My 11 year child has been asked to re write a Disney story of his choice but without the sexist/racist aspects. AIBU to write back..

[SecretsInSpitalfield]

That I will not have the teacher pushing her views on my child?

As far as he (and his younger DB) Disney has always been a POSITIVE thing! Fun films , cinema days and even a dream once in a lifetime trip to World Disney World.

I wouldn't have minded if they said 'do you think any Disney films are racist or sexist? If so, please elaborate why. But this has been set as if it's FACTUAL that they are and my child is just 11.

Please give me your honest opinions

Thank you 😊

Sexist, Racist, and definitely paedophilic? is that a word?

YABU. If my children are set this task when they reach 11, I will be absolutely thrilled.

@Autumntoowet you might be interested in this:
www.nytimes.com/2014/05/07/upshot/how-an-experiment-with-dolls-helped-lead-to-school-integration.html#commentsContainer

It doesn't "go over their heads". It gets imbibed by them and added to their understanding of how the world works. It embeds the same racism and sexism in their worldview. Not calling it out and thus giving them the tools to recognise and resist it harms them more. And I assure you, racism does not "go over black children's heads". It hurts them. But I guess none of that matters, as long as white people don't have to examine themselves.

THIS. OP, that feeling of unease is cognitive dissonance- you could look it up. You're a good person, right? You're not a racist. So things you like aren't racist, are they? Actually you've internalized loads of subtle racist stuff to the point where you don't even notice it.

Has the teacher actually said 'Disney is sexist' or, more likely, they've watched clips of the Princess films and they've pointed out that up til very recently:

1. they all need saved and this salvation ultimately comes from a man
2. their worth is measured by their looks

Surely, encouraging children to look at a text critically is a positive thing? If it was a book where they had to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of a character or examine wider themes of prejudice (which is essentially what they're doing but with film as the medium instead of a boom) , would you feel the same way?

Let the kids be kids and enjoy watching Disney.
Yes! Let’s all kids be kids. Girls and boys, kids of different backgrounds.
Kids are not stupid. They absorb and understand a lot. They get believes from an early age.
You can enjoy many things whilst being critical of them.
Or is it just for white privileged children to enjoy a childhood?

@mathanxiety I will have a look ☹️

@littlehappyhippo
Wow very well said!!!! My kids are mid to late twenties and they never had to put up with this PC shit thank goodness. Such miserable buggers around these days lol

If you like the fairy tales, OP, get a copy of the original Brothers Grimm book and read them as they started out, then ask yourself what Disney was trying to do with his versions.

My kids are mid to late twenties and they never had to put up with this PC shit thank goodness.

At school ten years ago? Wasn't that the height of cries of 'PC GORN MAD'?

Typical Mumsnet ranting - totally agree OP.

Such miserable buggers around these days lol

Gosh darn it, it was so much better years ago when you portray minorities in a negative light and be shielded from blowback. Bloody Pee Sea snowflakes ruin everything these days! 😡

As an adult you can see sexism / racism in films but obviously to children it goes over their heads.

It doesn't "go over their heads". It gets imbibed by them and added to their understanding of how the world works. It embeds the same racism and sexism in their worldview.

THIS is what you should be applauding. Those that can't see the racism, are institutionalised.

to echo some previous posters: aren't many disney films based on fairy tales - why isn't the task to look at fairy tales.?

So much white privilege on this thread.

This with bloody Big Ben on.

I think it's a brilliant, thought-provoking idea for homework.

That teacher sounds brilliant, OP.

Many years ago I took my dd to see the Lion King and suffered all the way through with the racism. All the baddies were Puerto Ricans.

I watched Disney films with my kids, we even went to Disney World. We also discussed the sexism and racism and lots of other stuff that was wrong in the films. (And at Disney world discussed the theory of queues and loading of rides).
I have watched all kinds of stuff with my kids - and spent a lot of time discussing the negative aspects. If we couldn't enjoy something whilst being critical of it - then we would avoid it.

For example "On the Buses" once you take away the sexist humour there isn't much left, compared to "Terry and June" which leaves you with something (and I deliberately choose two shows I didn't enjoy much).

Sounds like a great homework to get kids thinking. For what it's worth, my kids watched Disney movies when they were little, but we always talked about how they were a product of their time.

But let's pick on Disney

yes we should, because we need kids to THINK. It is too easy to gloss over this stuff.
if I let my daughters sit in front of all the disney films over and over then they take in the messages that they portray.

So, in answer to your earlier question, no, I didn't let my kids watch lots of Disney films, I don't think they are good for kids and I wanted my girls to watch films with positive portrayal of girls and women.

I find it interesting that you have boys, and I assume that you are white. So you have never had to consider how these messages effect your kids, as your kids see positive messages about themselves.

Can you really not see that the messages in Disney are outdated, sexist and racist?

Sounds like a great teaching exercise to me. Our kids being taught critical thinking is needed more than ever!

YABVU, sounds like a great assignment. Your kids are lucky to have such a proactive positive teacher! They're lucky to be learning such a critical skill.

MollyButton, I agree. I must admit to still enjoying, Carry On, Allo Allo and Up Pompei. Appalling sexism, xenophobia and racism but still make me laugh. Doesn't mean I can't see it for what it is.

I thank fuck that my kids (now mid to late 20s) were raised in a time before all this ultra-PC bollocks, histrionics, everything is racist/sexist/inappropriate/'Disney should be buried' bullshit reared its fat ugly head.

ah, @littlehappyhippo I'll call bullshit on that.
I was at school in the 70s and very early 80s and that 'PC gone mad' stuff was just surfacing, except it isn't PC gone mad, is it? it's treating everyone with dignity and respect.

My (gay) hairdresser tells me there's a hidden gay in every Disney.... 🤷‍♀️ apparently Ursula and Jaguar. Can't remember who else.

Oddly they didn't mention that in the Disney recipe feature at Disney Studios - they did mention everything else though- romance, villain., jester etc.

Bloody love Disney.

The old films are twee and of their time. The modern ones are still twee and likely of their time but they have evolved.