Race Relations and Zootopia

            Disney, as a company, has a tradition where they take serious and complicated topics and present them in an easily digestible and accessible manner for kids. Even many adults are bewildered by some of the topics Disney takes on. Disney tackled LBGT topics in their smash hit Frozen, it re-envisioned the play Hamlet, a story absolutely rife with adult themes and topics, and baffled the world with an accurate and entertaining portrayal of emotional psychology in the film, Inside Out. However, there is one topic that Disney has traditionally had the hardest time presenting. That is race relations and that has been an ongoing problem.

            Back in the 1940s, Disney released the film, Song of the South, a film about the singing adventures of possibly a slave or a freedman—the film is rather mute about that point it taking place before or after the Civil War. Besides the film portrays the time period and black people living harmoniously with whites when they are in servile capacity. Suffice to say, the film did not age well and has still yet to receive a modern DVD release. On a more popular film, Dumbo has its racial hiccup with the Crows who down the mannerisms of a racist stereotype of black people. Specifically, the crows demonstrate the Sambo character of

            Now on to Disney’s most recent foray into racial politics, the film Zootopia attempts to portray the current problem of racial discrimination by police, but unfortunately its pursuit falls prey to its own logic. In the film, society is broken down into two primary groups and those are predators and prey. The prey are allegorized as versions of white Americans and conversely the predators are intended to represent African Americans. Yet the film is rather imprecise in how it chooses to shine its critical light on. In the film, predators face discrimination and social restrictions because of the fact that they are predators. However, in the opening scene of the film, it is established that predators have at one point in their history actually preyed upon prey for nourishment. Thus, the film insinuates that the prey characters have a historically justifiable reason to discriminate against the predator characters since they in the past have preyed upon the non-predators. Yet despite the racism that these characters face, predators within the film hold substantial sway in the politics in the city. For example, Mayor Lionheart is the mayor of the city, there are several predators in the police force, and they are naturally stronger than the other animals in the city.

            That being said, Disney, I assume, had the best in mind when they decided to create a film with such difficult topics, but it should have been better thought out. The fact that topics such police zealotry and racial discrimination are expressed is important. However, they must be properly directed or else they end up criticizing a system of discrimination with befuddled goals.

Litigation and Liberation

Daniel Keil came and spoke to the class about litigation and its role in the movement. As a lawyer, he did his research on litigation as it pertains to segregation and the school system. During his presentation, Keil made it seem as though litigation has a world of loop wholes. There are some laws that cause for certain rules while having more laws negating the firsts. There is contradiction everywhere. Some have the idea that if there is stigma, then the black community puts it on themselves because the law is neutral, or so they thought. The doll test revealed that segregation causes a stigma or feeling of inferiority, therefore segregation is unlawful. The brown decision was made based on this study. However, if someone were to conduct a study that would validate segregation, then would Brown be overturned? These are the questions that litigation bring up. There are less moral actions in litigation, it is based on fact and proof. If schools were segregated but equal, then would segregation be justified? Now there are talks about the advantages of all-black male schools. Is this the same thing as segregation? Does it matter that there are certain benefits to a homogenous learning society? These are the questions that litigation thinks about.

           Another topic that we discussed was the motivation for private schools. Ultimately we decided that private schools were a way to avoid particular schools. In this particular case, it is the community exercising their right to be a private community. There is a large demand for good public school slots. The good public schools are some of the only substitutions for private high schools, except public schools have unfair distribution system. Many families are unable to stand in a line for multiple days, to receive a spot for their child. A solution to this would be lotteries. However, with the discussion of lotteries come the discussion of liberty. If my kid does not get into this school, then I have the freedom to move where I want in order for them to get the best education. This is simply another way to see white flight or segregation as far as city demographics. Liberty is also a part of the litigation; you cannot tell people that they cannot move because it’s an infringement on their rights. Brown solves an educational problem, but brings up further litigation problems. All these questions that arise give attention to a deeper problem. Liberation cannot solely come from litigation, but it calls for a change in social norms and behavior. 

Master Narrative and the Bridge

Just like the master narrative, the rhetoric released after the incident on the bridge made one believe that there has been minimal progress in the black lives matter movement. What does the master narrative tell us? It creates a beginning and an end of the struggle. There is a sense passivity in the tone of narrative. While it mentions the passing of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, it does not show the immediate outcomes of that legislation.  It is very top-down when describing how change occurs with movement starting with the president and creating a change down the line. This narrative has unfortunately found its way into the current black lives matters movement. With the article discussing the protest on the bridge, it seemed as though it mirrored the wording of the master narrative.

There was an emphasis on how peaceful the protest was and how effectively the non-violent actions were working. The master narrative would have us believe that this protest erupted out of nowhere, but instead some people see this as either the culmination of things or the launching point of the movement. It seems as though those are the three views that one can have about the protest on the bridge. It it either came out of nowhere, it was the final straw as to events that preceded it, or it was the start of an even greater event. The article continues as thought the protest was a culmination of preceding events. I say this because of how they talk about the heroic measures taken by the interim chief of police and the lack of attendance from the mayor. There is recognition that there was a moment on the bridge, but there is no hint as to what the moment leads to. The important thing to take away from the moment on the bridge was not the heroic measures taken by the chief of police or the peaceful ways in which the people of Memphis protested. It is instead important to recognize who participated in this movement. It was not the political class of Memphis that made this protest happen, but instead a large number of millennials banding together. It is the youth that has the power to change and alter the black lives matter movement. All in all, the master narrative did not pay attention to the things that were important to the movement, but instead focused on what can save America the most face. Currently the wording and emphasis in this article is the same as the master narrative, positive and not focused on the true issue.

Listen, Rock, Resist: Music in Memphis and the Movement 

After attending a portion of Listen, Rock, Resist, I was able to walk away pondering new ideas of what discrimination looked like. I have taken courses in which the importance of music was prevalent, but never have I connected music with race. For the first time, I was able to see the lasting impact that Memphis music history has had on the modern Memphis society. After seeing Mobley in action, I can only help but reminisce on the opening words of the artist. He spoke about how rock and roll was something that was originally a part of the African American community, but over time is became a characteristic of the white community. After the transition, the black community has been associated more with R&B and Hip Hop and Rap. Specifically, the American South has been a haven for the discourse of race in music, and now we are living in an emancipated day of black creativity. Due to the levies of music that we have today, artists can go directly to the fans with the art that they want to see.

Traditionally, the music industry believed that the black sound was only desired by the black population, but they were very wrong. The black sound has been stolen, altered, and formulated for the entertainment of the white population. This has happened for centuries and continues to happen even in modern society. It is artist like Mobley who use music as a form of liberation. This form of expressions offers a view into the lives of different people. When we listen to any form of black music it acts as an expression of black lives. Organizations such as the black rock coalition allow an avenue for those artist who are not mainstream (black) noticed and heard. Again, music offers a look into the experiences and emotions of diverse backgrounds. “Black music” can neither be right or wrong, black music is what comes from all black lives. Music can be used as an avenue for the black lives matters movement, and in fact it has been. Artists like Mobley set the stage for artists to be heard and make a positive impact on their fan base. Even larger artists like Beyonce, Lebron James, Kanye, have come out and used their platform of music to speak about issues within society. Black lives matter has been a topic in all aspects of life, especially the election. Again, more famous artists using their stardom to send a message of empowerment. All in all, music is a way in which diverse groups can show expression, and it is a huge part of the Memphis struggle with discrimination.