home :D

Would add that since 1992, every princess since is ethnic. Are they making amends, maybe, who knows. Times have changed, we aim to be more together as human beings as opposed to colour and race, so it's about time princesses moved from being all white...right?!

everyone's a little bit racist. Just a really teeny bit, if we base it on the time we live in. We've all made a joke or three, four, five about another race...usually based on some generalisation or stereotype. You know what I mean...a black guy, a white guy and a Jew walked into a bar...type of thing. That's just innocent fun you're thinking...yeah maybe but we're never going to be 100% PC.

Just so long as you're not a brooding Nazi or campaigning for the KKK or something like that. I'm not campaigning for racism here at all, I'm just saying we all do little things that if taken in the context of PC umbrella in these modern times, we'd all be accused of being racists.

Like black people and chicken, Asian people owning restaurants,laundromats, shops...the Chinese photo taking addiction. Indian families and getting all A's. In America some Latin families dressing their little girls in bridesmaid dresses and trainers or Jewish people going all out for money. Society has created mass generalisations and stereotypes on race and most come under fire when it comes to comedy.

We all know there are black vegetarians or Indian families who allow their children lower grades and love them regardless and so on; and so on. So Esmeralda has green eyes...are we really going to pick at every small detail and find something we should be offended by...in a cartoon no less.

I am in no way condoning racism AT ALL. I'm mixed race and believe we should all JUST GET ALONG! I'm simply pointing out that sometimes we take things too far, including Political Correctness.

Hate Crimes is wrong! Killing out a race/genocide is wrong, making judgements based on someone's skin tone is wrong.

I hope I'm making sense here.

In conclusion there is far more horrific things in life to worry about than nit picking at animations...unless they're dire and actually racist, like the Sunflower escapade even the Asian felines.

sticking it out to the end, thanks for reading and please leave comments letting me know you're own thoughts on this. If Disney is racist, please LET ME KNOW!