Cdoberman:
>If it's wrong to portray ethnic stereotypes in the U.S., then it
>should be wrong everywhere.
<ironi>
And maybe it should be wrong everytime. You know the Barks story
"The Lemming With the Locket". There are some really sterotypical
Norwegians there. I think it is rather insulting to be portrayed
that way.
</ironi>
To be a bit more serious. This policy about cencoring is Walt Disney's
(the company), and noone, probably not even themselves, knows why this
is done. Some people on this list think, and they are probably right,
that the people who cencor stories are doing this just to show that
they are needed -- to keep their jobs.
Why is this cencoring only being done with stories that are published
in the U.S.? One very simple reason is that Gladstone are publishing
about sixty issues (including albums) a year. Only in Norway there
are published about 150 issues a year. Then you can add Sweden, Finland,
Denmark, Iceland, Germany etc. etc. These are Egmont countries. Then
you can add the Netherlands and Italy who have their own production.
See my point?
Then there are some cultural differences. I can't speak for every
European, of course, but there seem to be some very big differences
between Europe and the U.S. in how people react to things. Being insulted
by stereotypes is not usual here, and suing other people or companies for
just anything isn't usual at all. I'm viewing Americans in a very
sterotypical way now, of course...
In my opinion something shouldn't be wrong everywhere just because some
Americans think it is wrong to do it in the U.S.
Jorgen
Author
Topic: 199504
(154 messages)
Jørgen Andreas Bangor
DD&Co #15
Message 151 -
1995-04-29 at 02:19:17
DAVID.A.GERSTEIN
Disney-comics digest #648.
Message 152 -
1995-04-29 at 20:00:43
DON:
> Who would care if a rich $crooge got richer?
Isn't that just what we've been reading about in almost every issue
of U$ (and now, at least in the backup stories)? Seems to me that a
lot of folk are perfectly happy reading such tales (me included).
HARRY:
> AA 1a KQ 1390 1 c FD O:Disney Characters on Picknick
That should be "Picnic" (sorry!)
WES:
> [Disney's censors' method] is a very racist pattern, in my view.
> They're saying, it is not wrong to portray people stereotypically,
> only in countries where it will create bad Public Relations.
Bill Blackbeard (editor of the 1970s _Smithsonian Book of Newspaper
Comics_) told me that that is EXACTLY Disney's view -- but that they
don't look at it that way. They feel that at this point, Europeans
have learned to view old stereotypes -- including stereotypes of
themselves -- as harmless cliches, while Americans are becoming
touchier and touchier by the instant.
DONALD AND MICKEY #30
is out now. The final gag in "Goofy King Arthur" is very funny. The
rest of it is horribly bad, and even those who like the art in these
stories will notice that this particular story has had none of the
background detail of "Midas" and "Tut". Instead, it had two palace
guards standing there, constantly saying how tremendously funny
everything that's happening was.
The comic changes title next issue and starts over with #1.
The only way that this comic is going to save its sales, though, is
to change its format! All the letters about the Goofy stories are
critical now.
David Gerstein
<9475609 at arran.sms.ed.ac.uk>
> Who would care if a rich $crooge got richer?
Isn't that just what we've been reading about in almost every issue
of U$ (and now, at least in the backup stories)? Seems to me that a
lot of folk are perfectly happy reading such tales (me included).
HARRY:
> AA 1a KQ 1390 1 c FD O:Disney Characters on Picknick
That should be "Picnic" (sorry!)
WES:
> [Disney's censors' method] is a very racist pattern, in my view.
> They're saying, it is not wrong to portray people stereotypically,
> only in countries where it will create bad Public Relations.
Bill Blackbeard (editor of the 1970s _Smithsonian Book of Newspaper
Comics_) told me that that is EXACTLY Disney's view -- but that they
don't look at it that way. They feel that at this point, Europeans
have learned to view old stereotypes -- including stereotypes of
themselves -- as harmless cliches, while Americans are becoming
touchier and touchier by the instant.
DONALD AND MICKEY #30
is out now. The final gag in "Goofy King Arthur" is very funny. The
rest of it is horribly bad, and even those who like the art in these
stories will notice that this particular story has had none of the
background detail of "Midas" and "Tut". Instead, it had two palace
guards standing there, constantly saying how tremendously funny
everything that's happening was.
The comic changes title next issue and starts over with #1.
The only way that this comic is going to save its sales, though, is
to change its format! All the letters about the Goofy stories are
critical now.
David Gerstein
<9475609 at arran.sms.ed.ac.uk>
Cdoberman
DD&Co #15
Message 153 -
1995-04-30 at 06:49:15
Jorgen: <In my opinion something shouldn't be wrong everywhere just because
some Americans think it is wrong to do it in the U.S.>
Good point. Very good point. That is something for me to keep in mind,
living in this global village.
Also I didn't mean to imply I approved of the censorship. I don't approve of
stereotypes that degrade individuals; however, I also don't approve of
censoring an artist's work without the artist's consent. Maybe working for
Disney implies consent. I do wish I had access to the uncensored versions of
earlier published stories, including the "politically incorrect" stuff. I
feel as though when this is removed, we (in the U.S.) are denying problems
ever existed. However, if an artist feels like his past work has content he
wishes to have removed, well, then go ahead and remove it. Perhaps if Barks
had it to do over again, maybe he wouldn't have included such Degrading
Stereotypes of Norwegians in "The Lemming with the Locket." ;-) My point is,
power to the artist.
Wes
"But, Mickey! It's SUICIDE! We'll be KILLED! How'll we ever land without
wheels?" -- Captain Doberman
some Americans think it is wrong to do it in the U.S.>
Good point. Very good point. That is something for me to keep in mind,
living in this global village.
Also I didn't mean to imply I approved of the censorship. I don't approve of
stereotypes that degrade individuals; however, I also don't approve of
censoring an artist's work without the artist's consent. Maybe working for
Disney implies consent. I do wish I had access to the uncensored versions of
earlier published stories, including the "politically incorrect" stuff. I
feel as though when this is removed, we (in the U.S.) are denying problems
ever existed. However, if an artist feels like his past work has content he
wishes to have removed, well, then go ahead and remove it. Perhaps if Barks
had it to do over again, maybe he wouldn't have included such Degrading
Stereotypes of Norwegians in "The Lemming with the Locket." ;-) My point is,
power to the artist.
Wes
"But, Mickey! It's SUICIDE! We'll be KILLED! How'll we ever land without
wheels?" -- Captain Doberman
Bob Wright
Disney-comics digest #646.
Message 154 -
1995-04-30 at 22:09:17
> Gladstone's subscription services are awful. I am letting my
>subscription to WDC&S run out.
WES: My first Gladstone subscription turned me off. I started out with the
current WDCS in Color series (luckily only a 6-iss subscription) and the
first issue came in an unmarked cardboard folder with some rather hefty
bends. I called Gladstone to gripe and they said it wasn't "economical" to
ship them in a hard box.
>subscription to WDC&S run out.
WES: My first Gladstone subscription turned me off. I started out with the
current WDCS in Color series (luckily only a 6-iss subscription) and the
first issue came in an unmarked cardboard folder with some rather hefty
bends. I called Gladstone to gripe and they said it wasn't "economical" to
ship them in a hard box.