Song of the South

[Bloodwhiner]

I had heard some of the Bobby Driscoll story but never it that depth. thanks, interesting read.

 

[siskokid888]

The problem is the "tar baby" episode and the references to that particular term. That phrase became a heinous slur especially throughout the Jim Crow and segregation era in the south, and is almost as offensive to Americans of African heritage as "nigger" is. While "Song of the South" may not have been intended to belittle or make light of the situation of blacks in this country, it touches or represents themes that are very sensitive. Because whites don't find it offensive does not mean it is not offensive in some way, and if a segment of our population finds it so, then Disney has done the right thing in keeping it in limited release. The makers of the status quo in this country are quick to scream "absurd political correctness" becuase THEY don't find something offensive. They forget and disregard the feelings of those that may be offended. But that's America for you.

 

[Garm Bel Iblis]

As a former Disney employee, I must ask that you all stop talking about Song Of The South. Disney says that it is forbidden to talk about it, so don't get the Mouse angry!

You wouldn't like Mr. Mouse when he's angry...

 

[FordSVT]

Well I imagine if germany made a happy cartoon about the Holocaust, some people might get bent out of shape no matter how harmless the actual movie was.

But song of the south is not "about slavery", any more than "Sound of Music" is about the holocaust. Have you ever seen "The Producers"? "Hogan's Heroes"?

And no, before anyone mentions it, this is not Godwin'ing.

 

[Thrall]

So, I just finished watching Song of the South for the first time, and I'm shocked. Shocked that there has been so much controversy over such a harmless film.

Obviously there is something I am not getting here. Maybe it's my age (I was born in 1986), so I am not getting what to others seem like racist references. Such as the tar baby scene, which I thought nothing of until reading online that it is an offensive term. I had never even heard the term before watching the movie, and the movie does not present the scene in a racist light whatsoever, it's just something that Brer Rabbit gets stuck in.

Now of course there are scenes depicting the "master" speaking to her "slaves," but I honestly don't know how that situation could be depicted on film in a way that would please everyone or even most people. So should we never even attempt to portray slavery of that time because of this? Should we just pretend it never happened? I can see why some might be unhappy about the movie's upbeat tone possibly giving the idea that slavery was positive, but would anyone watching this film really come away with the impression that slavery was all rainbows and sunshine? Any adult waching would know better, and any child watching probably wouldn't realize that there was even slavery going on, they probably think that Uncle Remus is just Johnny's neighbor. Sure he lives in a crappy little shack compared to their mansion, but there is also a white family of neighbors living in a crappy little shack of their own.

If I were to imagine a children's movie set in this time period, with this story of a small white boy befriending an old black man, I can't really imagine any way to do it less offensively than Disney did. Do people just not want this time period to be reflected in films at all? If someone has an idea of how the film could have been done more tastefully, I would like to hear it (I'm being serious, not sarcastic).

Actually, the only thing in the film that I saw as being negative for children is the scene in which Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit smoke a pipe.

Is this movie a case of Disney freaking out over something that's really not that big of a deal, or is it truly an offensively racist film? I guess I am looking for perspectives from people who are older than I and have been around when this film was re-released in the past.

Maybe it is just crazy Political Correctness. But how would people feel if they made a light-happy kids movie musical about how much fun it was to be a Jew in a Nazi death camp? Basically the same thing really.

 

[Aragorn]

The makers of the status quo in this country are quick to scream "absurd political correctness" becuase THEY don't find something offensive. They forget and disregard the feelings of those that may be offended. But that's America for you.

So when you have the quiet Native American who isn't offended by Native American sports team mascots and the vocal Native American who is offended, does the latter speak for the former?

 

[DonIago]

I was wondering whether The Producers would make me uncomfortable. Happily, it did not.

 

[siskokid888]

The makers of the status quo in this country are quick to scream "absurd political correctness" becuase THEY don't find something offensive. They forget and disregard the feelings of those that may be offended. But that's America for you.

So when you have the quiet Native American who isn't offended by Native American sports team mascots and the vocal Native American who is offended, does the latter speak for the former?

Of course we all prefer the "quiet" Native American and do not question his motives, but the motives of the vocal wounded are always to be questioned (and ridiculed).

 

[Level 2 Diagnostic]

The truth is, the movie is offensive. However, it's no more offensive than a lot of other movies that are currently out on DVD like Gone with the Wind. Disney should release this movie with lots of disclaimers and warnings on the package that it's not for kids, the same way MGM released old racist/violent Tom and Jerry cartoons.

 

[T'Bonz]

Maybe it is just crazy Political Correctness. But how would people feel if they made a light-happy kids movie musical about how much fun it was to be a Jew in a Nazi death camp? Basically the same thing really.

Hell, Hogan's Heroes came damned close.

 

[Thrall]

Maybe it is just crazy Political Correctness. But how would people feel if they made a light-happy kids movie musical about how much fun it was to be a Jew in a Nazi death camp? Basically the same thing really.

Hell, Hogan's Heroes came damned close.

Not really. Hogan's Heroes was a parody/satire of WW2 movies that were everywhere in the 50's. And that was also before the invention of Political Correctness.

Song of The South suffered from being made in an incredibly racist and insensitive time period by a historically racist and insensitive film company. Birth of A Nation ain't got shit on Walt Disney.

 

[Bloodwhiner]

Some have charged that the movie "Life is Beautiful" was a comedy set in the holocaust.

I like the response given by Rabbi Barry Block, "The Talmud teaches us that a person who murders one other human has committed a crime equivalent to destroying the whole world. Life is Beautiful illustrates the Talmud’s point brutally and magnificently. The movie could not achieve that goal without the laughter, constantly reminding us that life is worth living."