Disney- They Didn't Get It Then and They Don't Get It Now

[RuNett Nia Ebo]

Greetings all,
Disney didn't get it when I was growing up and they still don't!
After Jasmine and Pocahontas, I thought Disney finally had a light-bulb moment!
In case you haven't heard, Disney has finally come up with a princess of darker hue in response to a question that was put to them some time ago by a concerned mother who took her daughter to Disney World. After seeing Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel; her daughter asked why there wasn't a princess who "looked like her." The mother contacted Disney and their insensitive response made reference to The Lion King. Need I say more??
So now, Disney has decided to come up with a black princess, however committing a few faux pas in the process. First - her name was Maddy. Well, give me a break! While there is nothing basically wrong with the name, if I say "Leroy" what comes to mind first? Be honest! Second, Maddy did maid's work in New Orleans!
Please, Don't misunderstand what I'm saying. We need those precious people who work in housekeeping but when did "princess" and "maid" become synonyms? Cinderella and Maddy would never be on equal playing fields, no matter how they drew them! And how come we are always put there first?

If we are truly honest, we know that our favorite African American magazines seldom print stories about average people. You read about successful women CEOs, Attorneys, Physicians, etc. but tell me when you picked up one of our magazines and found a story about a "sistah" who worked in housekeeping or a "brothah" who worked in maintenance unless the story tells about how they rose above that occupation to become successful? Even among us, they are not considered news and the people at Disney knew that too. However, in an effort to fix things, Maddy is now Tiana and she is a chef. Halleluah!
Oh, did I mention that Tiana's love interest is NOT a black prince? Are we surprised?
Don't get me started on the hair issue. In the 21st Century, it's still a tender shaft. When "they" make "us" over, we wind up with straight, flat hair! However, Tiana's hair looks more like Jasmine's (if you've ever seen the Sinbad cartoon).
Unfortunately, I don't think Disney came to the decision to "fix the dear princess" all on their own. Why? Because some people still don't have a clue. They think that now that Mr. Obama is President, we should be happy and that there "ain't no more complainin' to be done." Guess what?! We still have a lot more teaching to do. Maybe one day we really can say, "Free at last!" Peace.

[RuNett Nia Ebo]

Great comment and thank you for it. Here's my problem. We are spending quite a bit of time wishing and hoping that "they" get it right. How can they when they still don't have a clue? Too much of their comedy even with us in it, yeah it's comedy but I agree with you; not very realistic and we can't relate. Okay, they take an unreal situation and make it funny but how many times have you looked at it and said, "that's not funny, that's just stupid?" When people are on the outside looking in, they see what they want to see but that does not mean that THEY see US! Why else would it be such a surprise to them (especially in the movie and television industry) that some of us have college degrees, good jobs and speak intelligently? Oh and by the way, that's not what they want to see when they see us on TV. Some might say that it used to be like that and things have changed but not enough for me because the programs that my generation found offensive were eased back on television because the belief is that the next generation would not be offended.
Thank God for Dora and Diego! I'd rather my grands watch them!
(Also) when I see a program running on one channel and the same program (title) is running a different episode on another channel and in the next half hour, the same thing again, etc., for me, it is too close to brainwashing. The television goes off and we find books to read!
Maybe I'm just too old for the type of comedy promoted by Disney and others these days. I'm not real crazy about having my grandchildren watch young people who talk back to their parents disrespectfully, do things that go far beyond normal mischief, have fun at another person's expense or cause all types of damage to property - then, call that comedy!
We, as a people, are not off the hook either because to quote Malcolm X and Louis Farrakan, "we need to stop laughing at things that aren't funny" especially when we're doing it! I thought I would like the Proud Family. NOT! Since I was a victim of it, I'm not fond of excessive name-calling, frequent put-downs, sarcasm and ridicule.
For the most part, noone can tell our story like we can and we do know how to be funny! Question: How many of "us" do you think Disney consults when they decide what they want to do? Money talks. When we decide where our power is and use it strategically and intelligently, then, they listen.

[Tia Glass]

This is a great blog. Recently, I have asked the question why there are no shows on Disney that geared toward the African American's community. Hannah Montanna is cool, but the teenage girls I know don't look or act like her. We need more than Corey in the White house. I want to see a sitcom that identifies with my son because the Suite Life just don't bring it home for me. Yeah, my son finds it funny, but there's no real connection. How can we show Disney that we are serious about making some changes to there season's roster. We spend our money and time on Disney just like everybody else.