Was "Song of the South" Racist?

[Taverner]

OK....the Rubber Band Man Commercial got me thinking. And true, the movie and the commercial are completely different, but it begs the question - at what point does a characterization become a stereotype?

So, based on that, was this movie racist - and if so why?

[Melodybe]

1. Yes, the whole movie is based on the idea that black people enjoyed

being slaves. Because of this Disney will never re-release it.

I watched it last year and, boy, it is very offensive.

[goclark]

3. Yes- very offensive n/t

[HornBuckler]

2. I Don't Think So

Yes, The Blacks In The Film Seem Happy But They Are Also Treated Well By The White Characters In The Movie. Uncle Remus Is The Hero.

If It Was Really That Bad, Why Make A Ride Out Of It? (Splash Mountain)

You Can Usually Find A Copy Floating Around Kazaa

[yardwork]

4. Uh-huh.

Let's put it this way. I saw it when I was eight years old, and I was appalled.

[Taverner]

5. Obviously racist....but the character Uncle Remus himself

Was he a racist depiction?

I would argue yes - old, "declawed", subserviant to the white masters and happy about it - the way rich whites would like to see things.

Now if we take that subserviant image and water him down a little, we have the Office Max Rubberband character.

[HornBuckler]

6. You Can Water It Down Further

And You'll End Up With The Working Class. People Can Be Happy Being Servants To Others.

We Also Have To Take In To Context The Year It Was Made

Here Is A Rebuttal Of The Racial Criticism

http://www.songofthesouth.net/movie/overview/defense.html

[Taverner]

14. I've been to the site and read the rebuttal

The creator of that site makes a very compelling case however he fails to really rebut the valid criticism that the other side has made. Instead he points out the good (which there was) from that movie.

To me, the debate over Song of the South is a perfect example of how context, intent and bias play such a role in what is offensive and what is not. Proof that there are no black and whites - only greys which must be interpreted.

Now you might think that I would argue that the film should be pulled because it is racist. I actually think the film needs to be redistributed with context. The film could be an extremely valuable tool in healing race relations if done right.

[Red_Viking]

7. Racist, but based on slaves' folk tales

I am fuzzy on the exact details, so forgive me--I heard about this back in college, 10 years ago. Song of the South was based on folk tales of the slaves living on an island off the coast of North Carolina. They had stories about Brer Rabbit, the Tar Baby, all that. Now, Disney got hold of the stories and put their own spin on it. That's where it goes downhill. :)

RV

on edit: I checked with Snopes, and according to them, the stories come from Georgia. Not what my prof said! Oh well, the gist is the same.

[Sequoia]

8. I don't remember the movie

but I do remember that happy song "Skippty do da, skippy yea, my oh my what a beautiful day, plenty of blue skies headed my way...".

Uncle Remus was a character who spun tales about Brer Fox, Brer Turtle and the very clever Brer Rabbit. The man who wrote those stories-Joel Chandler Harris- was the editor of the Atlanta, GA newspaper and had heard them growing up with ex-slaves who spoke in the Gulah-Gulah dialect from the S.C. rice plantations. These slaves pretty much kept their African culture as they were separated from the main land. I went to see his house in Atlanta once which is now on the other side of the tracks where nice old (but falling down) Victorian houses stand. His house was one of the first in Atlanta to have indoor plumbing. You can order these books or find them in the children's section of book stores. Try reading one of those aloud and your tounge will hurt. Great stories though about animals and morals.

Leave it to Disney to screw up history..like they did with Pocahontas to name one. That movie makes John Smith out to be young handsome lad when J Smith was probably a cradle robber. When she went to London he wouldn't see her until she came to see him...she thought he was dead. There's graditude for you, but I'm getting of the subject.

[The Sushi Bandit]

12. It's Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah!

Splash Mountain Lyrics

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
My oh my, what a wonderful day!

Welcoming back Brer Rabbit today.
We always knew that he'd get away!

He's had enough of movin' on now.
It's where he's born and bred in.
The briar patch is where he's headin'.

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
My oh my, what a wonderful day!

Plenty of sunshine heading our way.
We never doubted he'd get away!

Moving on taught him a lesson.
You've learned it well, Brer Rabbit.
Gettin' caught's a nasty habit.

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
Wonderful feeling, feeling this way!

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
It's a time for celebratin' today!

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
Gathered together this wonderful day!

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
Brer Fox and Brer Bear are gonna get it today.

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
That hungry gator's gettin' his way!

Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder.
It's the truth, it's actual.
Everything is satisfactual.

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
Wonderful feelling, wonderful day!

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
My oh my what a wonderful day!

[CatWoman]

9. I work for CDC

I came on when David Satcher was our director.

One day a co-worker remarked that he looked like Uncle Remus.

I fell out laughing -- it's so true.

Now every time I see Satcher's name I think of Uncle Remus.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

10. Hell yes.

Watch it sometime.
Very offensive to our current viewpoint.

[The Sushi Bandit]

11. We didn't put a "Tar Baby" in Splash Mountain!

As an Ex-Imagineer who personally involved in the constructed Splash Mountain @ Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, I have always been at odds with the movie or story.

Splash Mountain was the 1st attempt during the early days of Michael Eisner to do a ride on the cheap (as Michael was and still is very, very, very , very cheap).

The concept was to re-use the figures from the attraction "America Sings". It was also thought that a flume log ride could be done cheaply using a experienced manufacturer. And, the "Song of the South" had some cute characters and great music.

So "Splash Mountain" was born. As it turned out it ended up costing over $60 million - $20 million over budget, and opened 6 months late.

Very little of the movie could be used due to the racist nature of the original script. In the ride there is no Uncle Remus, Tar Baby, any of the children (white and black), anywhere!



The only part of the story line that we could use was Brer Bear and the Brer Fox chasing Brear Rabbit through the "laughin place" and the "Briar Patch".

I have always looked at the movie as two distint stories, "Uncle Remus" as the story teller (only) and the interaction between the adults (Remus included)and the black and white children.

The Story of Brear Rabbit is delightfull and the other story is shamefull.

[ET Awful]

13. I personally don't consider it racist. . . .

Insensitive in some ways perhaps, but not racist.

I wrote my opinions on this not too long ago in another thread if someone cares to do a search.

Sorry, but I see it as simply a story about an elderly black man who befriends a young boy who is mistreated and neglected by his own family and regales him with traditional stories.

You can feel free to consider it racist if you wish, but don't expect me to feel guilty for enjoying the movie.

[Taverner]

15. I don't expect you to be guilty at all

Think about it: when has guilt ever played a positive role?

No, like I've argued I think Disney could re-issue this movie with context and it could be a very valuable part of a much needed racial healing that this country needs. If distributed to schools with commentary, but also keeping much of the good parts...

Think about how valuable Huck Finn has been to understanding racism, specifically because of the context that is spelled out.

[supernova]

16. Well, Uncle Remus can be said to be stereotypical

from our modern eyes, subserviant and all that.

However, the stories themselves: Bre'r Rabbit, The Tar-Baby, and the rest were part of the southern African-American oral tradition. Joel Chandler Harris simply had the presence of mind to write them down. He invented Uncle Remus as a framework for his published work in the late 1800s.

JCH is in some ways a double-edged sword. While it was good that he recorded these stories of surviving in an unequal world, JCH only saw them for their local color and entertainment value. He completely missed the instructive value in them, as most any white person at the time would. :shrug: And, as the Disney folks did when they made Song of the South.

While you can't accuse JCH of being colorblind by today's standards, he did leave much to our collective heritage of folklore.

So, my $.02 is ignore Uncle Remus and enjoy the tales. Don't throw the Tar-Baby out with the swampwater, so to speak. ;-)

[DrWeird]

17. Are minstrel shows racist?

Here's the kind of plot: Zip Coon, a young but uppity city slicker from New York city. visits the southern countryside where he encounters some good old boys and meets a hilarious comeuppance.

Now what could possibly be racist about that?