I found this link on facebook and thought it was interesting (facebook is proving to be more useful everyday).
http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/2009/03/19/disneys-first-black-princess-has-a-white-prince/
Essentially, it's an article about the appearance of Disney's first black princess. Now, this subject has brought up a lot of controversy, not because it's a black princess, but because she doesn't have a black prince. Instead, he's Brazilian.
Maybe I'm not open-minded enough, but I cannot see why this is so controversial. Is there that strong of a stereotype of couples of the same race? If so, then why wasn't there as much controversy with Pocahontas? Is it because it was based on something that happened in history?
Also, why did Disney choose that ethnicity anyway (no offense to people from Brazil)? Would it have made that much of a difference if they made the prince black? The plot of the movie is based off of the story of the frog prince so I don't see any plot conflicts with that.
Thoughts?
Mary Quien
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
I, too, do not really see why the pairing of a black princess with a white prince is an issue that strikes people as controversial. After all, Disney has simply created a new character that cannot exist in the reality of the three-dimensional world. What difference does it make whether the princess' "true love" is African-American, Brazilian, or Indonesian? Do people really have enough time on their hands to criticize something as one-sided or unreal as a Disney character? Time spent befuddling oneself in this manner is a clear misallocation. Yet I guess this is what Facebook does to some people; it causes them to waste time thinking about inconsequential issues.
Besides the fact that I consider this "controversy" to be trivial, (to answer Mary's question) I do think that one reason people have made this a controversy is because of racial sterotypes. Obviously, since Disney has attempted for the first time to create a black princess, issues regarding race may arise, as they already have, and on top of this, Disney has chosen to make her prince Brazilian, which presents quite a disparity. Such a disparity calls for attention from the audience, which then (relatively easily) leads to critiques or analyses. As for the case of Pocahontas, I agree with Mary's speculation that it was different because it was based off of history. And of course, it seems as if a controversy wouldn't have developed as rapidly in those years without the medium of a wide audience of diverse individuals interconnected through online social networks (in other words, Pocahontas predated Facebook).
(Janet Lee)
Would there have been a different reception of the new Disney couple had the prince been North American rather than Brazilian? Would there have been more controversy? Or less? Disney, being omnipotent in its own ways, really influences the way children think/feel. If Disney, creators of Disney World (the happiest place on earth!), show that interracial relationships are acceptable, kids are going to live their lives thinking that. Maybe there are some parents that don't want their children exposed to such materials, although I personally feel such close-mindedness to be a shame.
Something seems interesting, though. Walt Disney's charm was always in that the company gave him a small-town persona (although he had been born in Chicago, but later moved to Missouri). He, at times, represented ideal American values and, although not well versed in many literatures, knew that parents did not want their children watching the atrocities of pop culture on television. He brought family-friendly flicks to the screen. Has his legacy come to a halt? Stay tuned to find out.
(Sam Maliha)
I honestly find the controversy to be quite silly. While I understand where critics are coming from, it still boggles my mind at how unintentionally hypocritical they are being. Is it not their goal to promote equality among races so that there will be no racial discrimination? Disney has obviously made an effort to compromise, bowing into demands to induct a black princess into the ranks of its already-diverse Princesses (Mulan, Jasmine, Ariel, and Pocahontas, anyone?).
Then, I ask, why would it matter that the prince is Brazilian? Don't the criticisms of such a choice just reinforce racial discrimination? Why does it suddenly become an issue that a Brazilian has been chosen?
This article is obviously biased. There would have been the same amount of controversy if the prince had been black because critics would say that Disney is suggesting black girls must marry black guys. Critics are being hypocritical and so as the writer of this article. If you click the Vote box at the bottom of the article, you will see that only 16% believe that the prince's race is offensive.
To answer Sam's question, I think if the voice actor had been white male in America (Sam, what did you mean by North American? There are a lot of different definitions), there would have been a lot more controversy. Keep in mind that the prince himself isn't technically Brazilian. The voice actor is. Since Brazilian(although his skin color is white) is an underrepresented race like African American in the United States, I think it has a somewhat alleviating effect because it's not a mojority-minority relationship.
Jennifer Park
Well, race certainly is a touchy subject in America. Incidentally, as the article describes, the princess Tiana was originally named Maddie, and was a maid working for a rich white patron. Not surprisingly, this caused some controversy, as some people believed that "Maddie" was too common a name for a princess and was an insulting "slave name". Hence, the princess's original job was altered, and her name is now Tiana.
The author of the article was angry because she believed that Disney was using black stereotypes (with the name of "Maddie") and that the prince was "tan" instead of black. However, as previous posters have said, making the prince black also would have caused a fair bit of controversy.
Every Disney movie contains generalizations and ethnic stereotypes; they can't help it. And yet, Mulan and Pocahontas haven't caused the same amount of anger as Princess Tiana is now causing. Perhaps we should just take Disney's portrayals with a grain of salt, and recognize that whatever they do is not out of malice...
For this day and age, I find this whole uproar amazing. The fact that we are still so concerned about race is unbelievable considering the amount of effort that this country puts in to ensure racial equality. (Half African-American president, anyone?)
The article seems to be implying that Disney thinks that a black man is not suitable to be price. But the tone of the article suggests that a Brazillian prince is not worthy of a black princess! Are they implying that certain races are unworthy of being with others?
On top of that, the name change bewilders me. While attempting to promote racial equality through children's entertainment, the name of the main character has an rather stereotypical African-American name. I personally have met girls of many different nationalities who have Disney Princess names. I've never met a Tiana. Our black First Lady's name is Michelle. An ordinary, everyday name, belonging to a powerful African-American woman.
It seems that Disney is attempting to make the symbol as close to the thing as possible. It's not the introduction of an black girl to the collection of international princesses anymore. It's almost as if they're trying to represent a whole culture via a Disney character. Maybe the Disney execs need to take a gander at Hayakawa.
(Megan West)
Post a Comment