Okay, I was going to leave this one alone, but I just can’t.
A mermaid is a mythical creature, a character in a fantastical story of speculative fiction.
Someone please tell me why this mermaid is supposed to be portrayed by an actor with white skin. Because the previous movie-a cartoon-had her drawn that way?
White people are so accustomed to seeing ourselves represented on screen, particularly as the main characters, that it’s apparently offensive to show audiences any other alternative.
Every time this happens, children in marginalized groups are given the opportunity to see themselves represented as the hero, their favorite character, something that hasn’t happened before.
It’s repellent to see people who have always had the privilege to see themselves that way get so upset the one time it happens for someone else.
Isn’t Ariel’s most important quality supposed to be her voice? The one thing Ursula is desperate to possess? It stands to reason that the actor portraying Ariel should have a wonderful voice, and Halle Bailey certainly does. She sings wonderfully. Then why wouldn’t she deserve the part?
Two things I’m told during racial debates often are “racism doesn’t exist anymore” and “I don’t see color”. People surely are proving those statements couldn’t be further from the truth with the massively ridiculous reaction to this release.
(By the way, the belief is that the mermaid myth originated when sailors saw manatees sunning themselves on rocks in the ocean.)
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