Pirates of the Caribbean auction scene to change

[jdisnut]

Emotions, nostalgia and personal feelings aside, it's just hard for me to hear news that Disney is changing a scene that depicted women being sold into sexual slavery and think, "This is bad." It's just difficult to justify that way of thinking.

We're talking about men trying to buy human beings as property for the purpose of raping them. That's not "bawdy." There are other ways to show pirates as bad people who rightfully get their comeuppance at the end. I don't know. I'm probably walking into an explosion by even posting this, but I just can't in good conscious complain about this.

 

[georgina]

Emotions, nostalgia and personal feelings aside, it's just hard for me to hear news that Disney is changing a scene that depicted women being sold into sexual slavery and think, "This is bad." It's just difficult to justify that way of thinking.

We're talking about men trying to buy human beings as property for the purpose of raping them. That's not "bawdy." There are other ways to show pirates as bad people who rightfully get their comeuppance at the end. I don't know. I'm probably walking into an explosion by even posting this, but I just can't in good conscious complain about this.

Very well said. I like the apparent idea of turning the redhead into a pirate instead of a victim as well.

 

[mrsR123]

None of the ride is meant to be cute. It's a depiction of pirate life in the days of old. It's supposed to be grisly & bawdy. Cleaning it up takes away from the theming. That's why people are dismayed.

If we condemn the "wench" scene, we should also condemn the dunking the pirate in a well scene. They're both violent.

While Disney's at it, they should probably just end the ride with the pirates turning themselves in and giving their ill-gotten gains away to charity...

I disagree. Yes, PotC depicts many realities of pirates. But the overall tone puts us on their side. We love the song. We love Captain Jack. We love the pirate in the mud with pigs and the one with his hairy leg hanging over the bridge.

I suspect Disney doesn't want to be seen as condoning us loving the sale of people.

 

[Tonyz]

Politically correct pirates... wow.

 

[BrianL]

It's probably not great that we have been made to think fondly of a scene that depicts women being sold as property.
The original design might have been an attempt at light-heartedness in the face of ugly realities but isn't so cute at this point.

I might argue that light-heartedness in the face of ugly realities is a good thing. Sometimes it is necessary.

If it makes anyone feel any better, int he current scene "The Redhead" seems to be into it. Conversely, I do dig female pirates!

 

[mousehockey37]

It's probably not great that we have been made to think fondly of a scene that depicts women being sold as property.
The original design might have been an attempt at light-heartedness in the face of ugly realities but isn't so cute at this point.

The original scene was made in a time as well that people weren't offended that the sky is blue and the grass is green either.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

That scene has always bothered me, even when I was little. Especially the fact that the women are crying.

It's sort of a killjoy moment (for me) in the middle of the ride. I'm not sorry to see it go.

 

[mousehockey37]

I can see both sides of it, as I am also a fan of the 'We wants the redhead' quote. I believe if they were auctioning off African Americans as slaves rather than women it would have been changed before this.

Then Splash Mountain is being readied to be torn down...

 

[DaisyJ]

Emotions, nostalgia and personal feelings aside, it's just hard for me to hear news that Disney is changing a scene that depicted women being sold into sexual slavery and think, "This is bad." It's just difficult to justify that way of thinking.

We're talking about men trying to buy human beings as property for the purpose of raping them. That's not "bawdy." There are other ways to show pirates as bad people who rightfully get their comeuppance at the end. I don't know. I'm probably walking into an explosion by even posting this, but I just can't in good conscious complain about this.

We're talking about animatronics, and things that aren't reality.

 

[Shanti]

Yes, PotC depicts many realities of pirates. But the overall tone puts us on their side. We love the song. We love Captain Jack. We love the pirate in the mud with pigs and the one with his hairy leg hanging over the bridge...I suspect Disney doesn't want to be seen as condoning us loving the sale of people.

I disagree with that. Nothing about the ride makes you "love" any of the pirates- they're physically & morally repulsive, which was the reality of pirates. The ride is a good spectacle of a bygone era, not one that anyone seeing the ride would want to bring back.

 

[jdisnut]

Then Splash Mountain is being readied to be torn down...

Not really sure what you mean. Splash Mountain was intentionally designed with no mention of Uncle Remus or some of the more problematic elements from "Song of the South" for that exact reason. As a result, there are no complaints about the attractions after a quarter-century of operation.

 

[Disney_and_Wine]

Tip to Disney: a BIG reason people still come to Magic Kingdom is nostalgia for the old rides. Revising them to make them more PC will eventually backfire.

Disney must always prepare for the future guests, not always cater to the nostalgic guest. No person under the age of 25 is going to stop coming to WDW because of this change.

 

[georgina]

I might argue that light-heartedness in the face of ugly realities is a good thing. Sometimes it is necessary.

I guess it depends on what ugly realities you are thinking of. To me, the post calls up thoughts of the current trade of people as sexual slaves. Not really a bygone era at all, sadly.

 

[jdisnut]

We're talking about animatronics, and things that aren't reality.

Sure, but we're talking about depiction in art, in fiction. Why bother studying or analyzing literature or cinema? The people in those pieces are just characters and things that aren't reality. These conversations are an integral part of the human experience!

 

[Delirium]

So, will they also be re-theming....

The Mine Train?
Country Bear Jamboree?
Splash Mountain?

All of those attractions have characters that don't meet today's definition of political correctness either.

 

[Shanti]

I guess it depends on what ugly realities you are thinking of. To me, the post calls up thoughts of the current trade of people as sexual slaves.

And Haunted Mansion makes me think of murder...Maybe we need to dismantle parts of that ride, too.

 

[Planogirl]

Fake lands and lovable pirates. That is today's Disney. Like it or not people are offended by just about everything now.

I don't like the selling of women either, that is in real life. It's one thing to change symbols and scenarios and another to actually do something about it.

 

[BrianL]

I guess it depends on what ugly realities you are thinking of. To me, the post calls up thoughts of the current trade of people as sexual slaves. Not really a bygone era at all, sadly.

No, certainly not a product of a bygone era. What I mean is that there are a lot of really messed up things in the world. Sometimes, looking at them in a humorous way can be a way to cope. It's the appeal of the humor of something liek Family Guy, or Cards Against Humanity if you're familiar with that. One can look at it and gasp and say "that's offensive!" - and I get that point of view - but it's also okay to just laugh. It doesn't mean you endorse whatever it is, or that you don't care about the real suffering that goes on in the world. One can still advocate for the end of human traficking AND chuckle as an over the top scene of pirates holding a wench auction (that isn't, incidentally that sensitive toward people of size either).

That said, I don't really care one way or the other about the change. It is what it is, and with Disney you have to pick your battles (i.e. what upsets you). At this point, I'm jsut glad they're not adding the Guardians of the Galaxy to it!

 

[samsteele]

They already changed the scene where the pirates were chasing the women around in circles. Now the women chase them armed with brooms and rolling pins and the like. That was a "PC" change from a while back.

Granted. But where does it end?
We have very different positions on this. I'm thankful that on the DIS Boards, good people can agree to disagree.

 

[Shanti]

Not really sure what you mean. Splash Mountain was intentionally designed with no mention of Uncle Remus or some of the more problematic elements from "Song of the South" for that exact reason. As a result, there are no complaints about the attractions after a quarter-century of operation.

Song of the South was a beautiful movie that portrayed Uncle Remus as a wise hero and the boy's white parents as rigid and misguided. It shows the beauty and great dignity of African-American spiritual music and worship during the scene when the servants hold vigil when the little boy is hurt. It ends with a black man and white child holding hands, and a few moments later, we see black and white children playing together peacefully. Thank goodness that modern audiences are spared seeing these "problematic elements"...