“It’s important to come face-to-face with that uncomfortable idea that what many of us have considered safe is the opposite of that for other people... One person’s safety can be another person’s trauma," (Keegan, 2021)
Rather than remove tv shows and movies that depict 'behaviours and beliefs of the time,' streaming services and tv stations are adding a disclaimer before airing. Some may disagree with me and that’s okay, but I believe it’s better to acknowledge and talk about wrong-doings of the past. It would be more harmful to merely remove everything that could be offensive without saying a word. It would be like acting as though it never happened, and I think that’s worse than not doing anything at all. One example comes from Disney+, which has put the following disclaimer on some of their shows and movies.
"This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together," (O’Kane, 2020). Or “this program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures... These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now.”
Rather than remove the content and act like it never happened, take watching it as an opportunity to acknowledge that what happened in the past was wrong and have conversations about what we can do better moving forward. For social justice, we need to know what has happened - own those mistakes, bias, discrimination, and negative behaviours of the past - so that we can learn better behaviours and move forward together for a more positive future.
“Nobody’s canceling these movies,” says TCM host Ben Mankiewicz. “Our job is not to get up and say, ‘Here’s a movie that you should feel guilty about for liking.’ But to pretend that the racism [and various other social justice issues like stereotyping and spreading misinformation] in it is not painful and acute? No. I do not want to shy away from that. This was inevitable. And welcomed. And overdue," (Keegan, 2021).
See also the Micropedia of Microaggressions and their Impact: https://www.themicropedia.org/#/
This documentary-esque movie from Netflix analyzes and breaks down over-done clichés and faux-pas' that are inappropriate for many different reasons, such as: cultural insensitivity, type-casting, racism, the 'white saviour,' sexism, token female roles, male stalking as 'romantic and determined,' female stalking as 'dangerous obsession,' and much more.
The difference between these titles and other works on this site is that these titles were created when the depictions shown were sincerely held beliefs, whereas the others on this site are meant to spread awareness, support, inform, debunk misconceptions, and spread hope.
Song of the South
Green Acres
The Beverly Hillbillies
I Dream of Jeanie
Petticoat Junction
Bewitched
Gilligan's Island
The Legend of Bagger Vance
The Simpsons
Dumbo
The Aristocats
Swiss Family Robinson
The Muppet Show
Tropic Thunder
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane
The Office
The IT Crowd
Little Britain
White Chicks
Grease
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Revenge of the Nerds
Adventures in Babysitting
Pretty Woman
Sixteen Candles
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Peter Pan
My Name is Earl
Pocahontas
Mulan
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Aladdin
Indian in the Cupboard
The Lone Ranger
Anastasia
I Love Lucy
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
The Green Mile
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
The Jungle Book
Tarzan
The Lady and the Tramp
Gone with the Wind
Annie Get Your Gun
Messiah
The Goonies
Teen Wolf
Mr Mom
Police Academy
Overboard