Jim on Film
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Any of the above caricature list could become hot issues if the group used as a source of humor gained enough political power. Because of Disney’s position as a family entertainment giant, they will always find themselves as the center circle of a political target. But the past cannot be edited.
Perhaps a more wise idea than getting too caught up on caricatures of the past is to educate people so that it doesn’t happen again. Furthermore, instead of trying to dodge political bouts, perhaps Disney should provide America with a more accurate view of all ethnic groups. Instead of worrying about the past, Disney and others should be worried about changing the present. Everyone’s so concerned that Song of the South doesn’t infiltrate the minds of America’s youth, but the stereotypes created by hiney-wagging "dancers" that populate MTV’s hip hop music videos are far more damaging than anything in Song of the South or even Fantasia.
But the best strategy to fight old stereotypes is to shatter them with realistic portrayals in new movies. Yes, the old bitty caricatures in Dumbo are cruel, but everyone knows older women who are not like that, so no one cares. Instead of trying to change the past, why is no once concerned with trying to make positive impressions now? Kids are not going to get a misguided view of Native Americans from watching Peter Pan if they see a variety of other films that accurately portray Native American characters in modern settings, which no studio is currently doing. Instead of editing a song line from Aladdin, why is Disney not producing films about Arab-American characters? And why are Arab-American organizations not forcing studios to ask that question instead?
Maybe if there were many positive characterizations of people of color in all films, both animated and live-action, people would once again find the humor in caricature. But instead of focusing toward what can be changed, people focus on reacting to the past. Trying to change the past is futile, but fighting for a better present can achieve real results. After all, speaking from experience, only when we are comfortable with ourselves can we be free to laugh at ourselves.
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-- Jim Miles
Jim On Film is published every other Thursday.
The opinions expressed by our guest columnists, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted May 22, 2003