Tokenism? Let's Consider Recent Issues Together with the Little Mermaid

© The Walt Disney Company Korea

Disney's stance on racism, and political correctness - The Little Mermaid live-action movie caused controversy.

 #NotMyAriel - What Happened? Eight months ago, Disney unveiled the official teaser trailer of "The Little Mermaid," featuring Halle Bailey as the main character, Ariel. However, the fact that Halle Bailey portrays a black mermaid triggered a significant dispute among the public. It seemed like Disney's attempt to demonstrate their commitment to political correctness (PC) and to fight against racism. Nevertheless, some people argue that PC has gone too far, and they find Disney's stance inappropriate. Let's delve into the current issue of tokenism.

 

 What is "tokenism"? Little by little from the 90s, it has been a common thing to put a black or Asian character next to the main ones. Most of them had a stereotype such as the black one likes hip-hop. Further past, there was 'white washing' that the white actors replaced the roles of blacks in original works. For example, in the film Othello (1965), a white actor named Laurence Kerr Olivier dressed up to play a black protagonist. There was no shortage of black actors, Judging by that just the previous year a black actor had won the first Best Actor Oscar This has received a lot of criticism, and times have changed, and tokenism began to be used in the manner described above (place other racial next to the main character). Tokenism is a trial to avoid that criticism by making people think it's embracing. But in practice, It can be seen as nothing more than a formality. Currently, many say the concept has gone so far. It contains selecting a few of the social minorities as the representative, only just for show.

 

 Recently, there has been a phenomenon known as "blackwashing" (and also there is “yellow washing). For instance, as I mentioned, in the live-action adaptation of "The Little Mermaid," black actors were cast to portray characters originally depicted as white. Critics argue that this excessive pursuit of political correctness and the inclusion of black tokens have compromised the integrity of the original work, thus diminishing the viewer's immersion. Disney's 1989 animation, Ariel, the Little Mermaid, was characterized by her iconic red hair, deep blue eyes resembling the sea, and skin as smooth as rose petals. However, the new live-action film, intended to be based on the original animation, failed to capture these defining characteristics of Ariel, leaving some disappointed. This dissatisfaction led to the creation of the hashtag #NotMyAriel.

 

 Amidst all these accusations, some individuals defend the casting choice, asking, "Why not?" Also, Disney argues that the mermaid princess need not always be portrayed as white, and those who cannot accept the change due to deviation from the original work have their issues. Nonetheless, Disney made a clear misstep, irrespective of whether the princess was black or white, by inadvertently reigniting a race-related conflict. While it may have been an unintended consequence, the way Disney approached political correctness was flawed. Korean netizens expressed their opinion on this matter, suggesting that it would have been better for Disney to create a new black character rather than altering an existing one.

 

 This move by Disney can be seen as reminiscent of the concept of the "Social Justice Warrior" (SJW). Initially, the term was used in a positive sense to describe individuals engaged in movements for social justice, including political correctness. However, around 2011, it started to be used negatively, mocking those who react sensitively to even the smallest matters. As argued by critics, Disney's actions can be seen as damaging the innocence of many people in an attempt to achieve social justice and diversity.

 

 While Disney's intentions were commendable, their execution was hasty, ultimately resulting in negative consequences. This issue calls for further reflection. Racism should never be disregarded, but it is also crucial to avoid caricatures and prevent excessive political correctness or tokenism from causing further division and conflict. 

 

Lee Yueun (1-1)¹ | Staff Reporter

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1) yueun10118@gmail.com