This is not a cat blog, but cats and silly songs bring me joy and there is very little that is particularly joyful at the moment. The post is also not about good ol' Walt and the many problems the earlier cartoons and animated movies had.
But sometimes there is too much left, right, up and down. In 2019, Disney decided to remove this song from Lady and the Tramp in its remake to appease some unknown group because the accented song by two siamese cats was deemed an offensive cultural stereotype.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ly_vxI4nllA&pp=0gcJCRsBo7VqN5tD
I watched it incessantly as a child and sang it to the point of driving my parents crazy. As an adult I did not understand what the fuss was about. I owned a rescue Siamese and that is exactly what they're like in their movement and behavior. They pair up, get into and onto everything because they are vertical, LOUD and demanding. They're also the most loving breed imaginable.
A hilarious video that displays the drama and concern for their favorite human who needs to be rescued from the shower box illustrates what they're like. The comments are also amusing: "Let me sing the song of my people"
https://youtube.com/watch?v=WwSYm1NPHP4&pp=0gcJCRsBo7VqN5tD
I have friends from all over the world. We often laugh at eachother's cultures complete with imitating accents and traditions. Always in good jest. But we have become either indifferent or too sensitive. There is either too much political correctness or too little. So. I salute the world with a catchy tune:
We are Siamese if you please. We are Siamese if you don't please...Badumdumdum.
I did not know Disney removed that song. How silly. And Song Of The South has also been declared racist and full of offensive stereotypes and it can't even be viewed in the US now. An old black man telling stories? Granted, I haven't seen it since I was a child but I loved it then, the tar baby, the antics of Br'er Rabbit. Please don't throw me in the briar patch! I will still on occasion use that phase to indicate that a threatened action is not the threat intended.
ReplyDeleteAnd speaking of cat videos, my husband just walked in to tell me that on Sunday in Houston at a theater is the cat video festival. Ticket are $14.
DeleteCodex: Yes. Meanwhile there are much worse things out there that don't get removed. I vaguely remember it but am surprised. A festival showing cat vids?
DeleteCodex: To everyone: I had a different post regarding this topic and chose not to use it because it might offend that I disagree with these removals. They're books and movies kids are not aware of any of this. I think people need to lighten up. I have very positive memories regarding this song and don't want a new association with it. People are told what to think and like. It's too polarizing. In the example I used I see cats being cats and nothing else. Everyone has an accent when they speak a different language. Imagine the movie the Party without Sellers accent. Even people from that culture think it's funny because he imitates it so perfectly. It takes the joy out of a lot of things that suddenly have a new connotation. How many comedies are out there with white Dudes acting like hicks. Also a stereotype.
ReplyDelete