Racial Stereotyping in Disney's Animated Films (Part 1)

[MakeUpbyFrankia]

Great Videos!! I study Solology and this stuff is EVERYWHERE! We are so use to seeing it that when someone brings it up we always deny that this is true. 

[evanwoodson]

@MakeUpbyFrankia Thank you!

[CHEEEEEZEisgood]

again with the monkeys! the monkeys and the orangutan are not racist! Louie is played by Louis Prima who was a swing and jazz singer and he was Italian-American...he also really did sound like he does as King Louie; crazed scatting and all! ^.^ yay for prima!

[evanwoodson]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood I corrected my mistake about Louis Prima in an annotation. But black people really have constantly been portrayed as monkeys throughout the past few hundred years in various forms of media, and this is another example.

[CHEEEEEZEisgood]

@evanwoodson I know that blacks have been portrayed as monkeys many times but i wouldn't call this particular scene an example of this. it could be an example of racism if you are referring to the books, and even then i still wouldn't call it racist towards blacks. in india, when attacking kipling's racist views, most people seem to believe that he modeled the bandar-log after the bengalis whom he disliked openly but they aren't black, they are indian like mowgli...

[evanwoodson]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood Why do you think this isn't an example of that? They're singing and dancing to jazzy "jive music", talking in slang...and they're monkeys. This really isn't much different than the crows in Dumbo. And what do you mean by "racist"? It's not blatantly hateful, but we see that the monkeys are less than human and seeking to become fully human. Like in the book, the monkeys in the movies are lazy, mischievous freeloaders who kidnap the protagonist so that they can become more human.

[CHEEEEEZEisgood]

@evanwoodson just a note on the comparison you tried to make between the monkeys and the crows, the lead crow was called jim crow, each crow had a look that was comic yet referenced the different stereotypes of black men in the 40s, and the lead crow was voiced by a guy who did his best "black voice" for the part as he didn't actually speak that way. the lead monkey is named louie, the monkeys dont look of dress like black stereotypes, and the lead monkeys voice actor really did talk that way

[evanwoodson]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood So when I see this, I don't think of the word "racist" the way most people think of it: lynchings, church bombings, KKK, etc. What I think is this: "Monkeys dancing to music historically associated with blacks and singing about how they desperately want to become human. Probably not a good way to represent and ethnic minority, and it wouldn't fly today." Is it overt racism? No. Is it an example of how the of ideas institutional racism are transmitted? Absolutely.

[evanwoodson]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood And I agree with you that Kipling had some issues with race, as demonstrated by his "White Man's Burden". But I'm confronting Disney in these videos and so I only address the movies, not their literary or cultural sources.

[CHEEEEEZEisgood]

@evanwoodson if we're only talking about the movie then I return to my previous argument. Louis Prima was a swing and jazz singer and he wasn't black yet your argument is founded on the idea that swing and jazz are "black people" music, is that not stereotypical on your part?...(the idea for the type of song was a pun. "king of swing" because apes swing from trees? haha?) and the whole idea of the story is that humans and animals can't be eachother hence the song lyrics

[CHEEEEEZEisgood]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood I have to thank you by the way! you are the only person who ever had a sensible argument on this subject! ^.^

[evanwoodson]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood You're welcome! Haha

[evanwoodson]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood I acknowledged that mistake. My argument isn't based on Prima alone, but the whole genre of swing/jazz music and dancing. I understand the pun.

[CHEEEEEZEisgood]

@evanwoodson sorry about the prima thing AGAIN....

[CHEEEEEZEisgood]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood i need to stop doing that! ^.^

[CHEEEEEZEisgood]

@evanwoodson and what is the thing that makes you so positive that they are representing blacks and not just staying true to the characters they are trying recreate? i know that disney takes many liberties in thier movies that are "inspired" by other pieces of work such as books, but they do try to keep the story's integrity to some degree. you said yourself that the book monkeys are lazy freeloaders and so are the movie monkeys...thats just the character of "the monkeys"

[CHEEEEEZEisgood]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood I mean racist as the dictionary definition which is what im sure you are thinking of too...here ya go:Definition of RACISM

1: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race

[evanwoodson]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood There are a bunch of sub-definitions of racism, too. That's what I was talking about.

[CHEEEEEZEisgood]

@evanwoodson and which sub-division are you talking about exactly?

[evanwoodson]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood What makes me think that is the fact that they used black music and black-stylized music to animate monkeys (traditionally chosen to represent blacks) who are morally inferior to humans and desperately want to become human. There are plenty of voices and genres of music & dancing that could have been used to animate the monkeys, but they chose art forms that point to blacks.

[evanwoodson]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood To answer your question further, they could've "stayed true to the characters" without choosing to present them with characteristics traditionally associated with blacks.

[CHEEEEEZEisgood]

@evanwoodson and what "non-black" genre of music would you suggest using instead to convey the same message?

[evanwoodson]

@CHEEEEEZEisgood By the same message, do you mean that blacks are inferior to whites? Because that's the message that's there when they're jive-dancing monkeys singing about how they want to be human. It's the total effect.

[CHEEEEEZEisgood]

@evanwoodson i meant the message of the movie not the message in your head. the message that these characters (the CHARACTERS not black people) are lazy and mischievious and what to use mowgli to upset jugle law by trying to be like humans...calm down before you post it makes your argument better

[seth5220]

@evanwoodson

[sinGinGfool96]

Do you realize that Siamese cats are Asian cats? You say their sneakiness is linked to them being Asian? Did you ever think that they're...CATS! Cats are sneaky!

[evanwoodson]

@sinGinGfool96 The connection between the "sneakiness" and the fact that they are Asian is blatantly clear, from the slanted eyes and everything. It's more than the fact that they are just cats. There are plenty of non-sneaky cats in cartoons.

[soso9261]

I'm pretty sure that Disney was bringing blacks in a good light with the crows. They're cool, funny, and help Dumbo out.

The mouse was scolding them for laughing at the idea of Dumbo flying, not for being black.

[evanwoodson]

@soso9261 And if the crows are the "good blacks", then what about the circus laborers? Are they the "bad ones" because they claim to be lazy, uneducated, and wasteful with money?

[soso9261]

What's wrong with the crows? I thought and still think they were pretty cool guys, I don't see anything negative with the caricatures blacks were given there.

Would having all the characters of color act white, look white, and be white be better? What you're calling stereotypes are actually called CHARACTER.

You can't deny that there are many, although not all, people of color that live up to their given stereotypes. In this case, the blacks (represented by the crows) are good ones.

[evanwoodson]

@soso9261 They're definitely positive characters, that's for sure. But the most offensive thing to me is that the main crow's name was "Jim Crow". That was in pretty bad taste.

[ProfessorWhiskerz]

Dude, I just remembered something! The Jungle Book is written by Rudyard Kipling, the same author of "the White Man's Burden", the racist ode to "the civilizing mission" of colonialism. No wonder!!!

[evanwoodson]

@ProfessorWhiskerz Wow, I forgot about that! I should have tied that in somehow...

[ProfessorWhiskerz]

When you really break this stuff down it is extremely disturbing. The thing about the jungle book with the monkey jazz singers who want to be human, Jesus Christ, no wonder Americans have such racist internalized views, and they don't even realize it. It's like subliminal messages to program the next generation to be racist, but they don't even know it! Good job for breaking this stuff down, I am shocked

[wingwaabuddha]

errr.. some things yes...but honestly I feel like characters such as King Louie are not trying to represent black perople etc....and if they are....its a positive image in my mind...The fact was/is many jazz players are black.... and I dont think anyone has negative idea about black jazz players..do they? I see where you are going with this...some of it makes sense..but others...to much of a stretch...appreciate the time taken however..interesting

[evanwoodson]

@wingwaabuddha People have long tried to draw connections between black people and monkeys based on shaky evolutionary theories or whatever it may be. Terms like "porch monkey" have existed for awhile. Emails circulate showing the Obama family with photo-shopped monkey faces. And while yes, many jazz players are black, when Disney animates a scene with smooth-talking, jazzy monkeys, it is definitely questionable.

[chocolitgurl34]

All of the crows are black actors except for Jim Crow who is white man which plays onto the black minstrels 

[asixtir33]

@TheFrancoGerman

na ,du lutscher. guckst gerne zeichentrick filme? spielst du auch mit puppen?

[evanwoodson]

@TheFrancoGerman At this point in the U.S. there were laws called "Jim Crow" laws that separated whites and blacks. And like I said, these crows are characterized as blacks. So for the animators to name that character "Jim Crow" is just in really bad taste. Wouldn't be allowed nowadays.

[evanwoodson]

@TheFrancoGerman I explained it in the video, I'm pretty sure...

[michael7th]

whats racist about jim crow? are you joking? read a book man

[Moviefan2k4]

You think there's any possibility that they got the name "King Louie" from the guy who voiced him, Louis Prima? Just asking... ;)

[evanwoodson]

@Moviefan2k4 Yeah you're right, I made an update with an annotation.

[snowwhite923]

whats the difference between the crows in dumbo and the bird in rio?

[evanwoodson]

@snowwhite923 I wouldn't know, I haven't seen Rio...is the bird supposed to be black?

[snowwhite923]

@evanwoodson well its definitly a stereotype...two of the birds that i remember but they all seem like a stereotype of some kind. :-/ i just think this movie (dumbo) should be delt with differently because it was made in the 40's...20 years before civil rights movement. Yes its racist but no we shouldnt condem disney for that because this was the times. They sure as hell wont do this same thing now.

[Maarttttt]

I think you're a little cry baby.

[Isreal4realz]

0:06 Whatsup, uh, my names Evan.

oh hey what up evan!

[DJBloodyCloud]

It would seem to me that King Louie is an Orangutan, not a monkey. I would say this greatly takes away from the stereotype.

[evanwoodson]

@DJBloodyCloud I hope you're being sarcastic...

[DJBloodyCloud]

@evanwoodson I am.

[skymackerel]

really interesting, thanks. what are you studying? you might be interested to read (or watch) Edward Said on 'Orientalism' - he mostly talks about live action films, but also Aladdin.

[evanwoodson]

@skymackerel I'm studying Sociology at Oklahoma State, but I plan on teaching high school and being a coach after I graduate. Yeah, I'll have to check that out.

[Youboga]

This reminds me how the Super Mario Bros 3 ended up as a Satanic cartridge. Anyway, If you are concerned about those things you will see them. Nice video, and I like how you expose your key points.

[noshindaz]

Whats racist about the name jim crow? I didnt get the point?

[evanwoodson]

@noshindaz At this point in the U.S. there were laws called "Jim Crow" laws that separated whites and blacks. And like I said, these crows are characterized as blacks. So for the animators to name that character "Jim Crow" is just in really bad taste. Wouldn't be allowed nowadays.

[noshindaz]

@evanwoodson Okay thanks for explaining that for me, Im glad times are changing which these different issues such as the first black disney princess being Tiana, I think eventually racism will not exist, only in developing countries perhaps

[naf9183]

@noshindaz if you dont know jim crow you shouldnt be allowed to post. now you got this guy gettin all "intellectual" with his commas just cuz he know somethin u shoulda learned in 7th grade. way to find the connection between some singin dancin jim crows and black people woodson. you got a doctorate?

[noshindaz]

@naf9183 We dont learn so much about racial discrimination in england, i was confused about who he actually was and until someone explained to me the reason why it was racist i didnt know why it was. If i didnt post this comment i wouldve have known why it was discriminate, and having a doctorate has got nothing to do with it?

[evanwoodson]

@naf9183 Thank you. No, I'm working on bachelor's degrees in sociology and history.

[funnyguy134]

ur eyes are messing me up.....

[sofiacapel]

interesting. Disney was indeed racist/anti-semictic

[Jshadoe]

The reason that Native Americans are depicted as "Indians" is because it's a kids story and thats the way to teach a child the background in which Native Americans came from

[evanwoodson]

@Jshadoe Kids definitely learn that from scenes like this. But as I mentioned, the problem is that Native Americans ALWAYS seem to be depicted in the state that they were in hundreds of years ago. How often do you see Native Americans in the media who are dressed in a modern fashion? Not very. So we get a misrepresentation of an entire ethnic group.

[NopeJPeg]

@evanwoodson

I'd like to inform you that Asians also engage in stereotyping of Native Americans. Check out MC Mong's "Indian Boy" and T-ara's "Yayaya" and witness the ideology that most of the world has in regards to Native people. The question should then be, why should I have any sympathy or do anything to diminish Asian stereotyping and the consequences that come with that when they themselves do it to other people like Natives? Also note the tons of people in those vids that think its ok.

[NopeJPeg]

Asians should stop feigning ignorance. There are Asians living here in the States. I'm certain some visit family back in their home countries. What's stopping them from telling a bit about different cultures and peoples here in the States when they make small talk with their families and spread that knowledge around so eventually they stop with degrading depictions of other people? The fact that Asians are also post-colonizers benefiting from this nation's history only adds insult to Natives

[NelsonStJames]

@Jshadoe Nice try, but by that logic then 90% of all media representations of Native Americans are "kids stories". Also if that is the way to teach a child about the background of a people, it is a pretty poor way to do it as the Indians in Peter Pan are totally made up. We don't take this route with any other group of people. If you want to teach your child about anything, go get an authentic book on the subject suitable for that particular child's age level.

[papiaaa]

sht... i lost all of part one cause i was staring in ur eyes...

[CoyKiyote]

I second what jdaviesii said about King Louie-- that character was wonderful! Would you rather Louis Prima be the black panther? :)

Before you say: "Yes, but he's portrayed as an ape!" listen to Phil Harris "black up" Baloo the bear.

[Peacesyne]

I appreciated how you could express your love for the movies, and still objectively point out some blatant choices the studios made. Made me really think... Thanks!

[evanwoodson]

@jdaviesiii Yeah, I found that out RIGHT after I uploaded this video. Haha thanks, man!

[jdaviesiii]

Evan, good stuff man. But you are absolutely wrong about the King Louis thing, Louis Prima did the voice of King Louis for the song, and Louis Prima was a famous trumpeter. Look into it, but otherwise good stuff.