Racial Insensitivity?

Okay, I'm sorry but this is just ridiculous!!

Disney Accused of Racial Insensitivity Over First Animated Black Princess

The arrival of a black First Lady in the White House might have been greeted with celebration around the world, but the similarly historic debut of Walt Disney’s first black princess has not been received so warmly.

The studio, known for its wholesome and predominantly white family values, has made several changes to its first African-American princess, Tiana, who will star in a new animated film this Christmas entitled "The Princess and the Frog," amid accusations of racial insensitivity.

Disney has already changed the profession of the princess (an aspiring restaurant entrepreneur instead of a chambermaid) and name (Tiana instead of Maddy, which critics thought was too similar to “Mammy," a once-common term for black female slaves in white households). Tiana will be played by Anika Noni Rose, who starred in "Dreamgirls," while Tiana’s mother will be played by the talk-show host Oprah Winfrey.

The controversy has intensified after it was revealed that the film would be set in New Orleans and that Tiana would find love with a white prince — well, almost. His skin has been described as olive-toned and he will be voiced by Bruno Campos, a Brazilian actor.

“What? No black prince? What’s up with this?” blogged James Collier on Acting White, an anti-racism Web site, in a posting typical of the general disbelief among the film’s most vocal black critics. “Perhaps Disney doesn’t want the future mothers of dwindling white America being imprinted so early in their lives with the notion of a black suitor.”

Another blogger, Angela Helm, attracted nearly 3,000 comments on the Black Voices Web site when she complained that “even though there is a real-life black man in the highest office in the land with a black wife, Disney obviously doesn’t think a black man is worthy of the title of prince."

It has been more than seven decades since Disney released its first princess movie, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." The company’s “princess division” has eight characters, which generates an estimated $4 billion in revenues annually.

Until now, the line-up of royal heroines, which includes a Native American character (Pocahontas) and an Asian character (Mulan), was missing something: a black woman. And so the decision was made in the mid-2000s — before anyone outside of Chicago had heard of the Obamas — to make Tiana the ninth princess.

According to leaked details, the princess is transformed into a frog after kissing one and has to venture into the mystical bayous of Louisiana to find a cure from a voodoo queen.

The first objection was to her name because Maddy sounded too close to Mammy? Yes, I can see how the letters d and m sound the same!! Fine, so they changed the name to Tiana. Next!!

The second objection was to her profession as a chambermaid. They changed it to an aspiring restaurant entrepreneur. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't she supposed to be a Princess? Why the hell is anyone making her anything other than a Princess? And just when in the hell is she going to have time to be a restaurant entrepreneur when she's looking for her Prince and becomes a frog herself?

Snow White was a *gasp* maid/slave who was banished to a forest!!

Cinderella was a *gasp* maid/slave who met a Prince, married, and became a Princess!!

Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) was already a Princess. All she did was fall asleep, and kiss a Prince!!

Princess Ariel was a mermaid. Does that qualify as a profession? She met a Prince, and became a Princess. In a later film, she became a mother. Oh the horror!! Should that be changed so we're not promoting sex? Or did the baby just come along through the use of magic?

Belle didn't have a profession!! She met a Beast, and fell in love. Should that be changed as well? After all, we don't want to promote beastiality.

Princess Jasmine is a Princess who met Aladdin, fell in love, and got married.

Pocahontas didn't have a profession that was mentioned in the movie. I would encourage people to learn about the real Pocahontas and not the Disney character!!

Mulan secretly joined the army.

So, as you see, the majority of the characters were either already a Princess or became one. They don't have other professions!!

Then came the bitching about Tiana being involved with an olive-skinned "white" Prince, who will be voiced by a Brazilian actor.

“What? No black prince? What’s up with this?” blogged James Collier on Acting White, an anti-racism Web site, in a posting typical of the general disbelief among the film’s most vocal black critics. “Perhaps Disney doesn’t want the future mothers of dwindling white America being imprinted so early in their lives with the notion of a black suitor.”

Another blogger, Angela Helm, attracted nearly 3,000 comments on the Black Voices Web site when she complained that “even though there is a real-life black man in the highest office in the land with a black wife, Disney obviously doesn’t think a black man is worthy of the title of prince."

Excuse me? So Disney is being racially insensitive because the character meets an olive-skinned "white" Prince? What the hell is wrong with that? It does happen in real life. People of one race do date people of another race!! Is that wrong? No!!

Just because the Prince is not black doesn't mean that Disney and the rest of the world believes that a black man isn't worthy of being a Prince. I would argue with Ms. Helm that this is an idea that she put into her own head. She sees what she chooses to see, and believes what she wants to believe.

Disney is not being racially insensitive!! If people have nothing better to do than bitch about a fictional character, they should grow up and seek some professional help. There are far more important things to deal with and worry about, and these things actually impact lives. A fictional character is just that, fictional!!

That was ten minutes that I'll never get back!! NEXT!!!!!