skip to Main Content
Disney Updates Content Warning For Racism In Classic Films

Disney updates content warning for racism in classic films

A content advisory notice for racism in classic Disney films, in place since last year, has been updated with a strengthened message. The Siamese cats in Lady and the Tramp perpetuated anti-Asian stereotypes. Photo: Walt Disney Productions / Buena Vista Distribution Company via AFP When played on the Disney+ streaming service, films such as Dumbo, Peter Pan and Jungle Book now flash up with a warning about stereotypes. "This programme includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures," the warning says. "These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now." The message adds that rather than remove the content, "we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together". Other films to carry the warning are The Aristocats, which shows a cat in "yellow-face" playing the piano with chopsticks, and Peter Pan, where Native Americans are referred to by the racist slur "redskins". Lady and the Tramp, which has several instances of racism and cultural stereotyping, also carries a warning. The company first added a warning about racism last November - however, it was much shorter. Then, the disclaimer read: "This programme is presented as originally created. It may contain outdated cultural depictions." Some films, such as Song of the South, are not available to stream on Disney+ at all because of racism. Warner Bros, similarly, has long had a warning about "ethnic and racial prejudices" in some of its cartoons. "While these cartoons do not represent today'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 Warner Bros warning says. Racism and stereotypes in classic Disney films Lady and the Tramp (1955): Two Siamese cats, Si and Am, are depicted with anti-Asian stereotypes. There is also a scene at a dog pound where heavily-accented dogs all portray the stereotypes of the countries their breeds are from - such as Pedro the Mexican Chihuahua, and Boris the Russian Borzoi The Aristocats (1970): A Siamese cat called Shun Gon, voiced by a white actor, is drawn as a racist caricature of an Asian person. He plays the piano with chopsticks Dumbo (1941): A group of crows that help Dumbo learn how to fly have exaggerated stereotypical black voices. The lead crow is called Jim Crow - a reference to a set of racist segregationist laws in the southern US at the time - and he is voiced by a white actor, Cliff Edwards Jungle Book (1968): The character of King Louie, an ape with poor linguistic skills, sings in a Dixieland jazz style and is shown as lazy. The character has been criticised for being a racist caricature of African-Americans Peter Pan (1953): The film refers to Native people as "redskins", a racist slur. Peter and the Lost Boys also dance in headdresses, which Disney now says is a "form of mockery and appropriation of Native peoples' culture and imagery". A song originally called "What makes the red man red" was also decried as racist - it was later renamed as "What makes the brave man brave" Song of the South (1946): One of Disney's most controversial movies, which has never been released on video or DVD in the US. Its depiction of plantation worker Uncle Remus perpetuates an old racist myth that slaves were happy in the cotton fields - BBC
Brexit Brinkmanship: Johnson Says Prepare For No-deal

Brexit brinkmanship: Johnson says prepare for no-deal

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says it is time to prepare for a no-trade deal Brexit unless the European Union fundamentally changes course, bluntly telling Brussels that there is no point in continuing the negotiations. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (file) Photo: Anthony Devlin / Pool / AFP A tumultuous "no deal" finale to the United Kingdom's five-year Brexit crisis would sow chaos through the delicate supply chains that stretch across Britain, the EU and beyond - just as the economic hit from the coronavirus pandemic worsens. At what was supposed to be the "Brexit summit" on Thursday, the EU delivered an ultimatum: it said it was concerned by a lack of progress and called on London to yield on key sticking points or see a rupture of ties with the bloc from Jan. 1. "I have concluded that we should get ready for January 1 with arrangements that are more like Australia's based on simple principles of global free trade," Johnson said. "With high hearts and with complete confidence, we will prepare to embrace the alternative and we will prosper mightily as an independent free trading nation, controlling and setting our own laws," he added. EU heads of government, concluding a summit in Brussels on Friday, rushed to say that they wanted a trade deal and that talks would continue, though not at any price. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Europe's most powerful leader, said it would be best to get a deal and that compromises on both sides would be needed. French President Emmanuel Macron said Britain needed a Brexit deal more than the 27-nation EU. Johnson's spokesman said talks were now over and there was no point in the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier coming to London next week barring a change in approach. However, Barnier and his British counterpart David Frost had agreed to speak again early next week, Downing Street said. The pound oscillated to Brexit news, dropping a cent against the US dollar on Johnson's remarks but then rising before falling again on his spokesman's comments. Rhetoric? After demanding that London make further concessions for a deal, EU diplomats and officials cast Johnson's move as little more than rhetoric, portraying it as a frantic bid to secure concessions before a last-minute deal was done. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he thought Johnson had signalled that London was ready to compromise. While US investment banks agree that a deal is the most likely ultimate outcome, the consensus was wrong on the 2016 Brexit referendum: when Britons voted by 52-48% to leave, markets tumbled and European leaders were shocked. Asked if he was walking away from talks, Johnson said: "If there's a fundamental change of approach, of course we are always willing to listen, but it didn't seem particularly encouraging from the summit in Brussels. "Unless there is a fundamental change of approach, we're going to go for the Australia solution. And we should do it with great confidence," he said. A so-called "Australia deal" means that the United Kingdom would trade on World Trade Organization terms: as a country without an EU trade agreement, like Australia, tariffs would be imposed under WTO rules, likely causing significant price rises. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was keen for a deal, though Macron was more downbeat. "The state of our talks is not that we are stumbling over the issue of fishing, which is the British's tactical argument, but we're stumbling over everything. Everything," Macron said. "The remaining 27 leaders of the EU, who chose to remain in the EU, are not there simply to make the British prime minister happy," he added. Merkel called for Britain to compromise. "This of course means that we, too, will need to make compromises," she said. Britain formally left the EU on 31 January but the two sides have been haggling over a deal that would govern trade in everything from car parts to medicines when informal membership known as the transition period ends on 31 December. The EU says progress had been made over recent months though compromise is needed. Main sticking points remain fishing and the so-called level playing field - rules aimed at stopping a country gaining a competitive advantage over a trade partner. - Reuters
French Police Shoot Man Who Killed Teacher In Knife Attack

French police shoot man who killed teacher in knife attack

French police shot dead a man who minutes earlier had killed a teacher by slitting his throat in the street in a suburb of Paris. Photo: AFP The teacher had shown pupils in his class cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, which are considered by Muslims to be blasphemous, according to a police source. France's anti-terror prosecutor said it was investigating the attack, which took place in Conflans Sainte-Honorine, a suburb north-west of Paris. The suspected attacker was spotted by a police patrol while carrying a knife a short distance from the scene of the attack. The police shot the suspect dead, according to a police spokesman. A police source said that witnesses had heard the attacker shout "Allahu Akbar", or "God is Greatest". The police spokesman said that information was being checked. Another police source also said the victim had been decapitated in the attack, but this was not confirmed. A Twitter thread posted on 9 October contained allegations that a history teacher in Conflans Sainte-Honorine had shown pupils cartoons purporting to depict the Prophet Mohammad. The thread contained a video of a man who said his daughter, a Muslim, was one of the pupils in the class, and that she was shocked by the teacher's actions. Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the video. French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin said he had set up a crisis centre to deal with Friday's attack, and was keeping President Emmanuel Macron informed. France has over the past several years seen a series of violent attacks carried out by Islamist militants. Late last month, a man who emigrated to France from Pakistan used a meat cleaver to attack and wound two people outside the former offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. That was the spot where Islamist militants gunned down employees of the magazine five years ago in retaliation for the magazine's publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. - Reuters
Passengers From New Zealand Detained In Melbourne

Passengers from New Zealand detained in Melbourne

Fourteen passengers have been detained in Melbourne after they arrived from New Zealand under the trans-Tasman bubble arrangements. Loved ones reunite after the first flights from New Zealand arrive in Sydney. Photo: AFP The ABC understands the passengers flew to Sydney and got a connecting to flight to Melbourne. Melbourne is currently not accepting international travellers. Australian Border Force (ABF) has been contacted for comment. Three flights from New Zealand touched down at Sydney Airport earlier today carrying international passengers who, for the first time in seven months, will not need to quarantine upon arrival. At Sydney Airport there were tears and hugs as loved ones reunited, with many passengers flying one-way. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard described it as a "great day", but pointed out New Zealanders arriving today would need to prove they are symptom-free and satisfy other health requirements. There will be a total of 16 flights between the two countries each week, with Jetstar and Qantas joining Air New Zealand and Qatar Airways in advertising the trans-Tasman flights. - ABC
Japan To Release Fukushima Contaminated Water Into Sea – Reports

Japan to release Fukushima contaminated water into sea – reports

Japan's government has decided to release radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, with a formal announcement expected to be made within this month, Kyodo news agency and other media reported. The Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is seen from Futaba Town, Fukushima prefecture on March 11, 2020. Photo: STR / JIJI PRESS / AFP Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc has collected more than one million tonnes of contaminated water since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Japanese Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama said no decision had been made yet, but the government aimed to make one quickly. "Decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi plant is a major premise for a restoration in Fukushima from the nuclear disaster. To prevent any delays in the decommissioning process, we need to make a decision quickly," he told a news conference. He did not give any further details, including a time-frame. The build-up of contaminated water at Fukushima has been a sticking point in the clean-up, which is likely to last decades, especially as the Olympic Games are due to be held in Tokyo next summer with some events less than 60km from the wrecked plant. A possible release is expected to antagonise Japanese fishermen and raise concerns in neighbouring countries. Last week, Japanese fish industry representatives urged the government not to allow the release of tonnes of contaminated water from the Fukushima plant into the sea, saying it would undo years of work to restore their reputation. South Korea has retained a ban on imports of seafood from the Fukushima region that was imposed after the nuclear disaster and summoned a senior Japanese embassy official last year to explain how the Fukushima water would be dealt with. Early this year, a panel of experts advising Japan's government on the disposal of radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima plant, recommended releasing it into the ocean. Japan's industry ministry has been hearing views from various parties since April, including fishery representatives. A few fishery representatives also visited Kajiyama on Thursday, opposing a release of the contaminated water into sea. -Reuters
Back To Top