Blog Response 5: Aladdin

Many films rely on stereotypes to build their characters, and I think that most of us can recognize racial stereotyping when we see it in a movie.  The non-white characters die first in a horror movie, the villain is a black male while the victim is a white female, etcetera.  However, in my opinion the most appalling cases are racist movies that pander to children.  Parents expect a Disney movie to send a pretty good message to their children, about being true to oneself, loyalty and honesty, along with finding true love.

Not the case at all.  Disney movies have heavily racist undertones, relying on stereotypes to create a characature, which is the preferred method of character development in these cartoons.  There was such a big fuss about The Princess and the Frog, the first movie to feature a black princess in their almost century long history.  The worst offender, in my opinion, is Aladdin though.  This movie features villains with Middle Eastern characteristics, while the princess and her father look very European.  While the evil characters have the strong features associated with Arab descent, Jasmine has been treated to the "exotic" look.  The introductory songs lyrics describe torture as part of the culture.

This particular movie strikes a chord because of the pervasiveness of anti-Arab sentiment in the United States.  Portraying the entire society as a bunch of blood thirsty, power hungry savages is extremely dangerous territory, and certainly not something I would want my children to grow up believing.