I Insult, Therefore I Exist/Insult towards Asian, African and Native People in Classical American Cinema
Among Hollywood's classic works, many films have been made whose content is full of concepts of racism.
Themes of racism are exhibited in classic works of American cinema history. Sometimes these themes are so vile that public pressure has caused the exhibitors to change their attitude. For example, following objections to the screening of the movie "Gone with the Wind", HBO temporarily blocked access to this work and deleted it from its archive. This work was later republished, adding a warning text stating that racist themes at the beginning and screenings of the film did not constitute an endorsement of inaccurate and outdated themes. By the same token, here you will find a list of classic American films that shamelessly promote racist content.
Racist Disney Movies Kids Shouldn't See. In the classic 1941 animation Dumbo, there is a group of smoking crows whose leader is Jim Crow. Jim Crow refers to the Jim Crow laws passed between 1876 and 1965 to legalize racial segregation in the United States. Of course, these crows were voiced by white actors, and the characters downplayed the Jim Crow laws that were so detrimental to prosperity and freedom in America.
.
Peter Pan is another work that has been repeatedly criticized for containing racist themes against Native Americans. One of the songs in this animation, "What Makes the Red Man Red", directly references Native Americans, their clothing and beliefs. The 1955 Lady and the Tramp animation used Siamese cats as caricatures of East Asians. "This film shows Siamese cats with protruding teeth and slanted eyes singing a song in an Asian accent that says, 'We are Siamese.'"
The movie "The Jungle Book" mocks black people by depicting them as orangutans. King Louis in this movie mocks the speaking style of many black musicians. The movie "Song of the South" offers a dignified portrayal of slavery in the southern United States after the end of the Civil War.Disney The list of 's movies that depict racist stereotypes doesn't end there. Fantasia, Aristocratic Cats, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and many more Disney titles have not done a good job of depicting race and racial issues.
Movies That Are Racist Against Asians
Disney isn't the only one guilty of producing racist movies. The movie "The King and I" deals with orientalism and paints a false and derogatory image of Asians. This movie not only harms the way people perceive Thai culture, but also portrays Asian countries as backward and brutal.
Such actions are also featured in the movie "The Masked Man of Fu Manchu". This film was criticized by the Chinese government even in 1932 for depicting Chinese people as savage and barbaric.
Use of Little Girls in Movies
Many films starring Shirley Temple feature themes that often reflect racism against African Americans. Racist movies like "The Little Rebel" and "The Little Colonel" use Temple as a likable character while delivering racist messages and images of slavery. In fact, they were using Shirley Temple as a shield for their racist claims. "Annie" was also a classic movie that used a little white girl to portray racism in a harmless and charming way.
Classic Westerns also damaged the portrayal of Native Americans in films. Films such as "Hunters" and "Saharan Caravan" were among the films that legitimized genocide as well as racism. In both films, white cowboys seek revenge on the native tribes by going through difficult paths.
In the end, it doesn't matter which group is targeted in these films. The ultimate threat of these works is the normalization of white supremacy and the queering of others. It does not matter whether the victim race is Native Americans, blacks, or Asians. The beauty of these movies is that they help us learn more from the past and move towards a healing future.
