REFLECTIONS

Michael Eisner was given the name genius for bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars to the Walt Disney Co. and bringing it back from the edge of a hostile takeover.  How did he do it,  by coming up with new ideas, and new talents, new movies?  Not so much.  There were two actual geniuses, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who gave us The Little Mermaid and Beauty and The Beast.   But mostly Eisner made money off of Walt’s genius by simply releasing all of Walt’s classic films on videotapes.  Eisner didn’t save the Disney Co., the VCR did.

But while selling off Walt’s genius and raking in the big bucks there was one movie Eisner never released.  In fact he buried it so deeply in the vaults it hasn’t seen the light of day in almost 30 years.  The hated and despised and “racist” Song of the South.

Now don’t ask how because I refuse to reveal my sources even under the threat of water-boarding but I have seen Song of the South.  I had to go to a secret rendezvous in the dead of night, password “Freedom of Speech.”  But I’ve seen it and can tell you about its “racism.”   Almost all of the white people in the movie are stupid or evil or cowardly or all three.  Uncle Remus is courageous and wise and helps the poor white child through difficult times.   The film is about as racist as an Obama ad.  Nevertheless a long time ago the PC police deemed it racist and so there is sits in the vault never to be seen.

On the other hand there is Lady and The Tramp which I watched with my son this morning.  There lo and behold two of the most racist characters to ever slink across the silver screen, Si and Am, the stereotypical, devious, cunning and cruel Oriental cats.   Wise old Uncle Remus must be shunted off into hiding, but not the anti-Chinese stereotypes children of all ages have enjoyed for decades. 

Alas now that I have written this future editions of Lady and The Tramp  will edit out  two of Disney’s most entertaining villains.   Instead of seeing this as a call to end the mindless hypocrisy and hysteria of political correctness, I assume the slaves of the PC Police will see this as a call to dispense with two of my favorite Disney cats. 

But don’t I worry that such stereotyping will give my son a negative idea about Asians?  Of course not, because my son isn’t stupid.  The first thing he sees every day when he comes downstairs is a life size poster of Michelle Kwan.  Burkeanson knows that Asians are people like all other people, some are good, some are bad and some are figure skaters.  My son is not stupid enough to imagine a pair of cartoon cats is a true representation of a couple of billion people.  He is also not going to let Uncle Remus’ accent make him think that black people aren’t smart.  Especially since Uncle Remus is the nicest, wisest person in the whole movie. 

 Free Song of the South, and give Si and Am  a big hand.    http://www.songofthesouth.net/home.html