What might children be absorbing from this film? If you watched the film as a child, what do
you remember thinking? If your children
watch this film, what do you think they are learning from it?
This is one Disney movie I never watched as a child, due to
my mom not wanting us kids to see it. We never understood why we couldn't watch
it, and watching it for the first time as an adult, I now understand. This is a
film I wouldn't let my children watch, let alone children in a classroom. There
are so many negative messages and stereotypes in this movie; children could get
the wrong idea about a lot of things. As we learned earlier, children absorb
information at a very young age and tend to keep those views with them throughout
their lifetime. Children could be under the impression that racism is okay if it is portrayed in one of their favorite movies. They could feel as though African Americans can only work blue collar, hard labor jobs. Movies such as these could have children of the African American decent thinking they wont be able to get certain jobs.
Research on this film:
·
“The 1941 classic, Dumbo (which I grew up
loving), has a particularly racist foundation. The film is excessively light in
its handling of southern racism. The crows are extremely stereo typically black
characters. Never mind that the lead crow's name is JIM Crow (that's a whole
different article). However, the song "When I See an Elephant Fly,"
contains heavy-use of southern black vernacular, including: "I'd be done
see'n about everything / When I see an elephant fly!" The fact that the
crows are the color black and speak in a stereotypical manner could only have
reinforced stereotypes. It gets worse. With the "Song of the
Roustabouts," Disney features faceless black circus workers working while
singing, "We slave until we’re almost dead / We’re happy-hearted
roustabout" and "Keep on working / Stop that shirking / Pull that
rope, you hairy ape." (Veronica Agard, 2013)
" At the beginning of the movie, there is a scene where the circus is being set up. In this scene not only are the animals helping with the work, but also faceless black men are seen setting up. Their faces are completely featureless with no eyes, mouth, or nose. they possess no individual identities at all. This is characteristic of the time period because the 1940's was before the Civil Rights Movement, and although there was no slavery, blacks were still segregated and considered as lesser people at the time." (Alyssa Nelson, 2010)
" It’s not even subtle racism. It’s overt racism in a Disney film. But I thought Dumbo was a more recent film — turns out it was released in 1941. Ahhhhhhhhh, we all say. That explains why this movie is considered a “classic” instead of 'horrible racist propaganda.'" (Meredith Bland, 2014)
Lyrics to the song the African American workers sang while putting up the circus tent:
Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh!
Hike!
We work all day, we work all
night
We never learned to read or write
We’re happy-hearted roustabouts
Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh!
Hike!
When other folks have gone to bed
We slave until we’re almost dead
We’re happy-hearted roustabouts
Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh! Hike! Ugh!
Hike!
We don’t know when we get our pay
And when we do, we throw our pay
away
(When we get our pay, we throw
our money all away)
(Song lyrics found by Meredith Bland, 2014)
Crazy that a song like that could be in a CHILDREN'S movie right?!? Hearing a song like that could put the stereotype in a child's head that all African American's are the same. I completely agree with others feelings on this movie: it is blatantly racist. I do understand that being made in 1941, it was around the time when racism was still very common. With that being said, why would this movie be made for children, are those the kinds of messages we want to be sending our children? I mean from the faceless African American men singing about their little pay to the black crow named Jim crow, the racism is pretty obvious throughout the film. Children do not need to be absorbing these messages while watching a movie about a sweet little elephant with big ears.
Websites:
http://mic.com/articles/68219/6-disney-films-that-are-undeniably-racist-and-sexist
http://disneyandmovies.pbworks.com/w/page/17905679/5%20Dumbo
http://www.mommyish.com/2014/10/10/racist-disney-movies/
Notes taken during movie:
·
Kids believe a stork dropped them off
·
Train driver has Spanish accent
·
Mrs. Jumbo- momma elephants name
·
The other mom elephants nicknamed him Dumbo b/c
of his big ears
·
We are happy hearted roustabouts- extremely
racist!
·
African American people putting up tent in rain
at night
·
Locked mom up in trailer after she was just
trying to protect her baby from the mean kids. Other elephants called “solitary
confinement.”
·
One elephant said “pretend you don’t see him.”
·
Dumbo is always tripping over his ears
·
Because he tripped over his ears while running
toward their big stunt and knocked all of the elephants over, he was ridiculed
and made into a clown.
·
This is a kid’s movie?! The way they treat Dumbo
and Mrs. Jumbo is so wrong. Kids shouldn’t be receiving those messages that
that is okay
·
Clowns drinking- not a good message
·
Clowns portrayed as complete idiots
·
Kids could think that drinking bubbles can make
you extremely happy and you can blow bubbles from your mouth. (hallucinating)
·
Weird hallucinations…
·
Crows are meant to portray African American people-
southern accents
