MAWA (Make Ariel White Again)
My wife, very aware of all things Disney, came home from a business trip and promptly told me about a big internet flap. Apparently, Disney is doing a live action version of The Little Mermaid. They’ve cast a young singer, Halle Bailey, as Ariel. Ms. Bailey is drop-dead gorgeous with a Grammy-nominated voice to match.
She often sings with her older sister. She’s the one with the guitar. Late in the video check out her singing of “Unforgettable.”
She is also Black. You wouldn’t think this would be a big issue – well, maybe you would because you know how stupid and racist people are, in which case you’d be right. She of course has a ton of supporters on the internet but she also has a lot of very vocal detractors who are very upset that Disney didn’t stick closely enough to the appearance of Ariel in the animated movie.
It’s not just the virulent racism, masquerading as usual as something else, in this case some sort of concern for authenticity. Of an animated character. The arguments here go from ridiculous to clinically insane.
One is that Animated Ariel is a redhead, and this fact made little redheaded girls feel represented. Apparently whoever made this case has never heard of a wig. Another is that this is originally a Danish fairy tale so Ariel should feasibly be Danish, though of course the animated feature didn’t exactly have a Danish undersea theme. But these aren’t the worst cases. Oh no. Keep in mind that what I am about to say I am not making up. It doesn’t come from the Onion or something. It is 100% real.
The best argument is that a mermaid could not scientifically be Black because being underwater entails getting too little exposure to direct sunlight to develop sufficient melanin.
And a lot of people are supporting this argument.
Yes, in this case racism is trying to disguise itself as the science of mermaids. Perhaps I should repeat this phrase: the science of mermaids. The science of people who are biologically half fish.
I can’t wait to read about the science of singing crabs. Let’s examine this scene for scientific accuracy (and note the Danish cultural references):
07/06/2019 @ 9:04 am
Perhaps it’s due to being spoiled by the imagery in the movie “Splash” that features Daryl Hannah as the blonde haired blue eyed mermaid that has certain people all riled up…
I’m spoiled by being able to post images and videos as important elements of my comments, but you won’t see me running around trying to get all fired up and creating using faux science about it….
07/06/2019 @ 9:09 am
It’s grand that our racism seeps into the most absurd corners of culture…bigots also worry that Ernie and Bert room together,,,,
07/06/2019 @ 9:44 am
No, Ron, we won’t see you using phony science.
Worrying that Bert and Ernie room together is somewhat analogous and would be more so if someone were to argue that it was scientifically unfeasible to have gay muppets.
The argument has been put forward that we shouldn’t have a Black Ariel in a Danish fairy tale, that the character should be feasibly Danish, but even if we were to respect that we come back to the fact that Disney didn’t respect that in the animated movie and no one said a word. I go back to the Caribbean Sebastian the Crab. Actually, I go back to any Sebastian the Crab, plus a ton of liberties with the Danish plot which weren’t important until we introduced a Black lead. What a coincidence.
And, by the way, melanin in ethnic groups is genetic. It isn’t a suntan. Yup, the pseudoscience doesn’t even work.
07/06/2019 @ 10:05 am
I think it’s time we examined this for scientific accuracy. I think I’ll add it to the post.
07/06/2019 @ 10:09 am
Odd how the same people who are losing their shit over a Black Ariel were perfectly okay with African lions speaking english in the Lion King.
07/07/2019 @ 10:48 am
Disney has released a statement:
Yes. The original author of ‘The Little Mermaid’ was Danish. Ariel…is a mermaid. She lives in an underwater kingdom in international waters and can legit swim wherever she wants (even though that often upsets King Triton, absolute zaddy). But for the sake of argument, let’s say that Ariel, too, is Danish. Danish mermaids can be black because Danish *people* can be black. Ariel can sneak up to the surface at any time with her pals Scuttle and the *ahem* Jamaican crab Sebastian (sorry, Flounder!) and keep that bronze base tight. Black Danish people, and thus mer-folk, can also *genetically* (!!!) have red hair. But spoiler alert – bring it back to the top – the character of Ariel is a work of fiction. So after all this is said and done, and you still cannot get past the idea that choosing the incredible, sensational, highly-talented, gorgeous Halle Bailey is anything other than the INSPIRED casting that it is because she “doesn’t look like the cartoon one”, oh boy, do I have some news for you…about you.
And that, in Disneyese, is
You Bigoted Fucks
07/07/2019 @ 11:12 am
Maybe those bigoted fucks need some more in their face:
https://me.me/i/what-you-never-seen-a-black-mer-man-motherfucker-pquentin-tarautino-17205507
08/28/2019 @ 8:28 pm
Well, it’s official now, whitewash has reached an all new low…this disgusting white is right crap….so then, let me get this right….it all comes down to melanin quantum, eh?……..&…i guess Orcas are painting on their colours..as are many fish………..omg..the stupid…it Hurts! *ow ow owowow*
08/28/2019 @ 8:44 pm
…..forgot this point in my original post cos…i’m always thrust into momentary dumbstruck awe of the newest low reached by the melanin quantum nazi’s (Not Unlike the blood quantum nazis currently infesting and decimating native peoples)………ppl..reality check here for a moment…forget the skin colour…it’s All abt the hair!…of which….there would be none…no..not even red………constant submersion would cause most if not all hair to decay & fall off……ever see a hairy fish?….didn’t think so. (PS: Example/s: the great mounted furry trout they show nubes in Canada exists expressly to laugh at you for being so gullible..as does the great horned jackalope rabbit….they reside on the shelves of unreality alongside the grundle pumps & canoiter valves….)