Is Disney racist?

A lot of people have been requesting that I post the article I wrote about Disney. So, here it is, in all of it's glory...

When children or adults think of the great classical fairy tales today, be it a European tale such as Snow White, The Little Mermaid or Cinderella, or a Middle Eastern tale like Aladdin, they will think of Walt Disney. Disney’s representations of classic fairy tale texts are so powerful that children tend to believe that Disney's version of the tale is the “real story” rather than the classic version . Children have formed mental images of the princesses and other characters depicted in fairy tales not only from their representation in the “original” written text but more commonly from Disney’s versions of these tales . Disney fairy tales, therefore, have an important role to play in shaping the self-image and belief system of children . It is significant then to note that racial stereotyping is a major issue that surfaces in many recent Disney fairy tales. Racism and negative stereotyping is most apparent in Disney’s animated fairy tale Aladdin (1992). Negative racial stereotyping is evident in Aladdin’s song lyrics, as well as the exaggerated, stereotypical features of the “bad” characters and the Anglicisation of the heroes of the film – Princess Jasmine and Aladdin.

A long history of racism associated with Disney’s work can be traced back to offensive representations of people of colour in films such as The Song of the South (1946), and The Jungle Book (1967), as well as controversial representations of Native American people in Peter Pan (1953) . However, the most contentious example of racial stereotyping in Disney films occurred with Disney’s release of Aladdin in 1992. This example is particularly significant as the film was a high-profile release and was not only one of the most successful adaptations of a classic fairy tale but one of the most successful Disney films ever released .

Disney’s Aladdin (1992) is based on a tale from the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, a collection of tales thought to have been brought to the Western world in the eighteenth century by Antoine Galland who translated the tales from Arabic into French . While most tales in Arabian Nights can be found in Arabic manuscripts dating back to the fourteenth century, scholars debate that Aladdin is truly an Arabic tale. “The story of Aladdin first appeared in Arabic in the late eighteenth century, after it had appeared in what claimed to be a French translation by Antoine Galland…Galland claimed to have been told the tale by an Arabian …” . Regardless of the tale’s true origin, Arab people recognise the tale as their own and trace its origins back to the medieval period.

The literary version of Aladdin chronicles the adventures of Ala’a El-Deen (a poor, kind man forced by his poverty to steal for a living). Ala’a El-Deen’s adventures include an encounter with the Sultan’s daughter - Princess Badroulbadour - and subsequent romance, his discovery of a magical lamp and his eventual rise to the position of sultan . Disney adapted this classic Arabian fairy tale into an animated feature. Playing live to an audience of millions of children worldwide Aladdin is one “of the most controversial examples of racist stereotyping” in Disney history .
The lyrics of the Film’s opening song outraged and offended members of the Arab community. Arabian nights (The film’s opening song) sets a decidedly racist tone for the rest of the film by characterising Arab countries as brutal and violent:

Oh I come from a land,
From a faraway place,
Where the caravan camels roam
Where they cut off your ear
If they don’t like your face
It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home .

In this characterisation, a politics of identity and place associated with Arab culture magnifies popular stereotypes already perpetuated by the media. By characterising an entire region as “barbaric” Disney cultivates an incredibly negative stereotype of Middle Eastern people that children for generations will absorb and retain . While a public outcry led Disney to eventually alter the line: “Where they cut off your ear/ If they don’t like your face” for the video release of the film, Arab groups were disappointed that the line: “It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home” was not altered and remained in both the video and CD release of the film soundtrack . The racism indicated in the opening lines of the film is further reproduced in a host of supporting characters who are portrayed as “grotesque, violent, and cruel” .

Yousef Salem, a spokesperson for The South Bay Islamic Association, characterised the supporting characters as “bad guys” with “beards and large, bulbous noses, sinister eyes and heavy accents, and they’re wielding swords constantly” . The narrator from the prologue (who also sings ‘Arabian Nights’) is a “very sleazy, burlesque character” portrayed as a “shifty, disreputable Arab” . The merchants remain dark skinned, and vicious as seen in a scene when a merchant attempts to cut off one of Princess Jasmine’s hands because she took an apple from his stand to give to a hungry child . While this form of punishment for stealing may be historically accurate under Sharia – or Islamic law – it is interesting to contemplate why Disney felt the need to highlight this one example of Muslim jurisprudence to young viewers in Western nations . It is evident that Disney is utilising what some Islamic scholars say is a misunderstanding of Sharia to portray Arabian societies as unjust and unfair .

Although all of the characters in Aladdin share Arab descent, it is only the “wrongdoers” that possess exaggerated, stereotypical features . Jafar, the Sultan’s advisor and primary antagonist of the film, is described narratively as “a dark man…with a dark purpose” . Jafar, as are all of the supporting characters, is darker skinned than Aladdin, and Jasmine, with a prominent, hooked nose and black facial hair . Most of the supporting characters, including Jafar, wear large turbans or other head pieces and speak with quite heavily accented speech . The use of accented speech and different physical appearance serves to distinguish the “bad” characters from the “good” . Racism in Disney’s Aladdin is evidenced in the negative visual representation of Arab people as well as racially coded language and accents . In contrast, the heroes of the movie, though supposedly representing Arab characters have been heavily Anglicised.

In the classic Arabian Nights tale, Aladdin’s love interest was known as Princess Badroulbadour however, in another act of Anglicisation, Disney renamed the princess Jasmine for the animated version of the tale . As well as this Anglicisation of the princess’ name, Jasmine’s physiognomy was altered to look “quintessentially European” . Jasmine retains many white features, such as a delicate nose and petite mouth . Her skin tone, while appropriately darker for the Middle Eastern setting of the story, is still lighter than that of the secondary characters . Perhaps the most distinguished physical feature of Jasmine is the overly large almond-shaped eyes; apart from her skin tone this feature appears to be the only signifier of racial difference . Physically, Jasmine could easily be an "exotic" version of a Barbie doll - with her cinched waist, voluptuous bosom, long hair, and perfect features . Jasmine’s style of dress was another aspect of her physical appearance that angered Arab people.

The Harem-esque appearance of Jasmine’s “off-the-shoulder, cut-at-the-midriff blouse” angered many, who believed that:
“The clothing styles were changed to suit an American notion of fashion befitting a mysterious Arab culture. Instead of the veils and long dresses worn by Arab women to symbolize their dignity, beauty and self-respect, Jasmine, the Sultan’s daughter in Disney, wears bikini tops and silk pants cut low to bare her navel” .
By revealing what Arabian women covered most, Disney ignored the prohibition of exposure in Arab cultures and therefore not only perpetuated a negative stereotype of Arab women but an incorrect one. Disney’s depiction of Aladdin, the Arab hero for who the tale is named, also received criticism.

As with Princess Jasmine, Aladdin possesses few features that would traditionally be associated with Arab people . Aside from his black hair, there is little to indicate Aladdin’s Arab identity, he is light skinned with a small nose, hairless face and large almond shaped eyes resembling Jasmine’s. A hint of the racism that informed the choice of the Disney Imagineers to depict Aladdin in such a way is provided by Peter Schneider, President of Feature animation at Disney. Schneider indicates that Aladdin’s physical appearance was modelled after All-American movie-star Tom Cruise and not after an individual of Arab descent . It is evident that Disney endeavoured to anglicise the hero of the film as well as the princess. Islamic Spokesman Yousef Salem described Aladdin in the following way:
Aladdin doesn’t have a big nose; he has a small nose. He doesn’t have a beard or a turban. He doesn’t have an accent. What makes him nice is that they’ve given him this American character…I have a daughter who says she’s ashamed to call herself an Arab, and it’s because of things like this”.

While Aladdin begins the film with a name similar to the one he is christened with in the classic Aladdin text, he is eventually renamed ‘Al’ by the most important characters in the film . In the original Aladdin text, “Aladdin” is known as Ala’a El-Deen, however, his name was changed by translators who believed the name Aladdin was more “agreeable to eye and ear, and more consonant with the spirit of our language” . In an act that echoes the methodology of the original translator of Aladdin, Disney attempts to further Anglicise Aladdin by renaming him yet again.
Aladdin’s genie calls Aladdin ‘Al’ for the majority of the film and in one telling scene Aladdin asks Jasmine to call him Al, an act that strips away any identification Aladdin has with his traditionally Arab roots . As well as this, the act of renaming Aladdin “superimposes a Euro-American cultural practice that renders the character ridiculous as an Arab” . In contrast to all of the villains in the film, Aladdin, as well as Jasmine, speaks Americanised English with no trace of a Middle Eastern accent. Arab scholars have been critical of Disney’s use of different accents suggesting this difference “Arabizes” the transgressive characters while Anglicising the wholesome characters “thereby heightening negative stereotypes linked to Middle Eastern people while concurrently reinforcing positive associations with whiteness” .

The Disney Imagineers have the choice to break negative stereotypes such as those seen in Aladdin and present different races in a more positive way. That they do not exercise this choice is evidence that they either “support the stereotypes or that they are not aware of them - which one might say amounts to tacit support” . Given the cultural influence and political power that Disney exercises over numerous levels of children’s culture, the conservative and evidently racist ideologies they produce and circulate should not be overlooked or dismissed .





Bibliography


Bensen, Kathleen. & Phillip M. Kayal. A Community of Many Worlds: Arab Americans in New York City. New York, New York: The Museum of the City of New York Press, 2002.

Berggreen, Shu-Ling. C & Katalin Lustyik. “Multiculturalism vs. Disneyfication: How Disney Retells Multicultural Stories as Unicultural Tales”. Paper presented at The Multicultural Studies Division of The Broadcast Education Association 48th Annual Convention, Colorado, April 2003.

Bernstein, Matthew. & Gaylyn Studlar. Visions of the East: Orientalism in Film. New Jersey, New York: Rutgers University Press, 1997.

Budd, Mike. & Max H. Kirsch. Rethinking Disney: Private Control, Public dimensions. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press, 2005.

Cohen, Karl. F. Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America. North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2004.

Giroux, Henry A. “Are Disney Movies Good For Your Kids?”. In The Politics of Early Childhood Education, edited by Lourdes Díaz Soto. New York, New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc., 1995.

Giroux. Henry A. Breaking into the Movies: Film and the Culture of Politics. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Inc, 2002.

Giroux Henry A. Fugitive Cultures: Race, violence and Youth. New York, New York : Routledge, 1996.

Hurley, Dorothy. L. “Seeing White: Children of Color and the Disney Fairy Tale Princess. The Journal of Negro Education 74, no. 3 (2005): 221-232

Lacroix, Celeste. “Images of Animated Others: The Orientalization of Disney’s Cartoon Heroines from The Little Mermaid to The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. Popular Communication 2, no. 4 (2004): 213-229.

Lane. Edward William, &William Harvey. The Arabian Nights’ Entertainments. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown & Company, 1853.

Musker, John & Ron Clements. Aladdin. Burbank, California: Walt Disney Pictures, 1992.

Pinsky, Mark I. The Gospel According to Disney: Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust. Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 2004.

Rojek, Chris. “Disney Culture”. Leisure Studies 12, no. 2 (2010): 121 – 135.

Schmidt, Steffen W., Shelley, Mack C., & Barbara A. Bardes. American Government & Politics Today. Boston, Massachusetts: Wadsworth, 2010.

Tehranian, John. Whitewashed: America’s Invisible Middle Eastern Minority. New york, New York: New York University Press, 2009.

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

After eight years of studying a myriad of subjects at university, I am no longer a student. I have officially discontinued the honours course I intended to pursue this year and have applied to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts. This has come as a shock to most people with cries of "Oh, but you wanted to do honours" and "You were so excited" echoing around my skull, but the truth is, I never wanted to do honours. I never saw the point, I would need to undertake an additional several years of education to become an historian and, well, I didn't even want to be an historian to begin with. I was just scared. I was scared of who I would be without my student status. I have always prided myself on being an academic, and without that I didn't know where I would stand. I didn't want to disappoint my family and friends. I wanted to be something, I wanted all of this study to amount to something. I was terrified that without university, without all of the recognition and praise I obtain through my work, I would amount to nothing. I wouldn't be able to get a job, I wouldn't be able to be recognised, I would be nothing. I was just scared of pursuing the one career that I thought would make me happy because of what people would think.

I'd love to teach children. I have had a passion for education since I was a teenager and I guess I pursued my own education for such a long time because of it. I believe that education is the most important asset one can possess and I believe teaching is one of the most important and influential professions. I've always wanted to make a difference, an impact on someone's life and I think through teaching I can finally do that. It's taken me a long time to come to this realisation, too long in fact and I am still afraid that I am disappointing those around me. But, I have (and will continue to) applied for the Graduate Diploma of Education (Early Childhood) at several universities for the second semester of this year and in the mean time I am taking a break. I have been studying since I was 18 and it's time for me to get a real job, make some money and socialise with the awesome people in my life.

So, that is where I am at. And I must say, I am truly happy at this point.

Sometimes the end is just the beginning...

After almost seven years my fiance Karl and I have decided to break up. It took many months to come to the decision but we realised that we are much better friends than we are lovers. Karl is my best friend on the planet and I love him like a brother, we will always be a part of each other's lives just not in the way I initially imagined. We are both doing well.

So, now that the depressing stuff is out of the way, here is the fun stuff: I will be moving out in the first few weeks of January. My sister and I are renting a place in North Coburg. My sister is a metallurgist in Mt. Isa so she is away for 16 days of the month. So, I will essentially be living on my own for the first time in my entire life! I am both excited and nervous. I feel like my creative and social life will blossom while living on my own (hint, hint: I'll need to be out on the town more often) and I think that I will grow so much more as an individual. The idea of being able to decorate home how I want to is very exciting (my sister and I already hit up Ikea and will be doing so again soon) as well as the idea of being financially independent. So, dear friends of mine, I will be living on my own for a majority of the time so feel free to hit me up for fun times.

Besides that, I have finally submitted my final academic record to the University of Melbourne and will find out if I have been accepted into their honours course soon.

I have also lost a butt tonne of weight and feel great.

I think 2012 is going to be a great year.

Done.

I just submitted the final essay of the semester. I just officially finished my third year at university. I could graduate right now. But instead I am going to draw out this stressful experience for another year...or two...or five...

But seriously, I'm done for now. Woo freakin' hoo.

A change...

I am excited. Why? well, because yesterday I met the woman I would like to supervise my honours thesis, Elizabeth. I went to the University of Melbourne, we sat down together, and she proceeded to blow my mind. I went in with a fairly vague notion of what I would like to research next year and left with a completely different focus. Upon entering the meeting I had my heart set on working on English asylums at the beginning of the twentieth century and the influence the introduction of psychotropic medication made to the lives of the patients.

However, a long discussion with my asylum expert revealed that my topic would be exceedingly difficult to execute as the tangible records would be near impossible to acquire. So, I was back to square one and feeling miserable. But Elizabeth and I talked a little more and she convinced me that it might be a good idea to work on asylums in Melbourne as not much secondary literature exists in that field and the records are easily acquirable as they're located in North Melbourne (!!). I would be able to go to the Public Records Office and actually look at the original documents, and patient case books and registers. How amazing! I'll be able to really delve into asylum life as opposed to working on English Asylums where I would have no contact with the primary resources I needed.

I have already narrowed my research ideas down significantly since yesterday. I would like to work on women in Kew Asylum in the late nineteenth century. Now all I need to do is get to reading and work out the fine details. I am so happy that I listened to a good friend's advice and went to speak with Elizabeth. She helped me so much and she would be the perfect supervisor for what I would like to do. Now, let us just hope that I actually get into the University of Melbourne...


Image: Kew Asylum Melbourne, circa 1885.

It's what I do..

People constantly ask me :"What exactly do you do at uni?" As in, what does the study of history actually entail. I'll tell you what, it involves a lot of research which in turn involves plenty of reading. So, I guess the answer to the question: "What do you do?" Is: I spend the majority of my time reading about historical events/people/places. At the moment I am reading the following:

"Inventing the Public Enemy: The Gangster in American Culture" - David Ruth
"Reforming Hollywood Gangsters and Morality from Popularism to Patriotism" - Sheri Biesen
"Freudians, Flapper and All That Jazz" - Sara Evans
"Medieval Popular Religion: 1000-1500" - John Shinners
"Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women" - Caroline Walker Bynum
"Humanism and Scholasticism in the Italian Renaissance" - Paul Kristeller

It's a pretty interesting mix of readings this week. I'm especially enjoying the article on Medieval women and food. And yes, all of that is for just this week.

Taking my chances...

I've been thinking hard lately about the honours program I hope to undertake next year. Which I should be thinking about seeing as I have to apply very soon. I hope to do research concerning medicine/psychiatry in the Victorian era but ay, here's the rub: Monash only has one lecturer who remotely knows anything about medical history and his specialty is medicine during the reign of the Third Reich. Which, as you may be able to tell, is not the area I am concerned with.

So, I did some research and found that there are some lovely ladies at the University of Melbourne who actually specialise in the history of psychiatry and medicine in...THE VICTORIAN ERA! So, my allegiance to Monash is wavering at the moment. I have contacted the lecturers at Melbourne and they seem happy to meet with me and discuss my research. Which is promising news for me. I am hoping that I will be offered a place at Melbourne as it is much closer to my home, I know some lovely people there and (most importantly) my honours project will turn out much better.

So, that's where I am academically at the moment. Trying to manage getting awesome grades at third year level, while trying to prepare for honours.

Ludus

New books. Coffee. Reading. Coffee. Fake smiles and awkward introductions. Coffee. Late nights. Freezing mornings. Coffee with friends. Impressions. Paper. School has definitely begun.

Everything's comin' up Milhouse!

It's cold and hazy outside and I am once again curled up in front of the heater with a kitten in my lap. I don't really have the energy to write coherently, so I wont. Here is a random collection of thoughts from the week.

1. I have been on anti-anxiety medication for almost two weeks and it's working wonders. I feel as if I am a fabulous, glittery heeled creature frolicking amongst daisies, without a care in the world. It's a nice feeling seeing as my brain almost imploded on me two weeks ago. I'm more patient now, and more calm. It's amazing how many little things we let bother us and weigh us down on a daily basis. I can see now how little it used to take to irritate me or push my buttons and how little things would sour my mood for an entire day. Now I am a blissful ball of cookie dough, nothing gets me down and the people whose mere presence used to bother me are banished from my mind.

2. The Office. Great, GREAT show. I only just discovered this.

3. I have almost finished reading "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". I'm almost there damn it! I'll see Deathly Hallows one day.

4. I return to university on Monday. I am really looking forward to the subjects I am taking: "Witches and Depravity", "Twentieth Century America", "Public Enemies, Public Heroes: Gangsters, Romance and Reality", and "Renaissance Europe". How awesome do they sound?!?! Freakin' awesome. I have a very positive feeling about this semester, I managed to get four high distinctions (Or "A's") last semester so I'm on a roll and feeling pumped.

5. My birthday is in two months and I am planning something awesome (I know, I know! It's ages away). I'll be twenty-five (Eep!) and I want to do something fun and different. There are ideas brewing in this head o' mine.

6. My BFF went to Vietnam and brought me back the most gorgeous gifts! I was lucky enough to receive a silk robe, a soldier's pin from the war, the best poster I have ever seen in my life (!!), and a handmade comb. I'm a lucky gal.

7. I finally found my perfect bowl of porridge. It was at Tusk Cafe Bar on Chapel street. It was perfect. It wasn't sloppy and mushy like all of the other bowls I tried (Ahem, Amici Bakery Cafe), it had ample honey and slivered almonds on the top. It wasn't too hot, or too cold...It was just right! You simply must go and try it! Grab a latte too, they do a pretty nice cup.

Evolutio

By the age of twenty-four you're supposed to know where you are going. At the age of twenty-four your wings should have unfurled, and you should have taken flight into the glorious, bright blue future. You're supposed to have accomplished some goals, seen some sights and basked in the gloriousness of the first quarter of your life.

Well, I missed that memo.

I'm still in my sepia cocoon, otherwise known as university, and while I am due to be lovingly pushed out of that nest at the end of this year I have no clue as to which direction to flap my fragile wings. I should have worked this out by now, right? Gotten an idea over the past six years, and three degrees, of what I'd like to do in the world? I'm supposed to complete my undergraduate degree and walk into a job, or an honours program, or a post-graduate course like a normal, well-adjusted, well-rounded university graduate. And I plan on doing that, I PLAN on doing that. I just have no idea which door to choose.

Will it be door number one - Entering the workforce? And by entering the workforce I mean "struggling to find someone to hire a fool like me with an arts degree for anything other than admin". No, this will be the last resort. My final exit. I cannot be condemned to a life of administration duties at a small auto-shop after all of this education. I will not surrender.

Or will it be door number 2 - Honours Program? I've thought about it, and while the prospect of studying an area of history I actually enjoy, in depth, for a whole year appeals to me I don't think it will be beneficial for me in the long run as I don't plan to continue in the research field.

So, is it door number 3 - Postgraduate studies? This is the option I am leaning most towards at this point. I have selected two university programs at the University of Melbourne which I will be applying for in August of this year. They are both in completely different areas of study but I am happy to follow the road less travelled if need be.

It's been a hard road getting to this point; Sitting with my thoughts and dredging my soul for the right option or at least AN option to choose from. But I have options now. There is an end in sight, I can see the light through the tip of my cocoon and envelops me in the warmth of the future.