This is just something that has bothered me and was stirred up by stupid arguments about Disney’s upcoming production “The Princess and the Frog”. Yeah, racial stuff. Now, a lot of things this year and previous years have annoyed me but the recent thing I stumbled upon just got me talking.
So, from what I know, the movie starts out “The Frog Princess”. The main character was a heroine named Maddy. She was to be a scullery maid from the 1920’s in America whose prince is named Harry. Well, people pitched a fit about this.
First, her name was an issue. Some people complained that “Maddy”, which was short for Madeleine, was a stereotypical, lower-class, “slave” name. I say screw that. People shorten up names! Madeleine is a perfectly fine name and Maddy is an appropriate nickname for it. Who the heck is the say what a “slave” name is anyway? Many different people with many different sorts of names have been slaves. Any name can be a slave’s name.
There is then the complaint about the role of her being a maid working for a white rich person. Um, how about Cinderella and Snow White then? Look back people. It is the 1920’s! This is placed in a historical time and setting! Read a freaking history book! That is long before African-American civil rights came to play. Disney is just keeping up with history. Remember, this is an African-American princess here.
Even if she was in Africa or the like, she probably would only have been royalty in a tribe that hasn’t been forced into “civilization”. If she was South African she would have been like such – a maid to others – even in the 1970’s because of racial segregation there. If Disney tried to do that, she’d no longer be an African-American but a South African and people would then complain that they are implying she is a savage or that a black girl can’t be a princess here. B! S!
So, Disney changes this. When they try to keep historically correct for the most part, unlike how they did with “Pocahontas”, people still b*tch. So, Disney’s b*st*rdizing history again isn’t their fault this time it seems. Think people! Think! If you learned American History at least up to eighth grade you should know this! Disney was not being racist, dumb-f*cks!
Now, recently the prince has made an appearance. I stumbled upon an article titled, “Disney’s ‘The Princess and the Frog’ Has Black Princess, White Prince”. Upon reading it I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the ignorance of some people. First off, if you ever knew what his first name was supposed to be, Harry, might make you think of a man from Great Britain – it did me. I was automatically expecting a white dude. Later the name was changed to Naveen. Now recently there is a picture of him making its way around the Internet. The prince is not “WHITE”. He looks Hispanic or Middle-Eastern if anything.
Anyway, color isn’t everything. People just make it into a mountain because they/we have a need to be on top. It is “this or that”. As long as people keep thinking such a way, gray will never come about. The prince if anything is that gray. You don’t see this sort of issue from Natives or Asians in America. Sure, some Natives disapproved Pocahontas being changed from a freaking ten year old to the assumable age of twenty. Even more disapproved that she suddenly was paired up with John Smith as a romantic coupling since that NEVER happened, but you never saw them pitch a fit over her not being with another Native! “Oh, so a Native American can’t be a prince?” “Oh, so Disney thinks love between a Native-American Indian girl and a Native-American boy isn’t possible!” You didn’t see that sort of sh*t being said.
While some will twist it around, I really find the coupling a beautiful thing. It isn’t saying that a black man can’t be a bloody prince! It isn’t saying that the love between two black people cannot occur. It is saying something like, “Hey, if we try to get a black prince in the picture, the setting would have to be a different time period like the future or just an alternate universe.” America doesn’t have royalty, idiots. We have presidents. If you want an African-American princess she’ll have to marry a foreign prince. While there were black African royalty during those times, Disney wouldn’t try to use a real person for this, would they?
Even more! So what if the villain is “black”? All the other Disney Princesses had “white” villains – yeah, I’m going with the “There is only the blacks and the whites” concept here, so the villains in Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Mulan “MUST” be white! Besides, this is about a prince AND a princess. So, the villain could very well be Hispanic, Middle-Eastern, African or African-American (on rare occasions skin colors that are not human) if you go along with “tradition” when it comes to Disney Princess movies.
Also, look at the logic! So, what is more likely? A person who might have roots from Africa practicing Voodoo or a person whose origins were likely from England practicing Voodoo? Use some sense people. I’m sorry; if they used a white villain and kept up with the FROG theme I highly doubt a priest of a church that follows Jesus Christ will call upon the powers of God to turn some Middle Eastern prince into a frog. Maybe if you can convince Disney to introduce worshipers of Satan to little kids and convince the audience that some white dude called upon the powers of hell to turn some prince into a freaking frog, that’ll do!
I truly think that all of this is due to being able to see and thus make categories by colors. Get rid of our eyesight and we wouldn’t know who is really what color. Instead we’d make issues over voices, pronunciation, dialect, slang and all that crap! Notice how ridiculous that would be? It is the same here.
This is History people. Segregation and slavery existed here and exists elsewhere. You can’t change the past. All the changes just b*st*rdizes the concept and this time it isn’t Disney making the film suitable for little kids. It is people throwing hissy fits. Yes, Hissy fits.
All of this separation still exists today. Those who suffer from racism will just as easily do the same when the tables are turned. Humans are hypocrites. Many African-Americans can go on all they like, but they are taking advantage now. Not all do, but many have been brought up to raise a red flag at anything. Seriously. An Asian kid can be picked on easily with racial insults. On the Internet people easily write the word “J@p” and no one gets onto them. Now, if you use “N!gger”, heaven forbid! Well, you know what? “J@p” is just as bad. Ignorant *ssh*l*s!
Separation is still apparent. Some African-Americans purposely separate themselves. At schools, the cafeterias will still be divided into those who are “black” and those who are whatever color. When gangs are formed it is usually of those that are of only one color, white gangs, black gangs, Hispanic gangs and whatever. You know why there is still separation? Some of us don’t think and don’t get over it. Yeah, some people may have had family members like grandparents or older who were enslaved. Yes, Civil Rights for African-Americans have only been around so long, so there are parents who remember those times and the struggles. However, if you don’t tolerate the past and accept the change, things will never be truly grasped.
This isn’t about racism. It is about what has happened. Such things shouldn’t be glossed over. That only leads to ignorance. It is the past and yes it was a terrible thing, but it only lives on to this day because some people won’t get over themselves. Do you see Asians making a fuss over Mulan? Do you see a ton of issues over segregation, “disrespect” and whatnot from other races? No. Other people like Asians, Hispanics even the Irish were shipped to America and were enslaved, treated lowly and all that. Remember concentration camps, people?
As for other things like people making political jokes about Obama, that is bull too. I saw the thing about the “Watermelon Whitehouse” and the monkey junk. I had to be explained to why the watermelon gag was so offensive and I could understand the monkey thing due to caricature. You know what I saw? The same bloody stuff I’ve always have seen about presidents in America. I say it isn’t a bad thing either. It shows that those who made such cartoons or gags treat him like any other previous white president before him. Some people out there just won’t think logically. F*ck*rs.