While children are born with no predisposition about differing races, the childhood television shows and classic Disney movies are quick to insert their messages about how race is so dangerously different.
"Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face" was the original line in the opening song of Aladdin. When put on DVD, the producers changed the words to, "Where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense." Or, from the same movie, where Aladdin doesn’t seem to be as dark as the villan, Jafar, are these coincidences or a stereotype?
Lets see the other stereotypes that are continually maintained by Disney:
We have the black Centaur polishing the hoof of the white Centaur in a subservient manner
The black jive-speaking crows that sing “I'd be done see'n about everything/when I see an elephant fly!" Here is an incite by Ben Joseph, who did this study, he said, “At least they didn't just get some white guy to do his best "black voice." Oh, really? They did? And, they called the lead character "Jim Crow?"
King Louie was another subject that Ben Joseph pointed out. I have to say, his explanations are extreme, but carry some weight. He said, “All animals in the jungle speak in proper British accents. Except, of course, for the jive-talking, gibberish-spouting monkeys. Did we mention they desperately want to become "real people?"
Without explanation, here are some other photos from these childhood cartoons that you can deduce your own stereotyping:
But Disney is not the only media that produces such stereotypes. Absolutely not. Video games seems to be displaying even more harmful stereotypes.
A study was done by the University of Van Amsterdam. The statistics on this study were incredible. “Some Video games, like the Grand Theft Auto (video game) series, also use ethnic stereotypes. A 2001 study[2] bij Children Now shows that most protagonists (86 per cent) were white males, non-white males were portrayed in stereotypical ways—seven out of ten Asian characters as fighters, and eight out of ten African-Americans as sports competitors, and nearly nine out of ten African-American females were victims of violence (twice the rate of white females). Finally, 79 per cent of African-American males were shown as verbally and physically aggressive, compared to 57 per cent of white males. Other games, like Command & Conquer: Generals stereotype Arabs, which are portrayed as vile, brutal and backward, in contrast to the morally and technologically superior western military.”
My question to you is, do you think that these stereotypes are understood as stereotypes, or does the media actually get us to believe them?
References:
Disney Commentary: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/cartoons/allthis.jpg&imgrefurl=http://clumpy.blogspot.com/2008/01/9-most-racist-disney-characters.html&h=225&w=300&sz=11&hl=en&start=8&usg=__WVpgSPeAR681lyVBzm-FcW1Baeg=&tbnid=g1I8X564-hnarM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dad%2Bracial%2Bstereotype%2Bdisney%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den
Universtiy Van Amsterdam commentary: http://mastersofmedia.hum.uva.nl/2006/09/27/ethnic-stereotypes-in-video-games/
34 comments:
Yeah, well people don't think they believe stereotypes. That's one of the big problems with using them. People think it is fun and amusing and they aren't affected by it.
That's garbage though. We've seen how people alter their clothing to match what they've seen in media. The "Standard American Accent" is just that because it was Johnny Carson's accent on TV.
What I worry about most is when people start to adopt stereotypes as real by emulating them. At that point, they start to become real.
I had never really second guessed Disney's racial stereotyping, but after seeing it pointed out to me I beleive it. I can honeslty say that as a child Disney helped shape the way I viewed the world. From the French in Beauty and the Beast to the Arabs in the Middle East.
I think it is subconcious for most people, but what we don't know can hurt us, because it will only excentuate the problem.
Whether their intentions racial stereotyping are true or not, I don't think that Disney was trying to make statements about race within its film. The movie were made to entertain children, and that exactly what they do. Kids are not going to pay attention to the difference in skin color of Alladin or Jafar.
Disney portrays things as they are. If they are going to show an indian or an arab, of course their skin will be different colors, but that isn't conveyed negatively in any way.
I think that sometimes we tend to over analyze things and take them to mean things that were never consciously implied.
I think it depends and is situational if the media gets you to believe the stereotypes they put out. On the one hand a child’s parents can be there to clarify that what they see in the movies is not how things really are. But the media is also a reflection of what we believe. So the stereotyping we see could also just be the mirrored beliefs of that society.
To a certain degree, I think we all believe stereotypes because perhaps at one time, there was a small truth to them. I think the media takes stereotypes to the extreme though. The way different races are portrayed in movies and commercials reflects that. However, I do not think that Disney intentionally were making statements about race. It may have been a subconscious thing which is detrimental in itself.
I think we see them as stereotypes when we are actually face to face with someone of a diferent race, but subconsciously I think the things that the media promotes stick with us and we associate what we see or hear with different races even if we don't agree with the messages we are recieving.
i think the answer to this question depends on whether you believe that art imitates life, or life imitates art.
are they using stereotypes because thats what they want us to believe? or because that is what WE already recognize and believe to be true based on our limited knowledge about different people
I think that young children especially are prone to believing that these steriotypes are true. As we are more exposed to different kinds of people throughout our lives we realize that these steriotypes are not true.
Really, more exposure to reality is all I believe it takes to help us to understand the way the media shapes our reality.
I think that we have been blind to a lot of these stereotypes. I was thinking about the Aladdin segment and realized how foolish that is.
I do have hope though that things are going to change gradually. Maybe as each generation becomes more racially integrated we'll grow up realizing that you should or shouldn't portray groups certain ways.
On a side note, I heard that Disney is releasing a new animation princess movie and that she's black, so maybe there's hope, we'll see.
Yay for disney. I've never noticed the centaur situation in Fantasia before but that's horrible. And the crows from Dumbo...sad. Though-both of those movies are quite old. I'm a firm believer that everything done in the media is intentional. With everything being edited and picked over tons of times before released to the real world, you have to believe it's intentional. I believe the media i saw as a child really did help me form my own ideas about the world, but I also really saw them as stories. I never considered the monkeys parallel to african-americans, I can see that it makes sense though. I think we would all do well to take more responsibility for our views and not continuously blame media for brainwashing us. we have agency. We should use it.
Media reflects real life(even if it is wrong) these Disney movies were made to reflect the ideas of people at the time. If they made such a movie today there would be outrage. The world has changed and so have the movies that reflect that world. If the world back then was as PC as the world today then those movies would never have been made.
I completely agree with your point. Not just in film and media but everywhere we are being taught different things about how different cultures are suppose to behave. The references to Disney movies really made a point to me, there were the obvious ones but i never thought about the apes in The Jungle Book, it just goes to show what is being taught to us without our knowledge.
I can't say whether or not I feel that these were all stereotypes purposefully planted in various movies and pieces of media, but I can say that I do agree that media does skew our perceptions of various races. Black or white, I feel that stereotypes are skewed.
Using stereotypes is an effective (and easy) way to tell a story. Children’s cartoons are no exception. Stereotypes of any kind are just concepts or ideas that are overly simplistic and broadly understood. Commercial media make their money by appealing to as broad an audience as possible. That is, they have to be overly simplistic.
Stereotypes are offensive to people who feel they themselves fit most, but not all, of the criteria in what is being depicted. Depicting a race-free world that is far from actual truth (just to avoid stereotypes), however, is a good way to offend your entire audience. We’re stupid enough to need stereotypes in our stories, but not that stupid.
-- Michael Williams
i think that people often know when something is a stereotype, but continue to use them, just thinking they are doing so in a joking, humorous way. I think that when we do this, a little part of us starts to believe the stereotypes. I thought the Disney stuff you pointed out was really interesting...I've never thought about it before. But honestly, I don't think this was intended as racial statements. I agree that it could have been a subconscious thing...but this can be dangerous if it shapes what you believe.
Disney has always had the habit of slipping in subtle messages. You may not believe it, but even more offensive to people may be the inclusion of audio messages in "Aladdin." I found some of the examples cited as very true, others were stretches. For example, the crab in Little Mermaid? Why not point out the evil octopus women for being a) a woman, or b)obese? People are stereotyped by race and gender too. I think Disney has made improvements; unfortunately many people had very negative notions of African Americans that made their way into movies. Hopefully a child will have the guidance of a parent to prevent accepting the stereotypes built by the media. One problem is that when movies or tv shows try to reverse stereotyping by being more honest or having a more accurate ratio of minorities, they are accused of other things.
I guess it has been there all along, and I like the comment that we don't THINK we believe stereotypes. i guess they have kinda shaped how I think (Disney, anyways) but not to the point of causing problems.
i never noticed any of these things until they were pointed out here, but now that they're laid out in front of me it's really clear. i don't think disney had any underlying motives for this (at least i hope not...) but one of the examples sticks out as not being really stereotypical. the aladdin/jafar thing is typical of any kind of film, where the villan is darker (maybe not necessarily skin, but being a dark "presence") so that we can distinguish good from evil.
I really think that every stereotype originates from somewhat kind of truth. It just happens that most of the popular entertainment products out there are from America, that's why we see stereotypes of other ethnics as a problem. But say, if we look at how an Asian movie portray a Westerner, or a French movie pictures an African immigrant in France, there are stereotypes as well. I really think that stereotypes are how people view and perceive other people from different environment and different background from them. Everybody has it, no matter who they are: whites, blacks or yellows. And when it is already in the perception, media are just a mirror of reality.
children have no idea what is real. i once saw a child pretend his cat could talk to him just because he watched sabrina, the teenage witch. so kids ideas of other people are formed when they watch all those disney movies. my friend, ben, watched over 50 disney movies growing up, and he really shapes his world around disney. yikes!
I agree that Disney movies contain stereotypes, but I also believe that choice of character and race are largely for the sake of story telling. Character's images should reflect their persona. Unfortunately it gets out of hand.
Besides race, I see gender stereotypes very prevalent in Disney movies. Snow White is a great example. A beautiful, timid, young homemaker waiting for her prince to come save her from the troubles of the world...
possibly a little bit of both. i think we know most facts about other cultures through the media, then when we come face to face with them, we find that there are some truths and some false information. for the young crowd, i believe the stereotypical pictures painted may be the best way to learn about other cultures because it's put simply. and the older one gets, they will learn more about that culture. and just one more thing, no kid is going to know the connection between the real jim crow and the crow that was named such in the disney movie.
I believe it is a little bit of both. As a child, when I watched these Disney movies, I never really noticed the stereotypes in all of their films. This is because at such a young age, I was not aware of all the problems in the world. We are oblivious to it. But once we grow up, we start to realize that we are constantly surrounded by these stereotypes which are hurtful and unnecessary. We need to clarify these stereotypes and show more equality when we are making movies and showing them to children.
I don't think the media gets us to believe them unless we want to believe them. I don't look back on my years of joy derived from watching Disney movies and think that darker skinned people are villainous. Likewise I don't see a dark skin person and extend my hoof looking for a wax. That may come from separating fantasy and reality, or the fact the I think we're trying too hard to find something that's not there.
It's hard to dispute the facts that you have put up. I have always thought to myself that people and directors don't really think about what color of skin their characters are, but I don't know what to say after seeing this. When all is said and done, I don't think that there is much impact on society from video games and tv. Maybe the races that are portrayed wrongly think differently. Hopefully directors will be more conscious of their efforts.
This is why "Song of the South" was never released on home video (VHS or DVD) despite petitions.
I think racial stereotypes in the media (today) as long as they are not an extreme, I think its ok. It givens a character some background even though they are only in the film for a minute of two. As an advertising student I do it everyday and will continue to do it in my profession.
I think the media does portray these issues in a way that isn't very cut and dry. With the examples you pointed out in Aladdin, Dumbo, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid. What is even more alarming is these stereotypes are being spoon-fed to children who are very suceptible. I think we need to be more wary of how stereotypes of different races are portrayed and not only realize and point out where the media is wrong but also teach our children what is right.
Of course the media preserves these racial stereotypes... but do i think that people believe them...? I would say, I surely hope not.
Cultural diviersity is something that is real. We can't just not put them in movies... because then we'd be complaining that it doesn't portray the story right... I mean think about it. If we had Mulan and the chinese army portrayed by white people, and they ate oatmeal instead of rice for breakfast... there would be something strange about it, wouldn't there be?
Wait, how was the lobster from Little Mermaid a racial steretype? I must have misuderstood that part. I digress. Anyway, I think that many older films used steretyping to the extreme, but I am personally unsure if they were meaning to send a message or merely illustrate the society around them. Regardless, I think we're getting better. I hope we continue to do so.
I've never really considered Disney as portraying racial stereotypes. Of course when you're a child that's the last thing on your mind when you watch a Disney movie. I also don't believe that the Disney company as a whole was seeking to create racist children through their movies. Color symbolism is used in nearly ever Disney movie. White/light is used to represent the good while black/dark tones usually denote an evil. This is a common theme in many other places like the scriptures for example. I don't think this is an attempt to stereotype black people as evil--sounds a little ridiculous to me. Recently Disney released released a movie that actually falls outside of its normal evil character portrayals. Possibly one of the most evil of all characters from a Disney movie is Queen Jadis, the White Witch from Chronicles of Narnia. Maybe Disney is trying to say that tall, white, powerful females are trying to take over the world?
I can't really say that Disney or any of those other cartoons are intentionally putting these stereotypes out there. I watched these cartoons, and more, as a kid, and I still do, and I didn't think much about it til now. However much the media builds stereotypes in some cases, it also helps curb this problem.
that's a tough question, i think that the media in many ways reflects the stereotypes we already believe. But at the same time that it reflects it also promotes and makes the stereotype available to an even wider audience. It's kind of a "Chicken or the Egg" type of question.
I was amazed by the evidence given in this post, I think Disney needs to be very careful in character color selection. I think young minds are susceptible to these subtle images, however as we get older we can deduce the stereotypes for ourselves and it does not have as much of an effect on us.
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