Something is fishy about 'The Little Mermaid' controversy...

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

In the past few weeks, the talk of the town has been about the African American singer and (now) actress, Halle Bailey, landing the role of Ariel in the upcoming live action take on the Disney classic, “The Little Mermaid.” In recent years, Disney has been doing live-action renditions of plenty of their classics, so why is this one so controversial? If you have that question, then either you didn’t catch the “African American” part or you just don’t mind a bit of change.

People don’t have a problem with Halle herself. It’s just the fact that they changed the Ariel's race. Here are the main arguments against this:

• Ariel was representative of red-headed girls. 
• Ariel appeared to be white in the animated version.
• There were already mermaids of color in the movie. 
• The setting in the animated version was near Denmark.
• If Disney were to change the race of Tiana, Mulan, Moana, or Pocahontas, it would be a problem, so why isn’t this?
• If Disney wants more cultural and ethnic representation in their movies, they should make more movies instead of altering old ones.

Though all of them are quite strong points, I will address each in no particular order to highlight the flaw(s) or at least provide an explanation. 

To understand this controversy, you must first understand that the thing we as humans fear most is change. I would go into detail on that, but all you have to do is look in literally any history book to find this statement true. There has been an evident change of modern thought.

You guys do realize that Ariel is a mermaid, right? You know... the half people/half fish things that are FICTIONAL characters. All of this fuss is about the race of a mermaid, which, in my opinion, doesn’t matter. Ariel is a beautiful creature of the sea, just like any fish or sea mammal. Do you think that the way people talk around the shore has an effect on the way the fish communicate? No. So why should it have an effect on the race of a mermaid. Whether the story took place near Denmark, China, Cuba, or anywhere else, geographical orientation had nothing to do with the appearance of Ariel. Disney wanted a face that would sell.

The most important aspect of Ariel’s character is not her appearance anyway. She was curious, stubborn, and adventurous-- all things that solidify the integrity of the movie regardless of the character’s ethnicity. Say if they were to change Moana’s race in her live-action movie. It would literally change the entire movie, for it is mostly about Polynesian culture just like “Pocahontas” is full of Native American culture and “The Princess and the Frog” with African American culture. If you change Ariel, however, you have the exact same movie whether she is Asian, Hispanic, black, white, Middle Eastern, etc.

She was the first red-headed princess, and I do sympathize with the red-heads out there, but there’s also Anna and Merida, which in my opinion are much better role models than a mermaid.

Disney princesses personify beauty. Imagine being a little girl of color before 1992 (the year “Aladdin” was released) or a black girl, specifically, before 2009 (the year "The Princess and the Frog" was released). All of the characters on TV that represent beauty are white. This gives you self-esteem issues, thinking that you have to be white to be beautiful.

Everyone who has seen “The Little Mermaid” is somewhat aware that there were black mermaids in the movie. Can you name them off the top of your head? No. Did they have more than 3 lines? No. Would the movie have been the same without them? Yes. Do you get the point or shall I continue with this one because (in the words of Captain America) I can do this all day.

Now, I do agree a great solution to the lack of ethnic diversity in Disney’s history is to make more movies with main characters of different races. However, I don’t think that was what Disney was trying to accomplish here. Have you ever considered the underlying message?

Like I mentioned earlier, Ariel’s race wasn’t important; her personality was. Maybe… just maybe… by changing Ariel’s race, Disney is trying to get us to look beyond skin color or maybe even appearance in general. They’re telling us that it’s not about the race of the character. It is about the character herself. And I think we should take the time and think seriously about this message in which they’re attempting to convey.

That’s enough from me. I want to hear from you. Try to answer the following in the comment section:

• Do you think race and personality go along with each other? If so, do you think changing Ariel’s race will change her personality?
• This movie is of course for young children. When comparing the animated and live action versions, I am sure they will have questions about the change of Ariel's appearance. This brings a question: How do you explain the lack of diverse ethnic representation to a child without diminishing another race?

Feel free to disagree with me and others in the comment section, for in this world of Grotesque CirCAMstances, everyone’s opinion is valued. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more interesting content this week.


Sincerely,
Cam. T

Introductory

Hello people of Earth,

My name is Cameron Thomas, and welcome to my blog. I guess I'd better share a bit about myself. I was born in Cleveland, Mississippi, and I currently reside in the small town of Port Gibson, Mississippi. I am a high school student entering my senior year at The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, a residential public high school in Columbus, MS for academically gifted and talented students. I enjoy public speaking, doing and creating challenging math problems, dancing, and doing whatever I can to give back to my community. Above all, writing has been my primary passion for ever since I can remember. Whether it's writing a flash fiction short story, some deep free verse poetry, a couple of articles here and there, or a research paper for class, nothing is more satisfying than the magic that happens when pen hits paper or fingers tap keys. Thus, I plan on going into the journalism field.

And that brings me here (excuse me for beginning the sentence with 'and') to my blog, Grotesque CirCAMstances. Here's a brief explanation of the name:
 In the words of my former English teacher, grotesque in literature is the intermingling of bizarre with the ordinary. In my opinion, life itself is bizarre, yet we treat it as if it is ordinary. Everything in life is circumstantial in every aspect; there are really no definitive answers. I just threw 'Cam' in the mix because I'm kind of corny every now and then.

My posts on this blog will consist of movie and music reviews, opinions on recurring issues, excerpts from some of my literary samples, a few life updates (especially with the college application process), et cetera. However, I won't be the only one talking on this blog, for in this world of Grotesque CirCAMstances, EVERYONE has a voice, and I want to hear them. I want audience participation in every single post. Feel free to use the comment section as your way of sharing your opinions and truths. Every post will propose some type of question, and I want YOU to answer them.

Remember: Sleep as much as you please, but stay woke.

Sincerely,
Cam T.