Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Is This Disney Book Racist?

In my internet perusals, I recently came across the video below. In it, a woman named Angela examines a book published by Disney called Furry Friends! which is a part of their "It's a Small World" series.

With such a series title, one might think Disney is attempting to introduce young readers to diversity--a good thing. However, as Angela points out, there is something very wrong with this offering. Please take a few minutes to listen to Angela's observations.

Angela's argument seems obvious to me--obviously true, that is. Having some experience in the book publishing world, I know first-hand that there was most likely a conversation surrounding the decision to represent people in every spread save one. So, why did the people at Disney involved in the production of this book decide that it was acceptable to portray boys or girls representative of each country and a... hut? mask? in any case, an inanimate object, for Africa? It is an instance of (as Angela correctly labels it) institutionalized racism that needs to be pointed out and discussed.

Let me explain why I believe this is an example of institutionalized racism, in the case that it is not obvious to all our readers (which, taking into account the harsh comments posted on the video's page, it may not be). Institutionalized racism refers to racism that is not personal in nature but instead weaved into the very foundations of an institution--like a society or facet of a society. In the case of this book, the people involved in making it most likely were not sitting around cackling with glee as they decided to omit an illustration of black child. Furthermore, the fact that anyone could read this book and not notice the omission (as Angela herself says she didn't at first) is a perfect example of how institutionalized racism works so effectively and insidiously. It becomes such an elemental part of the fabric of our existence that unless you are affected by it, or taught to recognize it, you most likely won't. I won't go into lengthy explanations of why the omission itself was a problem, I will just say that for black children to not see themselves represented sends a message that they are not valuable and (possibly in this case) that they are not real people. For non-black readers, it sends the same message: black people are not valuable and unimportant. The danger in such messages is apparent.

Anyone who furthers institutionalized racism needs to be held responsible, including book publishers. As Angela pleas at the end of her video, the creators of this book need to know that they are furthering institutionalized racism and that we, as readers and potential customers, want to see them take responsibility for their decisions and rectify the situation. This will not happen, though, unless we talk about racism (uncomfortable and troubling as it may be), learn to spot it, and demand equality with our voices and our spending.

Do you agree with Angela and our observations? Disagree? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

10 comments:

  1. It maybe racism, but honestly my first impression was that they were being hyper sensitive to race. They were worried that putting a black character in Africa, which is pretty diverse, might seem offensive and in doing so ended up offending people who go looking racism like yourself.

    I think leaving the US out supports that Hyper-sensitivity.

    Then again I am not looking for racism under every rock. So who knows

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    1. Ah, if only we had to go looking for racism under rocks--what a lovely, far pleasanter world that would be! Alas, racism is always staring us in the face, as it is--as mentioned in the article--institutionalized. Those who are not directly oppressed by it just have to be willing to see it.

      I like your point about Africa being a diverse continent. That is an interesting consideration, especially when you take into account that most of the other lands represented are more racially homogenous in comparison (and are also not entire continents). Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Brad!

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  2. I was really curious as to why that was the only page without a character. I would be disappointed if I did not see a person on the page that was supposed to represent me, for sure. I would love to know if anyone wrote to Disney and asked them about this and what their response was?!

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    1. Indeed, Ashley, so would I--especially as a child reader.

      What an interesting question. Perhaps we will write said letter. If we do, and if we receive a response, we will be sure to share it! Thanks for your comment!

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    2. Stephanie, thank you for taking the time to comment on each one of our posts! It makes me want to comment more on everything. You are so considerate!

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    3. My pleasure, Ashley! Thank you for sharing your thoughts--I greatly appreciate them!

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  3. Wow - that definitely stood out to me as racist. I appreciate the description of institutionalized racism that you included - the idea that the decision probably wasn't personal but that it's a problem, nonetheless. Thanks for posting!

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    1. Thanks, Jen! It's really important to point out the insidious nature of institutionalized racism--it can be so sneaky--which makes it a more complex problem to solve... but we believe it is solvable!

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  4. A very sensitive issue, and something that as parents shaping our children's minds, we must pay attention to. Thanks so much for linking into the Kid Lit Blog Hop!

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    1. Yes, indeed, we all have a responsibility to the children in our lives to pay attention to these sorts of things. Thanks so much for visiting us through the Kid Lit Blog Hop!

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