Entertainment

<p>Disney&#39;s new streaming service, Disney+, is a treasure trove of content from the 96-year-old company&#39;s history.</p><p>Some of that content contains culturally offensive and outright racist depictions of minorities and people of color. Disney has tried to get in front of the issue by posting a warning in the descriptions of some potentially offensive content and editing or withholding other movies, but people are having mixed reactions.</p><div class="oembedall-container sec-iframe sec-oembed-iframe"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I regret to inform you that Disney+ is racist. <a href="https://t.co/MwIleCrt8z">https://t.co/MwIleCrt8z</a></p>&mdash; Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) <a href="https://twitter.com/charlescwcooke/status/1194239745896964096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div className="ad-splitter"></div><h2>Disney has added a trigger warning of sorts to the descriptions of movies that contain outdated tropes.</h2><div class="oembedall-container sec-iframe sec-oembed-iframe"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is really interesting — Disney+ is flagging when its movies have racist depictions <a href="https://t.co/8wvtB0NmHn">pic.twitter.com/8wvtB0NmHn</a></p>&mdash; Jeva Lange (@Jee_vuh) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jee_vuh/status/1194320894337912837?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>The last two sentences of each description say that the film is being presented as it was originally created, followed by a warning that it &quot;may contain outdated cultural depictions.&quot;</p><p>For example, the description of &quot;The Lady and the Tramp&quot; reads:</p><blockquote> <p>Fall in love with this Disney classic. Experience the adventures of Lady, a pampered cocker spaniel, and Tramp, a mutt with a heart of gold. Now, this heartwarming tale charms a new generation of families. This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.</p> </blockquote><p>The description of &quot;Fantasia&quot; is:</p><blockquote> <p>Walt Disney&#39;s timeless masterpiece is an extraordinary blend of classical music with innovative animation. Featuring eight sequences &mdash; see the music come to life and hear the pictures burst into song in this groundbreaking film. This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.</p> </blockquote><div className="ad-splitter"></div><h2>Some are praising the content warnings, patting Disney on the back for holding itself accountable and welcoming the historical context.</h2><div class="oembedall-container sec-iframe sec-oembed-iframe"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Look at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DisneyPlus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DisneyPlus</a> letting the people know early that their old films were racist and culturally insensitive.<br><br>Accountability is key, and historical context is important. <a href="https://t.co/JvHVYMxBsk">pic.twitter.com/JvHVYMxBsk</a></p>&mdash; Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrErnestOwens/status/1194281176061616128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div className="ad-splitter"></div><h2>A select few are chalking this up to PC culture.</h2><oembed>https://twitter.com/Therealtdavis/status/1194310582909984774</oembed><div className="ad-splitter"></div><h2>But others are pointing out that Disney seems to be operating from different sets of standards based on how offensive the depictions are.</h2><p>For example, the movie &quot;Song of the South,&quot; widely considered one of Disney&#39;s most racist pieces of work, isn&#39;t available on the streaming service at all. Some people are accusing the company of &quot;sanitizing&quot; its past with the omission.</p><div class="oembedall-container sec-iframe sec-oembed-iframe"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A message for Disney: <br>STOP. BEING. COWARDS.<br><br>If you can release Dumbo on Disney+ with a disclaimer, you can do the same thing for Song of the South. There is NO excuse.<br><br>STOP SANITIZING YOUR PAST. <a href="https://t.co/uJFs3niNz6">https://t.co/uJFs3niNz6</a></p>&mdash; FoxGiving 🦊🍂🍁🥧🦃 (on hiatus) (@Toon_Fox99) <a href="https://twitter.com/Toon_Fox99/status/1194476721443155968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>Others have jokes:</p><div class="oembedall-container sec-iframe sec-oembed-iframe"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There needs to be a Disney Minus where they show Song of the South and all the cartoons they wish they’d never made.</p>&mdash; Mark Russell (@Manruss) <a href="https://twitter.com/Manruss/status/1194298431809785856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>And this isn&#39;t the only example of Disney moving its own goal posts when it comes to outdated and stereotypical depictions of minorities on the platform.</p><h2>The Disney+ version of &quot;Fantasia&quot; reportedly <em>isn&#39;t</em> the same as the original version &mdash; even though the content warning says it is.</h2><p>There was a centaur character named Sunflower in the 1941 version of the film, whose entire job was to cater to lighter-skinned centaurs... yikes. This character doesn&#39;t appear in the Disney+ version of the film. (You can see the blatantly racist depiction, side by side with the new version, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyPFibRadto">here</a>.)</p><div class="oembedall-container sec-iframe sec-oembed-iframe"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Feel like it&#39;s worth mentioning that this copy isn&#39;t used uniformly; the 1992 ALADDIN, which has lots of racist/Orientalist tropes, doesn&#39;t get a warning. FANTASIA&#39;s &quot;Sunflower&quot; character remains edited out, but the Zebra centaurs are still in, with the note. Etc, I imagine.</p>&mdash; Jeva Lange (@Jee_vuh) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jee_vuh/status/1194332443194597376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>And as the above Twitter user points out, it&#39;s interesting that &quot;Aladdin&quot; doesn&#39;t have a content warning when some would say it&#39;s stereotypical from start to finish.</p><h2>Disney isn&#39;t the first media company to release old content with a warning. In fact, people are saying Warner Bros. did it better.</h2><p>When Warner Bros. re-released old episodes of &quot;Looney Tunes,&quot; they came with a longer and more comprehensive warning.</p><oembed>https://twitter.com/beakerbarnes/status/1194821989954805761</oembed><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>The Warner Bros. warning reads:</p><blockquote> <p>The cartoons you are about to see are products of their time. They may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. While these cartoons do not represent today&#39;s society, they are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.</p> </blockquote><p>The key difference is the admission that &quot;these depictions were wrong then and are wrong today.&quot; Disney&#39;s statement only says the content &quot;may contain outdated cultural depictions.&quot;</p><oembed>https://twitter.com/ImToBlame/status/1194601329773035526</oembed><div className="ad-splitter"></div><h2>Some are accepting Disney&#39;s past for what it is: unfortunately, pretty typical.</h2><div class="oembedall-container sec-iframe sec-oembed-iframe"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Disney is like your great grandfather. He’s very loving and approachable today, but we all know he said some racist shit in the 50s.</p>&mdash; B.A.? (@NotBAOrozco) <a href="https://twitter.com/NotBAOrozco/status/1194764219259838464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>Meanwhile, others are chagrinned that Disney would refer to something with racist tropes as a &quot;timeless masterpiece.&quot;</p><div class="oembedall-container sec-iframe sec-oembed-iframe"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A “timeless masterpiece” that also has “outdated cultural depictions,” I see.</p>&mdash; Matt Prigge (@mattprigge) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattprigge/status/1194325219114176512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div className="ad-splitter"></div><p>And some are wondering why more three-dimensional, non-racist depictions of Black people are seemingly being left off the platform.</p><div class="oembedall-container sec-iframe sec-oembed-iframe"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">So The Proud Family is NOT on Disney+. This is blatantly racist.</p>&mdash; Big Lexi (@soLEXsaid) <a href="https://twitter.com/soLEXsaid/status/1194321610766979075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div className="ad-splitter"></div>

People have mixed opinions about Disney+ releasing old content with 'racism' warning.

Disney&#39;s new streaming service, Disney+, is a treasure trove of content from the 96-year-old company&#39;s history.Some of that content contains culturally offensive and outright racist depictions of minorities and people of color. Disney has tried to get in front of the issue by posting a warning in the descriptions of some potentially offensive content and editing or withholding other movies, but people are having mixed reactions.I regret to inform you that Disney+ is racist. https://t.co/MwIleCrt8z&mdash; Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) November 12, 2019 Disney has added a trigger warning of sorts to the descriptions of movies that contain outdated tropes.This is really interesting — Disney+ is flagging when its movies have racist depictions pic.twitter.com/8wvtB0NmHn&mdash; Jeva Lange (@Jee_vuh) November 12, 2019 The last two sentences of each description say that the film is being presented as it was originally created, followed by a warning that it &quot;may contain outdated cultural depictions.&quot;For example, the description of &quot;The Lady and the Tramp&quot; reads: Fall in love with this Disney classic. Experience the adventures of Lady, a pampered cocker spaniel, and Tramp, a mutt with a heart of gold. Now, this heartwarming tale charms a new generation of families. This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions. The description of &quot;Fantasia&quot; is: Walt Disney&#39;s timeless masterpiece is an extraordinary blend of classical music with innovative animation. Featuring eight sequences &mdash; see the music come to life and hear the pictures burst into song in this groundbreaking film. This program is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions. Some are praising the content warnings, patting Disney on the back for holding itself accountable and welcoming the historical context.Look at #DisneyPlus letting the people know early that their old films were racist and culturally insensitive.Accountability is key, and historical context is important. pic.twitter.com/JvHVYMxBsk&mdash; Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) November 12, 2019 A select few are chalking this up to PC culture.https://twitter.com/Therealtdavis/status/1194310582909984774But others are pointing out that Disney seems to be operating from different sets of standards based on how offensive the depictions are.For example, the movie &quot;Song of the South,&quot; widely considered one of Disney&#39;s most racist pieces of work, isn&#39;t available on the streaming service at all. Some people are accusing the company of &quot;sanitizing&quot; its past with the omission.A message for Disney: STOP. BEING. COWARDS.If you can release Dumbo on Disney+ with a disclaimer, you can do the same thing for Song of the South. There is NO excuse.STOP SANITIZING YOUR PAST. https://t.co/uJFs3niNz6&mdash; FoxGiving 🦊🍂🍁🥧🦃 (on hiatus) (@Toon_Fox99) November 13, 2019 Others have jokes:There needs to be a Disney Minus where they show Song of the South and all the cartoons they wish they’d never made.&mdash; Mark Russell (@Manruss) November 12, 2019 And this isn&#39;t the only example of Disney moving its own goal posts when it comes to outdated and stereotypical depictions of minorities on the platform.The Disney+ version of &quot;Fantasia&quot; reportedly isn&#39;t the same as the original version &mdash; even though the content warning says it is.There was a centaur character named Sunflower in the 1941 version of the film, whose entire job was to cater to lighter-skinned centaurs... yikes. This character doesn&#39;t appear in the Disney+ version of the film. (You can see the blatantly racist depiction, side by side with the new version, here.)Feel like it&#39;s worth mentioning that this copy isn&#39;t used uniformly; the 1992 ALADDIN, which has lots of racist/Orientalist tropes, doesn&#39;t get a warning. FANTASIA&#39;s &quot;Sunflower&quot; character remains edited out, but the Zebra centaurs are still in, with the note. Etc, I imagine.&mdash; Jeva Lange (@Jee_vuh) November 12, 2019 And as the above Twitter user points out, it&#39;s interesting that &quot;Aladdin&quot; doesn&#39;t have a content warning when some would say it&#39;s stereotypical from start to finish.Disney isn&#39;t the first media company to release old content with a warning. In fact, people are saying Warner Bros. did it better.When Warner Bros. re-released old episodes of &quot;Looney Tunes,&quot; they came with a longer and more comprehensive warning.https://twitter.com/beakerbarnes/status/1194821989954805761The Warner Bros. warning reads: The cartoons you are about to see are products of their time. They may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. While these cartoons do not represent today&#39;s society, they are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. The key difference is the admission that &quot;these depictions were wrong then and are wrong today.&quot; Disney&#39;s statement only says the content &quot;may contain outdated cultural depictions.&quot;https://twitter.com/ImToBlame/status/1194601329773035526Some are accepting Disney&#39;s past for what it is: unfortunately, pretty typical.Disney is like your great grandfather. He’s very loving and approachable today, but we all know he said some racist shit in the 50s.&mdash; B.A.? (@NotBAOrozco) November 13, 2019 Meanwhile, others are chagrinned that Disney would refer to something with racist tropes as a &quot;timeless masterpiece.&quot;A “timeless masterpiece” that also has “outdated cultural depictions,” I see.&mdash; Matt Prigge (@mattprigge) November 12, 2019 And some are wondering why more three-dimensional, non-racist depictions of Black people are seemingly being left off the platform.So The Proud Family is NOT on Disney+. This is blatantly racist.&mdash; Big Lexi (@soLEXsaid) November 12, 2019 

Disney&#39;s new streaming service, Disney+, is a treasure trove of content from the 96-year-old company&#39;s history.  Some of that content contains culturally offensive and outright racist depictions of minorities and people of color....