This one has been all over the ‘net since it was posted, and it’s good as well as entertaining—and therefore worth a read—but I’m just not sure how to write about it without stepping into the mire.

The fact of the matter is that Disney has been called out for racism and ethnocentrism before. The fact is that, as one of the oldest animation studios, some of their early work isn’t so much “not politically correct” as it is downright offensive in its racial stereotyping. This doesn’t (necessarily) mean that all of Disney is wrong or bad or evil, merely that these things have been noted.

If you must know where I stand on the issue, I’ll tell you: I like Disney. I think they produce good entertainment. On the other hand, I sure would like it if they had some more female heroines bigger around than a toothpick, and preferably who can find happiness without a man coming along and saving them. I’m just sayin’.

Nevertheless, I found myself alternating between dawning horror and uncontrollable guffaws while reading The 9 Most Racist Disney Characters yesterday. The article is valuable for the information it points out, alone, but the icing on the cake are the “Best (Worst?) Moments” highlighted for each example. For Aladdin, pictured above, we get this commentary:

“Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face” is the offending line, which was changed on the DVD to the much less provocative “Where it’s flat and immense and the heat is intense.” Whatever. Our question: In a city full of Arabic men and women, where the hell does a midwestern-accented, white piece of cornbread like Aladdin come from? Here he is next to the more, um, ethnic looking villain, Jafar.

It’s a good point, though a small part of me is gratified to see them tampering with one of the male characters for a change. (I know, I know, that’s wrong.)

By the time they work their way down to the horrifyingly racist Uncle Remus, we get this little gem:

Lesson Learned:
The late 1800s were a great time to be African-American and possibly on acid.

This piece isn’t for the kids (of course), but you may find it elucidating. Check it out if you’re not too easily offended.*

*Humor found in the piece linked herein does not imply an acceptance or forgiveness of racism in any form, but simply an indication that some Toy Box Mommy types are really just 12-year-old boys at heart, who believe that even the most heinous transgressions can be giggle-worthy with the proper commentary.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 at 6:34 am and is filed under Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.