Adults Opinion on "Song of the South"

[badblackpug]

I have not seen Song of the South. My understanding is that it was voluntarily pulled by Disney because of "possibly offensive racial stereotypes" There is no ban on the movie, Disnet itself, decided to stop marketing it in deference to it's African American customers. As for Gone With the Wind, that movie, too portrays black people as being simple minded (aka Prissy) and happy with their situation. There have been people who have protested this depiction, but as another poster stated, this is not a movie marketed to children. The same concerns have been raised about Huckleberry Finn, and use of the "N" word. If you read both books (Gone With the Wind, and Huckleberry Finn) you will find the dichotomy alarming.
In Huckleberry Finn the character "Jim" in referred to as "N-word" Jim throughout the book. However "Jim" is, without a doubt, Hucks best friend, and greatly admired by Huck. This book is used to show the ignorance of the times, in not finding that word offensive.
In Gone With the Wind Scarlett is cautioned to "be gentle with inferiors" and that "darkies are like children" yet throughout the novel it is these inferiors that keep the family together. Mammy is the only person who truly knows Scarlett and loves her in spite of it. She is her stregnth, and the one who supports her and helps her in her time of need.
Okay...now that I am done that over-long rant..I guess the point is that Disney voluntarily plled Song of the South from distibution in deference to it's customers. Please remember, these movies were released long before Jim Crow laws were repealed, hopefully we have gained some sensibility since then.

 

[perdidochas]

I have not seen Song of the South. My understanding is that it was voluntarily pulled by Disney because of "possibly offensive racial stereotypes" There is no ban on the movie, Disnet itself, decided to stop marketing it in deference to it's African American customers.

Having recently seen "Song of the South" ( a friend of mine had downloaded a less than legal copy off of the internet), I don't see it as offensive. There were some very good points about the movie, in terms of racism. It showed a positive black man, and positive black kids playing with white kids.

I will admit, I am a white man. What I think is offensive probably isn't 100% accurate. I used to work in a primarily black (97%) school, and often went on trips with my academic bowl team. One motel we stayed in had a restaurant with the name "Plantation." My kids found that offensive. It never would have crossed my mind.

 

[NotUrsula]

The only thing that I can figure out here is that it seems that people think it is wrong to show the good moments without also showing the bad. Is that it?

Pretty much. You have to look at it in historical context. Images, songs, and representations of "happy darkies down on the plantation" were widely used by anti-abolitionist factions to portray slavery &/or sharecropping as a positive practice, something that was a good stabilizing influence on the poor "simple" black folk. That history makes all such representations somewhat offensive today. Even if it is benevolent paternalism, it is paternalism just the same.

Most objections to the film are not so much about the specific relationship between Remus and the children (though there is the whole side point of Bobby's mother continually insisting that Remus is a bad influence), but the general atmosphere that makes that plantation seem like such a happy place to be.

FYI, for lots of serious discussions about the issues raised by the film, go out to Google Scholar and search on "Song of the South". There is an entire 20-page chapter on the controversy in the book "White screens/black images" by James Snead. (Check your local library for it.)

 

[CampbellScot]

I had the Little Golden Book "Song of the South" when I was little and I LOVED the movie so much. in the book I remember very clearly the picture with the "Tar Baby" that Brer Fox had set out to trap Brer Rabbit...and it really WAS the form of a baby made out of tar...but the reference and the use of the term "Tar Baby" is one of the things in the movie that is considered racist by some people.

I still love the movie...I love the Lavender Blue song...my grandma always sang that song and I thought Disney learned it from her!!!

 

[pperfectmom]

I loved this movie as a child and would enjoy watching it again. I think some people in this world are too easily offended. If you don't like something, don't watch it. I'm a huge Bing Crosby fan but when I decided to watch Holiday Inn I couldn't believe he appeared in blackface. I was starting to get mildly upset and decided that I would not watch it again. Simple enough. Today we were watching Peter Pan and I was thinking about this thread. Surely the portrayal of native Americans in that movie is far more offensive than SOTS but I really don't see Disney pulling THAT one anytime soon.

 

[disneyfan6301]

I love this movie (and ride), too. It is a classic. DH and I can't understand what all the fuss is about. I googled SotS and found this website that some might find interesting:

http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/sots.htm

I guess that gives a little explanation.

 

[gianna2006]

When did our society get so sensitive that we have to be so careful with every word and every action we make because it might possibly offend someone? Maybe we should also do away with Snow White because she was portrayed as a weak woman who was waiting around for Prince Charming to come and save her! I'm sure there are some people out there that are offended by the way that many of the early Disney heroines acted.

The point is that these are fairy tales, not stories about real-life situations, and certainly not documentaries, nor should they ever be altered that way. There are plenty of documentaries and books out there that will teach us and our children about the past - both the good things that happened as well as the bad. We go to Disney movies to feel happy, we show them to our children to enjoy them together. I'm very sorry that Disney pulled this classic and am equally happy that the attraction based on this story is as popular as it is.

 

[Denine]

My DH bought me a bootleg version of SOTS for Christmas. I loved it. DD, 4, loves it. As she gets older it will be a good sounding board to talk about slavery and life at that time.

We have already talked about Abe Lincoln and how he abolished slavery because it was bad. (Simple term I used for DD).

 

[disnutt]

We've got a copy that some friends from Japan sent us. Funny how it is still sold overseas.

My own little (white) kids are most upset that the father leaves the farm thus making Uncle Remus the only positive male role model around and that the mother is constantly bad-mouthing him. They say, "Well, if Johnny's daddy didn't leave maybe he wouldn't want to hang around with Uncle Remus so much." and " Johnny's mom should be glad that he has Uncle Remus as a friend because he tries to make him be good."