Walt Disney ruined our children?

[Zip-a-Dee Do Da]

This week I became aware of an English teacher who is currently teaching an “Anti-Disney Unit”. Coincidently, I had her last year and she was the most downright hateful and sarcastic being I have ever met on this earth. She constantly bashed Disney, claiming Walt twisted all of the stories, was anti-Semitic, chauvinist, and ruined and continues to ruin our children with this romanticized stories. My heart broke when she laughed at how her daughter, not even three, did not want to hug Mickey because it was just a person in a costume.

This teacher mentioned several times last year that if we took her class again we would spend a lot of time bashing Walt Disney.

I barely made it through the school year and was sure to not be in her class again; however I don’t think I can let this one go. I have heard from friends of mine saying how they had to pick one of Walt Disney’s movies, read the originally story, then compare it to his movies and explain how he “ruined it”.

I plan on writing an anonymous letter to the school paper questioning when it became ok for a teacher to spend an entire unit slandering someone’s work and character.

I thought this would be the best place to ask for opinions, facts, books, sites, any help at all in developing this letter and position. I have been doing research on Walt Disney and have found no credible truth to him being racist.

I guess I am most greatly offended that this teacher is degrading someone who poured his life’s work into making people happy.

Thanks so much! I haven't been on here for a while and I missed it!

 

[imagineer boy]

Don't worry, she's obviously a wacko.

Who on earth would waste their time with a course like that anyways?

 

[dandaman]

I just wrote an essay on this very subject, and you'll find a lot of ammunition for your letter here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/877357/walt_disney_was_not_racist.html

I wish you the best of luck; the essay topic actually came about because I got into a heated argument with a friend over the matter, so I know how infuriating it can be.

P.S. Friendly reminder: A well-constructed and calmly-presented argument offers the best chance for change. :wave:

 

[mharrington]

I don't blame you. That teacher is really a psycho for disliking Disney so much. I bet she doesn't believe in having fun.

I don't even think she needs to be in a school as a teacher, she needs to be in a mental hospital as a patient.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Ugh.....That's just wrong. She's entitled to her opinion and all, but really? Bashing something that countless people love, cherish, and something that has brought them happiness? Really? :brick:

 

[EPCOTPluto]

Sorry to hear about that. It's certainly unusual for someone to constantly belittle a person who brought magic to this world. :brick:

 

[WDW Vacationer]

He did.


He gave them lovable characters they can relate to. These evil characters also made them happy and made them laugh.


He let parents and children have fun watching movies and going to theme parks.

What a terrible person.

 

[mharrington]

Ugh.....That's just wrong. She's entitled to her opinion and all, but really? Bashing something that countless people love, cherish, and something that has brought them happiness? Really? :brick:

I agree. It's one thing to have an opinion, but it's another to enforce (actually, just force) said opinion on someone else until they don't have an opinion of their own. And this is just plain wrong...

 

[tiaragirl]

She doesn't sound like someone I'd spend 600$ listening to for half a year, that's for sure.

 

[EpcotServo]

P.S. Friendly reminder: A well-constructed and calmly-presented argument offers the best chance for change. :wave:

That or enraged drunken stupor of course.

 

[Zip-a-Dee Do Da]

The thing is it that it is not part of the curriculum or something the students know about when they take the course, the course is required and called "World Literature".

 

[tiaragirl]

That or enraged drunken stupor of course.

:ROFLOL:
Yes.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

The thing is it that it is not part of the curriculum or something the students know about when they take the course, the course is required and called "World Literature".

If the instructor is spending more than a day or 2 on Disney's approach to literary classics, then she is probably shortchanging her students on other stuff they need to learn. She probably has plenty of leeway in writing up the syllabus, but that doesn't mean you couldn't talk to students in the same course being taught by other instructors and get copies of their syllabi. If there's significant deviation, you could mention it to the department head and innocently ask why her approach is so different from her peers' (assuming she isn't the department head). :lol:

 

[Monty]

Wear a different Disney shirt to class every day. "In your face" always worked for me! :animwink:

 

[harveyt0206]

Wear a different Disney shirt to class every day. "In your face" always worked for me! :animwink:

Oh....my....gosh.....I am laughing so hard right now. LOVE this advice.

:ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL::sohappy::sohappy:

 

[BiggerTigger]

Interesting to say the Disney ruined classic stories. Many of these stories were edited and re-edited over time by other writers, movie producers and story tellers. In fact there are many versions of Cinderella all over the world with their own twists and cultural influences.
But then what do I know, I don't teach "hate".

 

[maelstrom]

I would have argued this endlessly in class and brought it up with the English department chair, bringing the issue higher if need be.

 

[Laura]

She constantly bashed Disney, claiming Walt twisted all of the stories, was anti-Semitic, chauvinist, and ruined and continues to ruin our children with this romanticized stories

Well, as far as I know, the chauvinist and anti-semitist descriptions are accurate. But that's just how things were back in those days.

Walt Disney was not a "god" like people make him out to be around here. He was a human born over 100 years ago with a lot of nasty characteristics of other humans born in the same era.

What makes Disney incredible is not his personality or his morality, but his genius creativity and imagination.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Well, as far as I know, the chauvinist and anti-semitist descriptions are accurate. But that's just how things were back in those days.

Walt Disney was not a "god" like people make him out to be around here. He was a human born over 100 years ago with a lot of nasty characteristics of other humans born in the same era.

What makes Disney incredible is not his personality or his morality, but his genius creativity and imagination.

I've heard that that too, might be a false accusation. The Word/Rumor is that he fired some Studio Worker that WAS Jewish, and upon his dismissal was disgruntled, and started the rumor.

I don't know if that little anecdote I heard was true, but I would certainly like to think so.

 

[dandaman]

From the link I posted last page:

"Walt was sensitive to people's feelings," composer Robert Sherman told me. "He hated to see people mistreated or discriminated against. One time, Richard and I overheard a discussion between Walt and one of his lawyers. This attorney was a real bad guy, didn't like minorities. He said something about Richard and me, and he called us 'these Jew boys writing these songs.' Well, Walt defended us, and he fired the lawyer. Walt was unbelievably great to us."

Artist Joe Grant, who is also Jewish, agrees. "Walt was not anti-Semitic," Grant told an interviewer. "Some of the most influential people at the studio were Jewish. It's much ado about nothing. I never once had a problem with him in that way. That myth should be laid to rest."

Floyd Norman, an African-American story artist, also rejects the racism accusation. He recalls that, during the 1960s, several civil rights leaders tried to force the Disney studio to hire more minorities. "The funny part," he said, "was that minorities weren't knocking at the gates to get in. The jobs were there if they wanted them and if they were qualified. It's like the old ruse that Walt didn't hire Jews, which was also ridiculous. There were plenty of Jews at Disney. Personally, I never felt any prejudice from Walt."