“Disney Princess Makeover Sparks Outrage: Merida Petition Goes Viral”

Taken from: http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/disney-princess-makeover-sparks-outrage–merida-petition-goes-viral-175251230.html

May 10, 2013

So is turns out that Merida, the rebellious redhead star of Disney’s Pixar film “Brave,” is true princess material after all, and Disney is coronating her as its 11th official princess on Saturday at Walt Disney World to prove it. But wait, there’s a catch.

Turns out that Merida’s only joining the royal lineup after a corporate makeover that’s rendered her skinnier, sexier, and more glamorous than her original spunky, tomboyish self—stripping her, at least in some images, of her trusty bow and arrow, and putting her into the very dress that her character detested in “Brave.” It’s sparked outrage among thousands of mothers for whom Merida offered, finally, an empowering Disney role model for their girls. 

“Merida was the princess that countless girls and their parents were waiting for—a strong, confident, self-rescuing princess ready to set off on her next adventure with her bow at the ready,” reads a Change.org petition, “Keep Merida Brave,” asking Disney to reconsider the character’s redesign. The petition, created Saturday by “A Mighty Girl,” a blog and online girl empowerment marketplace, had already surpassed 50,000 signatures by Friday afternoon. 

“She had a uniqueness that people really loved, so when they took that away, it was a real affront to a lot of people,” Carolyn Danckaert of “A Mighty Girl” told Yahoo! Shine. Danckaert solicited opinions from her Facebook followers before starting the petition, and said she was quickly bombarded with more than 800 comments, “overwhelmingly negative and very passionate.” 

Signers of the petition, who include Peggy Orenstein, author of “Cinderella Ate My Daughter,” object to what they’ve called the sexualizing of Merida’s image, in which the character now appears older, with a tinier waistline, sultrier eyes, a coquettish expression, tamed curls, and more exposed skin peeking out from a bedazzled, off-the-shoulder version of the constricting teal dress she so resented in “Brave.” 

A Disney spokesperson offered the following official statement about the controversy to Yahoo! Shine: “Merida exemplifies what it means to be a Disney Princess through being brave, passionate, and confident and she remains the same strong and determined Merida from the movie whose inner qualities have inspired moms and daughters around the world.”  

But the makeover—put in place, at least in part, to lend Merida more easily to product designs, according to a report in “Inside the Magic,” which covers Disney news—was still inspiring impassioned criticism at a rapid clip as of Friday. 

“My little girl has unruly curls, wants to climb trees, run with wind, and challenge stereotypes everyday AND she is only 4 years old,” writes one petition signer, Kerri Gaskin of Canada. “How can I possibly tell her that her favorite character has given in and given up to become an overly sexualized pin-up version of her former self?” 

Other signers call the new Merida “arm candy,” “unrealistic,” “vacant looking,” “too sexy,” and “vapid.” 

“Merida was the anti-princess for all of us who don’t wear makeup, let our hair rampage free, and prefer to wear real clothes that let us hike, climb mountains, and ride horses,” wrote petition signer Kris Dorman of Utah. “Please allow Merida to remain the fiercely confident young woman who doesn’t need glitter or skin to know she is of incredible strength and worth.”

Orenstein wrote about the redesign on her blog with a tone of resigned disgust, noting that, “in the end, it wasn’t about being brave after all. It was about being pretty.” She continued, “I’ve always said that it’s not about the movies. It’s about the bait-and-switch that happens in the merchandise, and the way the characters have evolved and proliferated off-screen. Maybe the problem is partly that these characters are designed in Hollywood, where real women are altering their appearance so regularly that animators, and certainly studio execs, think it’s normal.”

For the parents who say that Merida is “only a cartoon,” asking, “Why does it matter?” Danckaert says, “It’s sending a message,” which is one that puts forth a very narrow definition of beauty. “This is how children pick up cultural messages about what is important,” she adds. “Young children don’t really distinguish between reality and fantasy, and these characters are their role models.”

“Disney Wants To Trademark ‘Dia De Los Muertos’”

This article brings up very deep questions that I think we all need to consider: “Do you think mass-marketed items tied to a holiday promote understanding and acceptance across cultures? Or does it profit from some people’s religious traditions?” 

Taken from: http://www.fronterasdesk.org/news/2013/may/07/disney-wants-trademark-dia-de-los-muertos/

May 7, 2013

UPDATE: A Disney studio spokesperson told Fronteras Desk late Tuesday afternoon the company will be withdrawing its trademark filing.

“As we have previously announced, Disney-Pixar is developing an animated feature inspired by the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos. Disney’s trademark filing was intended to protect any potential title for our film and related activities. It has since been determined that the title of the film will change and therefore we are withdrawing our trademark filing.”

---

As first reported by Stich Kingdom, on May 1, Disney Enterprises, Inc., a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company, filed trademark applications to secure the phrase “Dia de los Muertos” across multiple platforms for an upcoming Pixar film.

Details on one of several trademark applications Disney Enterprises, Inc. has filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Dia de Los Muertos is a popular holiday celebrated across Latin America, especially in Mexico and Central America, and it has become more popular in the United States. Families commemorate the lives of lost family members or friends between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2 each year.

Disney filed 10 requests in the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office this month to coin the phrase. Disney’s filings are mainly for merchandise, presumably connected to an upcoming film.

The areas they are hoping to secure include “education and entertainment services,” “fruit preserves; fruit-based snack foods,” “toys, games and playthings,” “clothing,” “footwear,” “backpacks,” “clocks and jewelry” and more.

Rod Berman, a patent attorney in California, says Disney is filing to protect products, not steal a holiday.

“Even if Disney were to obtain trademark registration, that wouldn’t prevent anyone from practicing their faith or having the holiday,” Berman said.

In the past, Disney sought to trademark “SEAL Team Six” the Navy SEAL team that assassinated Osama Bin Laden. They wanted exclusive rights ranging from toys to snow globes. After outcry from critics, The Wall Street Journal reported Disney withdrew the application “out of deference to the Navy.”

Many reacted angrily to the “Dia de los Muertos” news on social media, with some accusing Disney of trying to profit from a sacred Mexican tradition. Disney has not yet responded.

A Houston company listed as The Valence Group already holds a 2007 trademark for “Día de los Muertos” for entertainment services like theater, plays and musicals. A gaming company in Nevada holds a 2012 trademark for “Día de Muertos.”

The U.S. Trademark and Patent Office has issued trademarks related to other holidays such as Christmas and Hanukkah.

“Ugandan leader: Passing ‘Kill the Gays bill’ will be ‘Christmas gift’”

Yesterday was the first time I had heard of Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill and the title alone put my stomach in knots. Definitely going to keep my eye on this story. Here is a link to several change.org petitions: http://www.change.org/petitions#search/uganda kill the gays

Taken from: http://www.examiner.com/article/ugandan-leader-passing-kill-the-gays-bill-will-be-christmas-gift

November 12, 2012

Merry Christmas? Ugandan Speaker of Parliament promises the draconian anti-gay (Kill the gays) bill will pass before the end of 2012, and will be a Christmas gift for Uganda’s Christian community.

On Monday, November 12, Ugandan Speaker Rebecca Kadaga told The Associated Press that Uganda’s anti-gay bill will be passed before the end of 2012 despite vigorous and vocal international criticism of the odious legislation. Kadaga insists it is what most Ugandans want: Ugandans “are demanding it,” she said. Last Friday Kadaga met with Ugandan anti-gay activists who spoke of “the serious threat” posed by homosexuals to Uganda’s children. Some Christian clerics at the meeting in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, asked the speaker to pass the law as “a Christmas gift.”

Gay Star News reports the law will broaden the criminalization of same-sex relationships by dividing homosexuality into two categories; aggravated homosexuality and the offense of homosexuality. ‘Aggravated homosexuality’ is defined as gay acts committed by parents or authority figures, HIV-positive people, pedophiles and repeat offenders. If convicted, they will face the death penalty. The ‘offense of homosexuality’ includes same-sex sexual acts or being in a gay relationship, and will be prosecuted by life imprisonment.

“Clowns Attack KKK Rally in Charlotte, NC with Humor”

Taken from: http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/11/clowns_use_humor_to_protest_kkk_rally_in_charlotte_nc.html

November 12, 2012

On Saturday, a Neo Nazi hate group in Charlotte, North Carolina held a rally made up of about 50 supporters. But their biggest enemies turned out to be over a hundred clowns. According to local reports, the Neo Nazi protesters were outnumbered at least five to one.

The National Socialist Movement (NSM), a neo-nazi hate group, was supposed to hold an anti-immigration rally but they were drowned out by all the clowns making noise. Counter-protesters brought squeaky toys, whistles, noise-makers, red noses and flour—every time the NSM mentioned “white power” the counter demonstrators sprinkled white flour in to the air.

The counter demonstration was organized by the Latin American Coalición, according to their website they’re “a community of Latin Americans, immigrants and allies that promotes full and equal participation of all people in the civic, economic and cultural life of North Carolina through education, celebration and advocacy.”

“The message from us is, you look silly,” Lacey Williams, the youth coordinator for Charlotte’s Latin American Coalición, told WCNC. “We’re dressed like clowns and you’re the ones that look funny.”

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the NSM is an organization that specializes in theatrical and provocative protests and is one of the largest and most prominent neo-Nazi groups in the United States.

“Sexual abuse, gore, racism, bullying rampant on Australian school Facebook pages”

Taken from: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sexual-abuse-gore-racism-bullying-rampant-on-australian-school-facebook-pages/story-e6frg6n6-1226514669372

November 12, 2012

STUDENTS at almost 500 schools are running Facebook sites dedicated to humiliating their peers as more and more children are forced to carry the incessant burden of cyber-bullying outside the school gates.

A News Ltd investigation of more than 4800 Australian primary and high schools has revealed more than 10 per cent have a Facebook page on which students are taunting each other and teachers with abusive language and offensive pictures.

Many of the posts are too offensive to reprint, but include graphic sexual discussion of students and teachers, shocking gore photos of suicide and accident victims, underage girls labelled “sluts”, male teachers named as pedophiles and references to Nazism. The majority of pages – many which carry the school’s full name and logo – contain homophobic, racist and misogynist jokes and drug references. Some of the most insidious pages, typically called “burn books” or “goss pages”, name and tag students in vicious rumours, which are then “liked” and shared around other students’ social networks.

One of the most shocking pages, from a school in Queensland, features gory photos of suicide and accident victims and a horrific picture of a battered child with an accompanying “joke” about domestic violence, all alongside references to the school and photos of the campus. Also on the page, which has accrued more than 760 fans since being launched in late August, is a photograph of a baby with a gun to its head with the caption “one like = one baby shot”, and a cartoon advocating methamphetamine use.

Another school page, from NSW, names a teacher as a “child molester” and calls another a “c***”, while students who have posted complaints have been abused with homophobic slurs.

A page from WA featured a photograph of a male teacher and female students overlaid with the logo of a pornography website, accompanied by snide comments joking that he was a pedophile.

The page, which accrued more than 600 fans since its launch in mid September, also featured photographs of students fighting, jokes about female Year 7s being “sluts” and arguments between students using extremely offensive language, all underneath the school’s official logo.

That page has since been deleted, but two others using the school’s name still exist.

One principal admitted his school had little control over what students did on the internet outside of school hours. ”You can block all these things on our intranet and they can’t do it at school but they have their own ways from home,” he said. But another principal added: “If students make threats over Facebook we are going to deal with them … as if it were an incident in the schoolyard.”

Cyber-bullying expert Dr Barbara Spears, from the University of South Australia, said “liking” nasty Facebook posts was the new face of schoolyard bullying. ”Clearly, `liking’ such pages contributes to the ongoing humiliation of others, and bystanders – those who contribute to bullying by not doing anything about it – are actively supporting it,” she said. Studies suggest 15 to 30 per cent of children are bullied at school, and around 10 per cent have been cyber bullied. Dr Spears said bullying was not shifting from the schoolyard to the screen, but “expanding” there. Constant access to technology meant “there is no escape”, she said.

Child psychologist and National Centre Against Bullying founder Michael Carr-Gregg said traditional playground bullies were taking their warfare online. ”What we’re finding now is that a lot of these kids are using the technology to literally make other people’s lives hell and the burn books are a really good example of this because so many people see it,” he said. Dr Carr-Gregg said vulnerable children could not brush off that kind of humiliation. ”For them, they’ve already got depression or they’ve already got anxiety so the gun is already loaded and the cyberbullying, the burn book, simply pulls the trigger,” he said.

The most serious forms of cyber bullying can attract stalking, harrassment or defamation charges. And it is illegal to use a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence under federal law, but a Federal Police spokeswoman said no minor had ever been charged. She said parents should try to deal with cyber-bullying through schools and only go to police as a last resort.Dr Carr-Gregg said too few people were charged over their heinous online behaviour. ”Some of these burn books can result in young people harming themselves so I don’t think the law is up to scratch,” he said. ”I think we need a social norm that says this type of behaviour is unacceptable and it needs to be enforced.”

WORST OF THE WORST

Examples of depravity on Australian schools’ Facebook pages

• Photo of a baby with a gun to its head, a photo of a battered child, gory pictures of suicide and accident victims, graphic pornography (QLD)
• Photo of a male teacher with female students captioned that he is a pedophile (WA)
  
• Male teachers pictured and captioned as “child molester” and “raper” (NSW)
  
• Messages telling students to kill themselves (NSW)
  
• Students threatening to rape other students (NSW)
  
• Female student named as having an affair with a teacher (NSW)
  
• Female student named as having AIDS (QLD)
  
• School classrooms pictured and captioned as “rape dungeons” (WA)
  
• Male student named as having had sex with goats (SA)
  
• Graphic sexual discussions about a female teacher (SA)
  
• Female teacher called “slut” and “hooker” (WA)
  
• Student with a speech impediment pictured and teased (SA)
  
• Black male student pictured and called a “n****r” (WA)
  
• Page with a profile picture that reads “kill yourselves” (QLD)
  
• Pictures of Hitler and references to Nazism (NSW)
  
• Praise for students who egged a teacher’s car (VIC)
  
• Message to students about a particular teacher: “spit on her shoes and s*** on her face” (VIC)

“Victoria’s Secret Apologizes for Fashion Show Gaffe”

Taken from: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/victoria-secret-apologizes-fashion-show-gaffe-194400804.html

November 12, 2012

The annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show taped last Wednesday caused a minor stir last week — but not because of any sexy underwear on display.

Model Karlie Kloss (pictured at left) set off some controversy when she walked the runway wearing a Native American headdress (also called a war bonnet), a culturally insensitive faux pas that led the company to pull the footage of the offending outfit from its planned Dec. 4broadcast.

Several Native American groups called the lingerie company out for the blunder. Native Appropriations, a blog covering imagery of indigenous cultures, accused the retailer of “egregious cultural appropriation, stereotyping, and marginalizing of Native peoples.” Ruth Hopkins, a columnist for a Native American news site, wrote that “after years of patronage and loyalty to the Victoria’s Secret brand, I am repaid with the mean-spirited, disrespectful trivialization of my blood ancestry and the proud Native identity I work hard to instill in my children.” Putting a headdress on a white model is particularly offensive, she wrote, because among the Sioux tribe, war bonnets are exclusively worn by men, with each feather symbolizing an act of valor.

The $12 million show, which had musical performances by Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars, showcased plenty of not-meant-to-be worn ensembles, including circus-themed outfits and a $2.5 million “fantasy bra.” Last year the show averaged nearly 10.4 million viewers, up from 8.9 million in 2010, according to Horizon Media. (This year’s show was taped on Nov. 7 and is set to air Dec. 4.)

Kloss, who walked the catwalk in a leopard bikini, turquoise beaded jewelry, high-heeled moccasins, and a floor-length feathered headdress (with the word “Thanksgiving” projected on a screen behind her), issued an apology via her Twitter account on Sunday: “I am deeply sorry if what I wore during the VS Show offended anyone. I support VS’s decision to remove the outfit from the broadcast.”

Victoria’s Secret, owned by Limited Brands (LTD) also apologized on Twitter, and issued a statement: “We are sorry that the Native American headdress replica used in our recent fashion show has upset individuals. We sincerely apologize as we absolutely had no intention to offend anyone. Out of respect, we will not be including the outfit in any broadcast, marketing materials nor in any other way.”

Whether the controversy will put any kind of dent in Victoria’s Secret’s sales is questionable. By apologizing and pulling the offending clip from the show, the company addressed the goof quickly, so the damage will likely be minimal, says Brad Adgate, director of research at Horizon Media. With a presence in nearly every shopping mall in the country, it’s the biggest specialty retailer for intimate apparel. In 2011 Limited Brands sales sales increased $751 million to $10.364 billion, while Victoria’s Secret Stores sales rose $601 million to $6.121 billion.

The lingerie seller isn’t alone among big-name retailers accused of insensitivity. There was a fair amount of anger aimed at American Apparel, which sent an e-mail blast to customers during Hurricane Sandy for a 20% off sale for people living in the affected states, with a tagline that read “In case you’re bored during the storm.”

The headdress gaffe also — oddly — comes soon after the band No Doubt pulled its music video last week after getting complaints that it was insensitive to Native Americans. In the video for “Looking Hot,” band members dress up in stereotypical cowboys and Indians attire.

“Six ‘Racist’ Funeral Staff Sacked After Secret TV Filming”

Taken from: http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/six-racist-funeral-staff-sacked-after-secret-tv-filming

November 12, 2012

SIX PEOPLE have been sacked and one has resigned from two branches of a funeral services company following secret recordings showing staff making racist comments and disrespecting the dead.

The funeral services workers, from Gillman Funeral Service branch in Tooting southwest London and another branch in Slough, lost their jobs after an inquiry carried out by parent company Funeral Partners Limited (FPL).

They were investigated after racist and disrespectful behaviour was captured by undercover journalists and shown on ITV’s Exposure programme, The British Way of Death. The show was aired on September 26, causing huge public outcry.

In a statement, Funeral Partners Ltd (FPL) said five staff members from Gillman’s Tooting branch were sacked. FPL added: ‘One other person has also been dismissed and a second has resigned at an FPL branch in Slough after making racist comments.’

Among the incidents seen on ITV’s Exposure were:
• Family members being called ‘animals’ at an African Caribbean man’s funeral after his widow complained about an “awful” smell at her own husband’s funeral. The body had been left unrefrigerated for six days, according to the programme description on ITV news.
• Funeral staff chanting ‘Chelsea scum’ at a corpse before sealing his coffin
• Staff failing to dress the deceased in clothes their loved ones had provided for them and
• Staff watching pornography on a mobile phone while driving a hearse

FPL’s chief executive Phillip Greenfield said: “Their comments and actions disgusted not only myself and their fellow colleagues but rightly incurred the wrath of the whole community. I want to reiterate my heartfelt apology to everyone who has been affected by this, especially families of the deceased in our care. We are extremely sorry for any distress and hurt that has been caused. Having followed due legal process, we have dismissed six people and one has resigned. We have also commissioned an independent inquiry to look into this.” Greenfield added: ‘We want to work with all our local community organisations to build bridges. We know it will take time but we will do everything we can to rebuild trust in our staff and in the services we offer.”

FPL, which said it acquired Gillman’s six branches two years ago, said the sacked staff was not following FPL’s policies and procedures. The company said was putting in additional procedures including a new training programme. Greenfield said: “It has become clear to us that these staff were not following our very clear policies and procedures about respecting the deceased. We will be introducing a new training programme throughout our business and improved HR procedures along with additional investment to ensure this never happens again.”

Veteran anti-racism campaigner, Lee Jasper, who co-chairs BARAC UK, has called for legislation to be strengthened to tackle bigotry in the funeral services sector following the programme. He told the Voice in September that what he saw was “profoundly disturbing. The desecration of the dead, the most toxic racism and sexism against a backdrop of extortionate pricing will case deep and profound distress.”