Congrats on getting embedded in Salon, Joe! My brief time at Disney in 1980-81 gave me the impression that animators come in two general types: sweet, gentle souls like Floyd, or people who were walking, life-sized cartoons themselves. Who's that guy who looks like a young John Lassiter in the front row?
Doubtful ... How does that add up to the racist/antisemetic cartoons produced in the decades leading up to his time? Did WD and the crew have a sudden change or heart?
That was completely normal for the time, obviously we know better now. Saying he was racist is like saying everyone before the discovery that the earth was round was stupid because they believed it was flat.
I don't disagree that we need to contextualizing criticisms but to drop them all together is to discredit and underestimate people's potential and capacity to not be assholes. Yes we should contextualizing history but to pretend as if everyone was racist lets ppl off the hook who had the ability to make choices in their adult lives based on interacting with people who were "different" from themselves, free of parental indoctrination. It is not like saying flat world people were stupid it's like saying ppl who were showed a round world via telescope for the first time and had a hard time accepting it as truth because they'd been led to believe otherwise their entire lives. They aren't the same things.
Amanda W. Warner Bros did much more racist cartoons then Disney, not saying that disney didn't but if you compare the two companys the looney tunes is quite offensive especially the way they potray the Japanese and Black people , plus i would also like to add if Walt disney was so racist then why was he named man of the year in 1955 by B'nai B'rith a jewish service organisation hardly an award that would be given to an apparent anti semite
Channel Blaino Very true. Warner Bros cartoons had a ton of Jewish stereotypes in their cartoons and the Warners were Jewish. Caricature was just standard practice in that time period (and still is, if you think about it)
I agree! But, I guess they weren't racist per se... like carrying confederate flags around. I'm very sure they were ignorant though but not to an extent where they would not hire a talented artist. But, what's weird though is that I was watching a documentary about Walt Disney and a man who worked very close to him for years was like Walt turned an Indian man away from a job at the Disney Studios because he thought he was Black. So, in my head I'm like that's pretty racist. So, maybe he was but realized being racist is a liability especially when running a business like Disney. You could miss out on talented artist/workers if you turned them away because of race and people will start to hate your company. Sooo I think he was just like every other white man in those days, he just kept it on the down low.
So proud to be related to Floyd. He speaks with such diplomacy.
Sherman Brothers, children of Jewish immigrants and Walt’s favourite songwriters
This is spectacular. Why are the good stories the ones we have to dig so deep to find? This is the reason I keep digging.
I always wondered this. Thanks Flyod. I appreciate you paving the way for other young black artist like my son.
Congrats on getting embedded in Salon, Joe! My brief time at Disney in 1980-81 gave me the impression that animators come in two general types: sweet, gentle souls like Floyd, or people who were walking, life-sized cartoons themselves. Who's that guy who looks like a young John Lassiter in the front row?
They're just kids. They're not making much noise.
I'm sure he said "Hi ya BOY!" lol
The only racism from Disney is their modern divisive post 2016 garbage.
Doubtful ... How does that add up to the racist/antisemetic cartoons produced in the decades leading up to his time? Did WD and the crew have a sudden change or heart?
That was completely normal for the time, obviously we know better now. Saying he was racist is like saying everyone before the discovery that the earth was round was stupid because they believed it was flat.
I don't disagree that we need to contextualizing criticisms but to drop them all together is to discredit and underestimate people's potential and capacity to not be assholes. Yes we should contextualizing history but to pretend as if everyone was racist lets ppl off the hook who had the ability to make choices in their adult lives based on interacting with people who were "different" from themselves, free of parental indoctrination. It is not like saying flat world people were stupid it's like saying ppl who were showed a round world via telescope for the first time and had a hard time accepting it as truth because they'd been led to believe otherwise their entire lives. They aren't the same things.
Amanda W.
Warner Bros did much more racist cartoons then Disney, not saying that disney didn't but if you compare the two companys the looney tunes is quite offensive especially the way they potray the Japanese and Black people , plus i would also like to add if Walt disney was so racist then why was he named man of the year in 1955 by B'nai B'rith a jewish service organisation hardly an award that would be given to an apparent anti semite
Channel Blaino Very true. Warner Bros cartoons had a ton of Jewish stereotypes in their cartoons and the Warners were Jewish. Caricature was just standard practice in that time period (and still is, if you think about it)
I agree! But, I guess they weren't racist per se... like carrying confederate flags around. I'm very sure they were ignorant though but not to an extent where they would not hire a talented artist. But, what's weird though is that I was watching a documentary about Walt Disney and a man who worked very close to him for years was like Walt turned an Indian man away from a job at the Disney Studios because he thought he was Black. So, in my head I'm like that's pretty racist. So, maybe he was but realized being racist is a liability especially when running a business like Disney. You could miss out on talented artist/workers if you turned them away because of race and people will start to hate your company. Sooo I think he was just like every other white man in those days, he just kept it on the down low.