Disney Adds Warnings for Racist Stereotypes to Some Older Films

For children of color, it could lead to self-esteem issues, Dr. Shah said. “They may have a sense of, ‘That’s how I am?’” he said.

Though he was skeptical that the disclaimer would have a large impact on children, Dr. Shah said that racist scenes offered learning opportunities when children watched them with their parents at home or in the classroom as part of media literacy education. Disney “ought to also have some sort education program” about the stereotypes in conjunction with the disclaimer, he said.

The revised language was installed over the past week, a Disney spokeswoman said in an email on Sunday, noting that the original advisory had appeared since Disney+ kicked off in November last year.

Disney said in June that it would remake its Splash Mountain theme park ride, which includes characters and songs from the 1946 musical “Song of the South.” Disney has not made the musical available for over three decades because of the racist imagery it includes.

The updated warning comes as other companies have reckoned with racist or otherwise insensitive parts of their brands or products.

Quaker Oats said in June that it would change the name and packaging of its Aunt Jemima brand, which is based on racist imagery. A formerly enslaved person was hired to portray the character in the late 1800s, and in the 1930s a white actress who had performed in blackface played Aunt Jemima in a radio series.

Last month, the company that produces the Cream of Wheat brand of hot cereal said it would discontinue its use of a Black chef as the face of the brand to ensure it did not “inadvertently contribute to systemic racism.” Though the branding may be based on an actual chef from Chicago, the company said, the imagery “reminds some consumers of earlier depictions they find offensive.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/18/business/media/disney-plus-disclaimers.html