Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of the headline: <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/News-HID.asp?ID=31610" target="_blank"><b>Headlines: NOLA: Princess and the Frog firefly character creates wrong kind of buzz</b></a> The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, or CODOFIL has sent a letter to Disney's Iger expressing the organization's concern over the portrayal of Cajun people as exhibited by the a toothless, lovesick firefly in "The Princess and the Frog"
Originally Posted By mawnck Geez ... ya just can't get away with ANY offensive stereotypes nowadays! (PS - The Council for WHAAAAT?)
Originally Posted By christiemarsh88 "It has been done in so many movies over so much time, people think that's the way we are -- and it's just wrong. I can list several other movies where they have portrayed us as backward, toothless, illiterate people who fart." I don't know that the last part has anything to do with stereotypes...don't most people fart?
Originally Posted By DlandDug I understand Disney has also received a strongly worded letter of complaint from legal representatives for mosquitoes, as well.
Originally Posted By mawnck <---------Trying to list several other movies where they've portrayed them, period. Come to think of it ... not to say that toothless and illiterate are the main things that come to mind when you think "Cajun," but how would you portray a recognizably Cajun person if you don't have them acting and sounding, well, recognizably Cajun? This is why it's such a risk to portray ethnic minorities in animation in general nowadays. How do you discern anymore between "cultural trait" and "offensive stereotype"? Especially when everybody's looking for some excuse to get offended, preferably when the movie is just about finished. At least Cajuns don't cut off your ear if they don't like your face.
Originally Posted By Sara Tonin Um...I watched the Katrina coverage way back when...and that seemed to me to be the way all people in LA looked...
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey ^^^^^As a resident of the New Orleans area, I can assure you that I have all of my teeth, despite your "evidence" to the contrary, Sara Tonin. Why is it OK to develop stereotypes of certain groups of people while it's morally offensive to do the same for other groups? <<(PS - The Council for WHAAAAT?)>> CODOFIL is the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana. Years back, most Cajuns learned and spoke Cajun French before they spoke English (my father included). In the early 1900s, there was an effort to stop people from speaking Cajun French; children were beaten in school for speaking Cajun French in school (my father and his brothers and sisters included). CODOFIL was founded in 1968 to save the language and culture. Personally, I thing the CODOFIL folks are splitting hairs over this one. However, considering the treatment we got in Adam Sandler's "The Waterboy" and the fact that stereotypes of people from this area and the South in general are accepted, I can understand where they're coming from.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>However, considering the treatment we got in Adam Sandler's "The Waterboy"<< Consider the suffering of the people who went to see it! But seriously, I concur with that last paragraph.
Originally Posted By Sara Tonin Let's not get our panties in a twist over this...I was just telling what I saw during Katrina coverage...and yes, Nikki there were lots of people being interviewed who had missing teeth, I didn't make it up.
Originally Posted By rhodisney As an educated Louisiana woman,(also with her own teeth, Nikki! LOL) I understand CODOFIL's concern that Cajuns won't be portrayed for the fun-loving, giving people they are, but I think the movie-going public is intelligent enough to realize not all Cajuns are uneducated and toothless,just as not all New Yorkers are related to the Mafia, and just because you live in San Fransisco doesn't mean you're gay1 This is Disney for goodness sakes..hopefully they will draw the city in such beautiful detail that it'll inspire people to visit New Orleans, and maybe even learn about the Cajun culture. I plan to take my 11 yr. old to see the movie.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA It is interesting how some groups can be poked at, and it's all in good fun, while others are hands off.
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs Kind of like South Park...The late Scientology member Issac Hayes voiced Chef for many years and didn't mind when they mocked the Catholics, Jews, Christians, Arabs, gays, Asians, invalids, handicapped, fat people, poor people, rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, butt-kickers, crap-kickers and Methodists. But when Scientology was being mocked, Issac was just offended!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I don't think that the misquito will be anywhere near as offensive to the Cajuns as the swamp critters from The Rescuers. Granted, most people these days only know of The Rescuers Down Under, not realizing that it's a sequel (if they even know of it at all), but there are worse things out there from Disney in recent-ish history.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>...rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, butt-kickers, crap-kickers and Methodists.<< And fans of Mel Brooks, for that matter...
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs Re #16... The Rescuers never specified what state they were in...yes, they were in a bayou/swamp and there were Southern critters with moonshine, but it never specifically said which state... apparently no one has problems with hillbillies, animals or otherwise...
Originally Posted By basil fan >>... Cajuns won't be portrayed for the fun-loving, giving people they are So, are *all* Cajuns fun-loving and giving? Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Goof <a href="http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/disney/goof.html" target="_blank">http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/...oof.html</a>
