Opinion

EDITORIAL Mermaid creates waves – of racism

Opinion

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Disney does a live-action remake of The Little Mermaid and casts an African-American actress in the title role. Grown adults throw a collective tantrum. Because a makebelieve woman with a fi shtail cannot possibly be Black. Honestly, Wairarapa – these columns could write themselves. Let me catch you up. The trailer for the re-vamped

Disney classic, featuring

Halle Bailey as Ariel, recently dropped on

Youtube. Bailey doesn’t look anything like the fl ame-haired, fair-skinned Ariel from the 1989 animated fi lm people grew up with. So, the trailer received no fewer than 1.5 million dislikes, the hashtag #notmyariel started trending, and some Twitter accounts used AI to white-wash Bailey’s features.

Let me remind you, folks. This is a children’s movie. About mythical creatures that can belt Broadway show tunes underwater. Give me strength. The detractors have tried, bless them, to come up with cogent arguments. Because I’m feeling generous, let’s unpack some of them. Firstly, “The Little Mermaid is based on a story by Danish author set in 13th century Europe – therefore, Ariel should be white”. If we’re arguing fi delity to the source material, Hans Christian Andersen never specifi ed his eponymous heroine’s skin colour. Also, people of colour lived in pre-modern Europe. As free members of society, no less — arriving as merchants or explorers via well-established trading routes with Africa and Asia. “White” and “European” are not necessarily synonymous.

Secondly, “a Black Ariel doesn’t make sense, because mermaids are a European mythological fi gure”.

Not quite – almost every culture in the world features sea-dwelling humanoid creatures in its fairytale lore. You can fi nd merpeople in everything from ancient Philippine mythology, to Zimbabwean spiritual folklore, to The Arabian Nights.

Third, “a Black mermaid would be scientifi cally impossible”. Not enough light under the sea for suffi cient melanin production. A “real” mermaid would be “practically translucent”.

Nice try – melanocyte production is dependent on genetics, not light exposure

Fourth, “by casting Bailey, Disney is pandering to a woke ideological agenda.”

This one’s hilarious when you [again] consider the source material. Andersen’s novel The Little Mermaid is a queer allegory – inspired by the author’s unrequited love for his friend Edvard Collin. In the novel, the mermaid becomes human: But she has no voice to express herself, every step she takes feels like walking on glass, and her love interest rejects her in favour of someone else. A clear metaphor for Andersen’s experience as a closeted gay man in 1800s Denmark.

Detractors are calling out Disney for prioritising “wokeness” over “historical accuracy” – when the historical text the fi lm is based on is inherently progressive. Mindblowing, no?

In all seriousness – mermaids aren’t real. Racism, however, absolutely is. All these calls in favour of historical purity, science, and nostalgia are mere obfuscation. Some people do not want to see darkskinned women in fi lm – so they hide behind thoughtful discourse and claim melanin can’t exist in the ocean. Like their “scientifi cally accurate” Ariel, you can see right through them.

I do have some faith in humanity [and the internet], however. Parents throughout the world have been posting videos of their Black daughters watching the trailer – overjoyed to see a Disney hero who looks like them. Children deserve to see themselves represented in the media they enjoy. An obvious cash grab though the live-action Little Mermaid is, a Black princess is a step in the right direction.

If you’re opposed to mermaids of colour, I invite you to subscribe to Disney+ and watch the animated Little Mermaid on repeat. There’s more than enough room in the fi ctional ocean for all races. In the meantime, if you’re interested in protecting sea creatures, I’ve heard the real ocean could do with some help.

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In my opinion, the most overrated movie is…

Jocelyn Konig

Fifty Shades of Grey.

Mike Filmnerd

Tough one. Top four: The Godfather, The Pianist, The Avengers [2012], Inception.

Graeme Burnard

Anything with Tom Cruise or Nicole Kidman in it.

Kasey Harlen

Titanic.

Jean Cretney

Avatar.

Christina Schofield

Any of the Fast and Furious movies, Jaws, or just about anything that has multiple sequels [more than 3].

Richard Alan Dahlberg

Jaws. The sequels are all so bad.

Lorraine Hooper

Power of the Dog – great scenery but an overrated, silly drama.

Damian Matthew Hall

Probably Ocean’s Eleven for me.

Elisa Brown

The Notebook.

Karen Roberts

The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Maggie Flynn

Nomadland.

Jacqui Spooner

The Power of the Dog. Nothing appealing about it at all – just dramatic rubbish.

Desiree Feast

Thor: Love and Thunder. A trashy movie with bad acting – which also made it slightly humorous.

Sheryl’s kōrero a national champion

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New Zealand Police deputy commissioner Wally Haumaha [left] and superintendent Raikesh Naidoo presented Solway College student Sheryl Chand with the Race Unity Speech Award. Sheryl came first equal in the Race Unity Speech Awards in June, which she shared with Joe Howells of Kerikeri High School. Sheryl was presented with the Race Unity Speech shield at her school assembly on Friday, September 23. She also received the NZ Police National Champions Award, the Manukau Institute of Technology award for Manaakitanga, and the Wellington Regional Championship award. In her speech, Sheryl proposed suggestions for schools to dismantle racism – including abolishing academic streaming, a practice which has been discriminatory towards ākonga Maori [Maori students] and other young people of colour. Haumata was the chief judge of this year’s speech awards. He congratulated Solway College for supporting Sheryl, so she could address racism on a national stage. PHOTO/HELEN HOLT

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