Does ‘Aladdin’ Stereotype Arabs? Children Say Yes--and No

A May 17 Counterpunch article protesting the image of Arabs in Walt Disney Pictures’ animated film “Aladdin” led to a spirited discussion in the 6th-grade classroom of Patricia Sawyer at John Muir Middle School, Burbank, where students come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. The 11-to-13-year-olds then wrote open letters to the article’s authors, radio host Casey Kasem and free-lance writer-director Jay Goldsworthy. The article had urged Disney to change the soundtrack--in particular to remove suggestions of violence and cruelty in Arabic culture--before releasing the film on videotape. Here is a sampling of the students’ opinions:

“I find the song in ‘Aladdin’ is not offensive to Arabians. I think this is so because Disney probably made a mistake about Arabia. What I’m trying to say is that it’s just an expression in the lyrics of the song. . . . Also, there is a lot of make-believe in cartoons and, anyway, it’s just a cartoon.”

--PAOLO VALENZUELA “I think you’re right. . . . My name is Armenui. I speak Armenian. I’m 13 years old. I just moved in this neighborhood. I take Life Skills classes. We learn a lot of things like how to make friends and how to say ‘No to Drugs.’ I like my class. Do you know if they will change it or not? I hope they do.”

--ARMENUI KYZYKYAN “I don’t agree with you about changing the lyrics or about changing the voices on ‘Aladdin.’ Disney didn’t mean anything by the song. It was for fun, not anger. . . . (Voices) bring character to the movie. For example, in Disney’s ‘Lady and the Tramp,’ at the Italian restaurant, they give the manager an accent that is supposed to be Italian and they make him bald, fat, short and with a mustache. I am 50% Italian. I don’t take offense to it. . . .”

--MICHAEL FRANKEL “I agree with you on your complaint about the song in ‘Aladdin.’ I have backgrounds of French and German and I would feel bad if a song had something (negative) about my backgrounds in it.”

--DENA FOX “I don’t agree with you. . . . I’m Arabian but it is just a song for kids.”

--MOHAMAD KOBAISSI “I do agree with you. I understand about how you feel about the prejudice in ‘Aladdin.’ I am an Asian. I wouldn’t like it if somebody made fun of me or my country or culture. (For example, some people make an Asian accent or put up their eyelids and call me Chinese.) I hate it. . . . I hope all people would learn not to be prejudiced. P.S. By the way, I am not Chinese. I am Korean.”

--EUGENE CHUNG “I think you should let the Disney Studios just go along with what they’ve got because it’s just a little cartoon and it’s rated G and ‘Aladdin’ is a children’s cartoon and it’s not supposed to make people sad, and besides they don’t mean it.”

--EDVID NERSESSIAN “Some people make fun of me because I’m Armenian but I ignore it. At school I have the elective Life Skills. We talk about many things and people’s feelings. I heard about the letter you wrote in the newspaper . . . about the song in ‘Aladdin.’ I agree with you because all the things that they said in the song are not true. They didn’t think about the people that would get offended. I think that they should change the words. The words sound like Arabia or Syria is a bad place to be. Don’t worry, I support you.”

--CAROLYN OVSEPYAN