Song of the South

[manmythlegend]

Song of the South is a problematic film in light of today's cancel-culture "sensibilities". But Gone With The Wind is far more offensive in terms of depictions of blacks, yet nobody has stuck it in a vault and refused to air it.

I maintain that if SotS was subjected to a little judicious editing, it would be fine. Although, for some people, "judicious editing" would involve cutting out Uncle Remus entirely. I'm sure Oscar-winner James Baskett, the actor who portrayed Remus, would be thrilled about that. (By the way, when he found out that Baskett went into the hospital after SotS wrapped, "racist" Walt Disney paid for all of his hospital bills. Baskett's wife wrote to Walt: "You have certainly been a friend indeed, and we have certainly been in need".)

So again, to all who call Walt a racist: Stick it!

People of today often confuse prejudiced with racist. Walt wasn't a racist. I believe he may have had some prejudices as many people of that generation likely did.

But to just throw out that Walt was racist without any sort of hard proof is asinine.

 

[disney4life2008]

Maybe take up your idiot assertion with the likes of Floyd Norman, African-American animator who worked with Walt on Sleeping Beauty and Jungle Book, and who has steadfastly defended Walt against moronic comments like yours.

Walt was not a racist. Stick it.

LOL Obviously you need to take a course on racism. I bet you think racism doesn't exist today. You are pathetic and need to learn African American history. But if you think Walt Disney was not racist, you need to go read a book.

 

[disney4life2008]

Song of the South is a problematic film in light of today's cancel-culture "sensibilities". But Gone With The Wind is far more offensive in terms of depictions of blacks, yet nobody has stuck it in a vault and refused to air it.

I maintain that if SotS was subjected to a little judicious editing, it would be fine. Although, for some people, "judicious editing" would involve cutting out Uncle Remus entirely. I'm sure Oscar-winner James Baskett, the actor who portrayed Remus, would be thrilled about that. (By the way, when he found out that Baskett went into the hospital after SotS wrapped, "racist" Walt Disney paid for all of his hospital bills. Baskett's wife wrote to Walt: "You have certainly been a friend indeed, and we have certainly been in need".)

So again, to all who call Walt a racist: Stick it!

I'm sorry but there is a substantial amount of peer reviewed research to support the white savior experience. It happens today.

As for gone with the wind, I agree. While I think it's a good movie, in no way is it a classic. Poetic justice is a classic.

 

[manmythlegend]

I'm sorry but there is a substantial amount of peer reviewed research to support the white savior experience. It happens today.

As for gone with the wind, I agree. While I think it's a good movie, in no way is it a classic. Poetic justice is a classic.

 

[InnKpr]

I don't even want to imagine what a thread would look like over the cartoon short: "Mickey's Mellerdrammer". If I'm not mistaken, Walt himself voiced Mickey in that one, but not 100% certain. It's on YouTube, but I will not post it here.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

But if you think Walt Disney was not racist, you need to go read a book.

Does every book in existence support this statement? No?

Then could you please cite a source or give some evidence please, like Magenta Panther did? Otherwise it sounds like you're in your in an echo chamber of your own creation. And your only defense is guilt tripping who believe differently and actually have some evidence instead of using phrases like this:

I bet you think racism doesn't exist today. You are pathetic and need to learn African American history.

 

[disney4life2008]

Does every book in existence support this statement? No?

Then could you please cite a source or give some evidence please, like Magenta Panther did? Otherwise it sounds like you're in your in an echo chamber of your own creation. And your only defense is guilt tripping who believe differently and actually have some evidence instead of using phrases like this:

Pathetic! I am black. That's all I'm go say. Take it or stuff it.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Pathetic! I am black. That's all I'm go say. Take it or stuff it.

I know, it's so pathetic that you can't just pull the race card to win arguments.

 

[disney4life2008]

I know, it's so pathetic that you can't just pull the race card to win arguments.

I can and will but not on here.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

I can and will but not on here.

You just did:

Pathetic! I am black. That's all I'm go say. Take it or stuff it.

I still don't know what your race has to do with Walt Disney, Song of the South, or the views on race espoused by the movie or Walt Disney.

 

[manmythlegend]

Pathetic! I am black. That's all I'm go say. Take it or stuff it.

I opt for stuffing

 

[disney4life2008]

I opt for stuffing

Good choice

 

[MisterPenguin]

The problems with SotS:

1. Yes, the book that movie was based on takes place in post-Civil War Reconstruction. But, two problems with that...​

​

a. The movie never makes that clear, so, it can be easily interpreted the African workers are still slaves.​

​

b. The time of Reconstruction was not a happy time for the freed slaves. Jim Crow laws kept them segregated, disenfranchised, and poor. And this leads to...​

​

2. The problem with the movie's portrayal of Reconstruction freed African Slaves and Walt:​

​

a. The movie shows happy-go-lucky African workers. None are in positions of power or prestige or respect, except for the literary genre of the "Magical Negro" whose identity has worth because of what sort of special wisdom/power/ability they have to help the White protagonist.​

​

b. Walt, to his credit, did seek out advice from Black leaders and they told him to cut the happy, singing portrayal of freed slaves as if they weren't still suffering the after effects of slavery and continued oppression. Walt, to his discredit, ignored their advice and that's why the movie remains in the vault. Walt suffered from the casual social racism of his times, which would diminish his culpability if it wasn't for the fact that he intentionally disregarded the advice of Black leaders. Let's not forget all the other racial stereotypes in all the other Disney products... which again, common during his time -- Bugs Bunny did the same.​

​

3 Besides the historically whitewashed portrayal of the freed African slaves (without making it clear they're freed), there is the awful stereotypes of Southerners... think "Hillbillies." The slow-talking drawl and distorted features meant to indicate inbreeding were meant to highlight the characters' stunted mental development and lack of education. Maybe Disney can spin the movie today to say it was subversive: It showed the Africans as happy and normal, but the Southerners as inbred hicks.​

​

4. The stories Uncle Remus tells have their origin in African folklore. But they were appropriated into a U.S. Southern framework. A reboot of the movies would be to retell the stories using the CGI animals seen in the live action Lion King remake (not the same Lion King characters). You can still use Zippity Do Dah.​

 

[John park hopper]

I just love the ignore option

 

[Magenta Panther]

LOL Obviously you need to take a course on racism. I bet you think racism doesn't exist today. You are pathetic and need to learn African American history. But if you think Walt Disney was not racist, you need to go read a book.

Kindly provide me with credible evidence that Walt was racist. Otherwise stick it harder.

 

[Magenta Panther]

The problems with SotS:

1. Yes, the book that movie was based on takes place in post-Civil War Reconstruction. But, two problems with that...​

​

a. The movie never makes that clear, so, it can be easily interpreted the African workers are still slaves.​

​

b. The time of Reconstruction was not a happy time for the freed slaves. Jim Crow laws kept them segregated, disenfranchised, and poor. And this leads to...​

​

2. The problem with the movie's portrayal of Reconstruction freed African Slaves and Walt:​

​

a. The movie shows happy-go-lucky African workers. None are in positions of power or prestige or respect, except for the literary genre of the "Magical Negro" whose identity has worth because of what sort of special wisdom/power/ability they have to help the White protagonist.​

​

b. Walt, to his credit, did seek out advice from Black leaders and they told him to cut the happy, singing portrayal of freed slaves as if they weren't still suffering the after effects of slavery and continued oppression. Walt, to his discredit, ignored their advice and that's why the movie remains in the vault. Walt suffered from the casual social racism of his times, which would diminish his culpability if it wasn't for the fact that he intentionally disregarded the advice of Black leaders. Let's not forget all the other racial stereotypes in all the other Disney products... which again, common during his time -- Bugs Bunny did the same.​

​

3 Besides the historically whitewashed portrayal of the freed African slaves (without making it clear they're freed), there is the awful stereotypes of Southerners... think "Hillbillies." The slow-talking drawl and distorted features meant to indicate inbreeding were meant to highlight the characters' stunted mental development and lack of education. Maybe Disney can spin the movie today to say it was subversive: It showed the Africans as happy and normal, but the Southerners as inbred hicks.​

​

4. The stories Uncle Remus tells have their origin in African folklore. But they were appropriated into a U.S. Southern framework. A reboot of the movies would be to retell the stories using the CGI animals seen in the live action Lion King remake (not the same Lion King characters). You can still use Zippity Do Dah.​

Ah, Iger-apologist Mr. Penguin strikes again!

Song of the South - here, I'll put it in all caps for easier (hopefully) discernment - WAS NOT A DOCUMENTARY ON SHARECROPPERS/THE CIVIL WAR AND ITS AFTERMATH. It was a movie based on a very popular children's book. The story is told in a black dialect that many find offensive today, but likely was accurate for the time (ever try to read Huckleberry Finn? It's told in a heavy WHITE dialect which highlights Huck's lack of education. I've yet to hear it's considered a slam on poor white folks). You keep belaboring the depiction of Remus and other blacks - but how should Walt, in your EXPERT opinion, have handled Remus? Make him dour and unhappy? Make him angry and resentful? Turned him into a middle-aged Kunte Kinte? Yay, what fun! Zippity-Doo-Dah!

Your PC-ness is almost a caricature in itself. SO many things to be offended about! Sharecroppers! Southerners! A fox as a villain - how stereotypical - Walt was a speciesist too, apparently. Furries unite!

Maybe Walt should have left out Remus altogether. Damned if he did, damned if he didn't. Of course, if he HAD, what would people like you be saying? Oh, Walt left Uncle Remus out of Song of the South because he hated black people! Didn't want to make a movie with a black man as the lead! What a RACIST!!!!

Get a flipping grip.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Ah, Iger-apologist Mr. Penguin strikes again!

What does Iger have to do with this?

Another example of your being unmoored from reality and reason.

 

[Magenta Panther]

I don't even want to imagine what a thread would look like over the cartoon short: "Mickey's Mellerdrammer". If I'm not mistaken, Walt himself voiced Mickey in that one, but not 100% certain. It's on YouTube, but I will not post it here.

Oh, you mean where Mickey and company put on a production of Uncle Tom's Cabin? The book that was written to help bring about the destruction of slavery? Yeah, Walt was so racist voicing Mickey for that. Good grief. Look, sensibilities have changed since then, and much for the better. But context is how mature people view history. Try it.

 

[Magenta Panther]

What does Iger have to do with this?

Another example of your being unmoored from reality and reason.

Iger's the one keeping SotS in the vault.

Another example of you missing the point.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Iger's the one keeping SotS in the vault.

Another example of you missing the point.

The decision not to release SotS on other media predates Iger. But, go ahead and make this an anit-Iger screed for no reason... which is the very definition of unreasonableness.