Disney warns about RACISM in old films

[Crimson Dynamo]

https://www.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/590345_1291321636721_full.jpg

Disney has added warnings about racist stereotypes in classic films, including
Dumbo, The Jungle Book, Peter Pan and Lady and the Tramp.


The films, mostly from the Forties and Fifties, now come with a warning about
offensive tropes on the US company's new streaming service Disney Plus,
which launched on Tuesday.


Among the more notorious scenes from the children's cartoons are the
Siamese cats in the 1955 film Lady and the Tramp, depicting an East Asian
stereotype.


Peter Pan, released in 1953, includes a tribe of Native American characters
who sing a song called “What Makes the Red Man Red?”


The 1941 film Dumbo maintains a crow character called Jim Crow, a reference
to racist laws suppressing and segregating African Americans in the American
South.


Descriptions of the programmes say: “This programme is presented as
originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions."

More here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/11/14/disney-warns-racism-old-films-lady-tramp/

[arista]

Yes they are all doing it.

Fawlty Towers
banned from the BBC

[Kazanne]

https://www.throwbacks.com/content/images/2017/06/590345_1291321636721_full.jpg

Disney has added warnings about racist stereotypes in classic films, including
Dumbo, The Jungle Book, Peter Pan and Lady and the Tramp.


The films, mostly from the Forties and Fifties, now come with a warning about
offensive tropes on the US company's new streaming service Disney Plus,
which launched on Tuesday.


Among the more notorious scenes from the children's cartoons are the
Siamese cats in the 1955 film Lady and the Tramp, depicting an East Asian
stereotype.


Peter Pan, released in 1953, includes a tribe of Native American characters
who sing a song called “What Makes the Red Man Red?”


The 1941 film Dumbo maintains a crow character called Jim Crow, a reference
to racist laws suppressing and segregating African Americans in the American
South.


Descriptions of the programmes say: “This programme is presented as
originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions."

More here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/11/14/disney-warns-racism-old-films-lady-tramp/

Blimey,what next ?

[Toy Soldier]

:shrug: When children will be watching it's important to have that context. Better to present the films as they are with some context attached than to cut the content out, surely?

[Liam-]

Classy move

[Nicky91]

WTF, why is the world changing so much towards that ''politically correct''

:shrug: there weren't complaints when these movies premiered in theatres

[Crimson Dynamo]

I may be wrong but i would imagine this would be legally led to avoid lawsuits from nefarious sources?

[Kate!]

WTF, why is the world changing so much towards that ''politically correct''

:shrug: there weren't complaints when these movies premiered in theatres

Agree. Far too much of this political correctness crap about. Fgs.

[Niamh.]

It's just a warning before the films air? What's wrong with that?

[Tom4784]

It's the right thing to do, it's better to take an ugly part of history and turn it into a teachable moment rather than scrub it from existence. Better to acknowledge the faults than to brush them under the rug.

[Tom4784]

It's just a warning before the films air? What's wrong with that?

To reasonable people, nothing. To armchair warriors that want a reason to sputter about 'PC gone mad', it's everything.

[Liam-]

Imagine being annoyed at a family friendly company taking measures to try and refute racism

[LukeB]

Blimey,what next ?

WTF, why is the world changing so much towards that ''politically correct''

:shrug: there weren't complaints when these movies premiered in theatres

Agree. Far too much of this political correctness crap about. Fgs.

Don’t know what the big deal is, it’s just a warning about what’s said in the older movies:shrug: they just launched a streaming service with all these movies on so warning is a better move. There’s not really a big fuss about it either.

[MB.]

You people really are out here pretending to care an ounce about the cultural preservation of the racist crows in Dumbo for the sake of your stale "PC gone mad!!!!" stances, huh

[Jake.]

So? Would people rather the content be cut altogether?

[Crimson Dynamo]

You people really are out here pretending to care an ounce about the cultural preservation of the racist crows in Dumbo for the sake of your stale "PC gone mad!!!!" stances, huh

and "you people" really think this about racism and not fear of a lawsuit


huh?

[Beso]

How come this thread ain't fallen into a funny word switch game yet.:shrug:

[Twosugars]

Well done Disney.

Bigotry should be addressed :clap1:

[Crimson Dynamo]

Well done Disney.

Bigotry should be addressed :clap1:

Its not about bigotry its about racism as seen today but at the time not intended as such

[Twosugars]

Its not about bigotry its about racism as seen today but at the time not intended as such

Was it intended as a compliment?

It's the same cancer, pure hate from people who have nothing positive to offer

[Crimson Dynamo]

Was it intended as a compliment?

It's the same cancer, pure hate from people who have nothing positive to offer

no it is not it is different and has nothing to do with this thread

[Shaun]

Its not about bigotry its about racism as seen today but at the time not intended as such

It was literally intended at the time as a crude stereotype which is a form of racism, lol.

That said, it's important these things aren't edited out of the originals because it provides a context into just how prevalent these stereotypes and offensive caricatures were up until extremely recent times.

Edit: look at Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Extremely offensive, and yet it hasn't done any damage to the film's reputation by being kept in. It's just a small window into a society that used to be far more racist in the 50s than it is now.

[Crimson Dynamo]

It was literally intended at the time as a crude stereotype which is a form of racism, lol.

That said, it's important these things aren't edited out of the originals because it provides a context into just how prevalent these stereotypes and offensive caricatures were up until extremely recent times.

Edit: look at Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Extremely offensive, and yet it hasn't done any damage to the film's reputation by being kept in. It's just a small window into a society that used to be far more racist in the 50s than it is now.

quite but is important for the young people to realise that back then is not the same as now - ie these movies were not made in a society that reflects 2019 and that had they been born back there they would not have noticed, if that makes sense

hopefully that is what parents are for

[Twosugars]

Disney a gay friendly, anti racism company. Great example for kids :clap1:
Daily Heil and alt right will be fuming :D

[Shaun]

quite but is important for the young people to realise that back then is not the same as now - ie these movies were not made in a society that reflects 2019 and that had they been born back there they would not have noticed, if that makes sense

hopefully that is what parents are for

True, but isn't that basically what this warning does? Differentiate between then and now?

[GiRTh]

quite but is important for the young people to realise that back then is not the same as now - ie these movies were not made in a society that reflects 2019 and that had they been born back there they would not have noticed, if that makes sense

hopefully that is what parents are forThats the point of the warning. :shrug:

EDIT: SHaun beat me to it. :laugh:

[Crimson Dynamo]

True, but isn't that basically what this warning does? Differentiate between then and now?

will kids understand?

[Mystic Mock]

It's just a warning before the films air? What's wrong with that?

Does there really need to be a warning about an old Film having outdated views though? It's not the end of the world for me, but I think everyone expects a Film from the 40's to have racism as sadly it was the norm back then.

[Mystic Mock]

will kids understand?

I think older kids will understand.

Admittedly the warning might actually be good for younger kids who have never experienced or heard about prejudice much before. So I am starting to warm to the idea better.

[bots]

Kids won't take any notice of a warning at the start, so it's not aimed at them. It's aimed at the adults watching it. I don't see it as a warning, i see it as LT says, as a way of mitigating against any negativity at what is being shown.

At the end of the day, they were the company that created/commissioned that content, adding a warning is not taking responsibility for that.

[Niamh.]

Does there really need to be a warning about an old Film having outdated views though? It's not the end of the world for me, but I think everyone expects a Film from the 40's to have racism as sadly it was the norm back then.I just dont understand why people are so annoyed about it is all

[Amy Jade]

It's actually a good idea I don't really understand the backlash

[Mystic Mock]

I just dont understand why people are so annoyed about it is all

Oh I'm with you 100% on why would people be annoyed about it.

[Jake.]

Does there really need to be a warning about an old Film having outdated views though? It's not the end of the world for me, but I think everyone expects a Film from the 40's to have racism as sadly it was the norm back then.

Unless children have been educated as such, there wouldn’t be a reason for them to have knowledge on it, really. I think this kind of thing helps that.

[Toy Soldier]

and "you people" really think this about racism and not fear of a lawsuit


huh?

Does it matter?

[Crimson Dynamo]

Does it matter?

It matters that real motive is discussed and understood

[Scarlett.]

It's just a warning placed at the start of the content, its not like they've butchered it to fit modern standards.

[Marsh.]

Don't see the problem with an indication, just like any family movie warns of sex references etc.

[Marsh.]

At the end of the day, they were the company that created/commissioned that content, adding a warning is not taking responsibility for that.

But ran by different people... living in entirely different times so not as though it's a racist person shouting "It's ok my cousin's black!"

[Marsh.]

It matters that real motive is discussed and understood

Do you discuss the "real motive" for all the small print on dog food? Or the age classification on a DVD? No.

[Mystic Mock]

Unless children have been educated as such, there wouldn’t be a reason for them to have knowledge on it, really. I think this kind of thing helps that.

I am starting to be won over with the idea.

As long as it's only a 2 seconds disclaimer and not editing content from these Films.

[Marsh.]

I am starting to be won over with the idea.

As long as it's only a 2 seconds disclaimer and not editing content from these Films.

If they were editing the footage out, there would be no need for a warning. :hee:

[Mystic Mock]

If they were editing the footage out, there would be no need for a warning. :hee:

:joker:

I should've clarified that I meant in the future that Disney doesn't extend the disclaimer into editing out footage.

[Ammi]

...I think it’s perfect for the warnings to be adopted by Disney as well because children understand so much of the world around them with regards to stereotypes..and this creates an opening to conversations which are necessary....

[Jake.]

The same thing happened with Tom & Jerry dvd collections iirc. Whoppi Goldberg provided a disclaimer at the beginning warning of the racially insensitive content and whilst they are wholly unexceptable in todays society, to remove them would be attempting to wash over that such stereotypes existed.

[Livia]

I watch a lot of old films on Talking Pictures TV and nine times out of ten there is a warning about outdated language or something. It has never detracted from my enjoyment. I would rather have that than include inappropriate characters. For instance... I've seen a black guardsman during Queen Victoria's reign, I've seen black people in positions of power 100 years ago. To me that's just like pretending things were always fine for black people... and that isn't the case, and taking political correctness to that kind of length, to me, is trying to change history and the struggle black people had back then.

That said... Can Hollywood stop portraying the English and the Germans as crooks. If there's a megalomaniac set on world domination, they're either English or German.

[Livia]

The same thing happened with Tom & Jerry dvd collections iirc. Whoppi Goldberg provided a disclaimer at the beginning warning of the racially insensitive content and whilst they are wholly unexceptable in todays society, to remove them would be attempting to wash over that such stereotypes existed.

I agree.

[Kizzy]

Pc gone mad to its totally acceptable in less than a day..That's real progress :)

[Crimson Dynamo]

Kids won't take any notice of a warning at the start, so it's not aimed at them. It's aimed at the adults watching it. I don't see it as a warning, i see it as LT says, as a way of mitigating against any negativity at what is being shown.

At the end of the day, they were the company that created/commissioned that content, adding a warning is not taking responsibility for that.

Yes heaven forbid they just don't try and make millions from racist content.....

[Kizzy]

I'm going to court controversy here but if you take away the voices from the blackbirds and make the Siamese cats sound less Siamese then are you just whitewashing the whole thing?

In society there are different cultures and ethnicities why not in cartoon?

[Marsh.]

I'm going to court controversy here but if you take away the voices from the blackbirds and make the Siamese cats sound less Siamese then are you just whitewashing the whole thing?

In society there are different cultures and ethnicities why not in cartoon?

I don't think it's the inclusion of those ethnicities but the depiction.
Not to mention the blackbird being 'Jim Crow' and voiced by a white man.