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They're not racist - they're books with caricatures of any number of cultures, including Western cultures. It's possible people could be offended, but they're n
by jariel 6y ago
They're not racist - they're books with caricatures of any number of cultures, including Western cultures. It's possible people could be offended, but they're not any more offensive than any creative depiction of anything (Edit: poor choice of words there - they are more offensive than 'anything' but not more so than many things). All of Disney's films, even the most modern one's are caricatured articulations of cultures. If Alladin is not racist, neither is Dr. Seuss.
Edit: Go anywhere in the Middle East, stay there for two weeks. Then have a look at the 'Alladin' Disney cartoon and you will see, undoubtedly that it's buffoonishly caricatured, Orientalist pastiche of ME culture. I don't think most people in the ME are going to be straight up offended, but it's undoubtedly a clownish and reductive depiction. Not racist ... but definitely stereotypically caricatured.
I agree they're probably not perfectly suitable for kids, that's fine, and publishers have to make decisions based on fear as much as anything, but the EBay ban is ridiculous, and a sign of American cultural decline consistent with the rise of Trumpism. It's not progress.
We are adults, we know roughly what's nice and not, and within the margins we can make up our own minds. A sticker on the book indicating that some might be offended would be appropriate, just as they do for a lot of pop music (incidentally targeted at young teens) which contains brutally misogynist and violent content.
- peteretep 6y ago> If Alladin is not racist, neither is Dr. Seuss If you’ve seen both Alladin and the cartoons in question, it’s hard to believe you’re commenting in good faith.
- amznthrwaway 6y agoJerf never comments in good faith. He’s an example that extremist authoritarian and highly bigoted views, such as those he holds and often defends are welcome here on HN, so long as you are polite while making extremely dishonest arguments. It fucking sucks, but HN is a place that welcomes racist shit-posting so long as it adheres to a particular style guideline; and bans people who do not adhere to the style guideline. I’m banned anyway, so I’ll just add that Daniel Gackle’s mother should be fucking ashamed that she raised a pathetic son who devotes his entire life to the creation of “safe spaces” for racist shitbags like jerf.
- koolba 6y agoThe original intro song to Aladdin had the line, “where they’ll cut off your ear if they don’t like your face”. Here’s a a flashback to 1993: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-10-ca-11747-story.html https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-07-10-ca-11747-... The real racism in that movie was portraying the king and his daughter as too stupid to realize that they could each get wishes from the lamp prior to Aladdin freeing the genie.
- dudeinjapan 6y agoMaybe he already used his wishes to become king. (Disney call me when you're ready to do the direct-to-streaming prequel.)
- harry8 6y agoI don't know yet if I agree with this. I suspect I won't when I make my mind up. Throat cleared. The parent makes a point that needs to be heard and considered. It is reasonable part of this discussion.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- enkid 6y agoI don't understand your point. Aladdin is mildly offensive, so it's ok that Dr. Seuss was really offensive? I have those books, and the drawings in them are straight up offensive, for all individuals that are not white.
- poisonarena 6y agoI have lived throughout the middle east and everyone loves Disneys Aladdin