Is there freedom of speech? Or is there freedom of speech when you’re speaking of your own kind, race, religion, etc., but when you venture to speak of someone else, watch your mouth?

If this is the case, we should say so, instead of pretending to respect other’s ideas on being artistic and creative, only to come out of a bag on them when they want to express themselves creatively.

Disney has decided to FINALLY do a cartoon about a black princess. Now, I don’t have a problem if the main character has to be a model of her time, especially if the cartoon is done as a remake of a prior play etc., I mean, be fair, it is what it is. If the person in the play was poor like Cinderella and a maid, whatcha’ gonna do?

I have a problem with the fact that if you want to do a cartoon film on a princess, and she is a princess, how do you figure you’re going to find one in America? You KNOW darn well there are NO black princess’ in America; the film should’ve been based out of Africa where there were TONS of princess’ throughout history, and even now. Disney would merely have to choose one, or, heck, they could even make one up. Heck, they could model her after Angela Basset.

To be sensitive, they only had to hire a team of multi cultured film makers as consultants to
make sure that they don’t stray and unknowingly be disrespectful. I say multicultural because along with the black cause, we need others to tell them if they are exaggerating, because you know after all we’ve been through, we are quite sensitive.

But, idunno. I just feel awkward and I feel that those complaining about a black Mammy, in the cartoon who was initially named Maddy, so close to Mammy, and her being a maid, sorry, I feel with this we are merely scraping off the top, digging in our bag of the usual complaints.

I think it’s deeper than that. Why is it when a story comes out of Africa it’s always about Tarzan or a white man discovering and taking it back to their queen/king or government; or Animals who can talk and act ghetto or country dumb; or, coming out of Egypt or Morocco where there are Arabs with lighter skin that some deem more acceptable or more entertaining to movie goers for 1 and a half to 2 hours?

See, I think some of us are thinking all wrong. There were Mammy’s, and if they were in the 1920’s Louisiana, and she was a maid who finally was blessed to have a happy ending, well, that’s fine, especially since it’ll probably be after she saw her father hung for looking at a white woman, and her male cousin and brother whipped or shot dead because it was hunt a nigga season, and her sister or mother was raped or at minimal embarrassed about how black juice (from a woman’s private parts) is always delightful to a white man. Heck, give her a happy ending with a prince, it happened to Cinderella and a few others, let it happen for her.

My problem is, if you want to make up for NEVER having a black princess, why can’t you do it from out of Africa, show/give some history while you’re at it. Show black girls and women how those before us had courage, were smart, strong, proud and resilient? I know it isn’t your job Disney, but heck, you gave a mermaid a happy ending and in the real European story, all her family and friends die or end up miserable, but you did that for her (the mermaid).

But if you won’t, or didn’t ever do a movie on Blacks, I have no problem with that. Do you. We would just have to get off our butts and do a cartoon of black princess’ for ourselves. Like Bill Cosby did his very own black cartoon. I bet they wish they’d never even bothered, saying, “we were doomed if we did, and doomed if we never did this cartoon in the eyes of black folk.” Maybe they’re right.

Anyway, that’s my piece on the subject. Below see the official article
Samirah

Disney’s ‘subservient’ black princess animates film critics – News, Film & TV – The Independent