Tangled Part 1: Cultural Appropriation and Racial Coding

Ah “Tangled.” Originally called “Rapunzel.” In a nutshell, after “The Princess and the Frog”
didn’t do nearly as well as Disney had hoped it would they decided that the reason was because
boys saw “princess” in the title, and they didn’t wanna see a movie
with a princess name in it. So they went for a
gender-neutral adjective instead. Imagine how much ink they would’ve saved on
print advertising if they’d done this since the beginning. So let’s get started. [Dramatically]
We begin in the kingdom of Corona. Our fair setting. And I mean that literally, Corona is
entirely populated by white people. It’s pretty much the closest a Disney movie has ever
gotten to be a completely made-up-from-scratch fantasy land. And given how much Corona looks
like the Disney parks, you would think that they would have as much
diversity as Disney’s promotional photography, but you would be wrong. [forced awkward laughter at racism]
[claps] There are two! Count em, two people who might possibly be
people of color in this movie. Since Rapunzel is a German fairytale, people like to
say that Corona is Germany, and that’s silly for the same reason
that saying Arendelle is Norway. A popular defense for the lack of PoC in
“Tangled” is “historical accuracy.” [sarcastically]
I love that one. [Annoying Internet Voice]
“There just weren’t a lot of people of color in Germany
back then, it was mostly white people.” Apparently. First of all that’s not true. There were people of color
in Europe before 2015. We just don’t like to talk about it, because ya know… [whispers]
racism. For more information on this sort of thing,
be sure to check out MedievalPOC on Tumblr. Second of all, even if the majority of people in Germany, at the time that the movie so clearly and
obviously states that it takes place in– which it doesn’t –why is that an excuse? Pascal the chameleon is an animal native to Africa,
and yet, he’s found his way into this movie. But no people of color did. And besides…it’s a movie. We literally have the technology to
recreate dead people. [gross sobbing over the perfection of
Audrey Hepburn chocolate commercial]
Guys I thought this was real, for like 30 seconds. My point being, it’s not that it can’t be done
or that Disney is unwilling to bend geography to suit their creative purposes, it’s just that they didn’t care about stretching their creative muscles when it came to world-building here. Sad but true. But what about the lanterns? The lanterns were creative, right? I will say that the lantern scene is hands down, one of the most beautiful sequences of animation
that Disney has ever created. Probably one of the most beautiful animation
sequences in history. But the practice of sky lanterns is a
pre-existing phenomenon, and is found in several different areas of the world. Most famously East Asian cultures, including but
not limited to: China, Taiwan, and Thailand. This tradition is also found in
Portugal, Brazil, and Mexico. But who cares, right? Like, why am I even talking about this? They’re just lanterns. Well actually no. The lanterns have cultural weight and importance
to the places they come from, and to remove them and strip its
meaning is cultural appropriation. I know that’s kind of a buzz phrase nowadays,
you hear it a lot around Halloween time. and sometimes it gets confused with
multiculturalism and cultural assimilation, both of which are also different
things from one another. Basically what makes cultural appropriation
different from those things and makes it bad is its power imbalance. It’s specifically when a dominant culture takes
something from an oppressed culture, and uses it in a way that disregards its
original meaning and purpose. This is a really broad topic and not the only way that
cultural appropriation manifests itself, but that’s for another video. I’ll include some links in the description box if
you guys are so inclined to investigate. Back to “Tangled.” The lanterns wouldn’t have been such a big deal if the story
was already set in a place where those lanterns existed. And it also would’ve been so
cool to have it set in one of those places. And the best thing is, it wouldn’t
have really changed the story. We could’ve had the same core story and the same
characters that we love, and it could’ve been in Thailand. And that would’ve been so cool! Yes, undoubtedly it would’ve had its own problems,
but representation most likely wouldn’t have been one of them. You might remember earlier I said: [Earlier]
There are two! Count em, two people who might possibly be people of color in this movie. Upon close examination, I have found that
in the Snuggly Duckling pub there is… drumroll please. [Enthusiastic drumroll provided by lovely assistant] An Asian-looking guy. And we never seen him again. He’s not in the song, he doesn’t help rescue Flynn. And he just um…kinda… kinda looks like a stereotype? [Awkward staring] And the second person who could be
a person of color is Mother Gothel. [Mother Knows Best from Tangled]:
Gothel: ♪ Mother knows best! ♪ [villain laugh] But how does that make any sense given
that most of the times that we see Rapunzel and Gothel next to each other,
that Gothel is actually paler? Well this is where an interesting but not new
phenomenon called racial coding comes in. Racial coding is giving traits or physical attributes to a
character typically associated with a certain race of people, without actually stating that that character is that race. If you’ve watched my Frozen video, this might sound
a bit familiar because I talked a little bit about queer coding, which is giving a character traits usually
associated with how gay people are perceived. Both of these things are born
out of racism and homophobia, and I don’t just mean a hatred
of these groups, I mean a fear, which is why race coding and queer coding are things
usually reserved for villains and antagonists. Racial coding is a win-win situation for the
perpetrator if it’s done successfully. 1: Your audience subconsciously notices Gothel’s
hooked nose, sharp features, dark eyelashes, dark and kinky hair– –in other words, these characteristics that would not be
used to describe desirable white features– –but your audience doesn’t realize that they
recognize those characteristics because they see them over and over again, and that they have deep roots in racism. For this case specifically anti-semitic propaganda. 2: Some people recognize the coding for what it is
and they say something about it. But since other people don’t recognize it as coding,
you have a lot of plausible deniability. Meaning you can’t get in any real trouble for it. And Disney did it pretty well here. They still did it. Granted, the racist implications
probably weren’t deliberate, but that’s because racism is so ingrained in our culture
that we don’t always see that it’s there. Gothel’s coding has several different possibilities. A lot of people feel that her features along
with her overbearing personality are meant to play on the Jewish mother stereotype. Others feel that Gothel looks
Italian or possibly Armenian. But what most people agree on is
that Gothel doesn’t look white. And that’s not to say that there isn’t any white person in
the entire world that doesn’t look like Gothel, but she definitely doesn’t look like any of the other obviously white people in this movie. And we wouldn’t have to be nitpicking over bone structure
if there were other people that looked like Gothel. If Rapunzel was a person of color, there wouldn’t be this dichotomy between
the beautiful, soft face, golden haired feminine ideal of white beauty in the heroine with the vain, selfish, abusive,
ethnic looking villainess Gothel. Which is something that’s been portrayed
in media for a really long time. Her racial coding is also problematic
because it puts a whole new light on the emotional abuse that she inflicts on Rapunzel. Because of course Gothel is abusive, she’s the villain, and she’s not Rapunzel’s real and loving white mother. But that is something I will get into
more in the next “Tangled” video. Like this video if you think that Disney needs to do better
with representation in their upcoming movies, if you have any questions or thoughts
leave me some comments, and if you want to see more videos like this you can hit
this little logo thing here in the corner it will subscribe you to the channel. Thank you for watching,
the Princess will see you next week. [“Tangled” Movie Clip]
Rapunzel: Earlier I was saying tomorrow is a pretty big day, and you didn’t really respond, so I’m just gonna tell you: IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! [giggles] Tada!

100 thoughts on “Tangled Part 1: Cultural Appropriation and Racial Coding

  1. i like most of your videos, but this is just no. cause really on out on a limb here

  2. Nice how you casually call ethnic features ugly. You realize that trying to include an obviously white woman in the group of POC is literally contributing to the erasure of black women in media? It’s time to stop letting white people with dark hair be considered black! Since when are Jewish people not white? Look at their skin tones when they’re right next to each other. THEY. ARE. THE. SAME! You know that white people can have dark hair right? Are only Germans, British, and Scandinavian people white? It’s so annoying to see white people try and include literally every group but a select few in the POC category when it’s a term to replace MINORITY. Makes no logical sense to include nearly everyone. Do you realize what northern Italians look like? Nothing like southerners. You’re imagining southern Italians when you’re thinking of Italian people. Curly hair and darker skin is a result of admixture and living in a hot sunny climate. The admixture means we have a higher chance of having DNA from africa, but Italian isn’t a race. It’s like in Latin America but on a smaller scale, the mixture is further back and less obvious in Italy. And 1/4 of the American population is at least part italian/identifies as such. I could give a pass to someone calling ethnic features on a mostly white person ‘mixed’ if they’re from a country with that history, but even someone who is 50/50 is not necessarily good enough representation when dark skinned women are being IGNORED.

  3. Asking for diversity at the cost of artistic vision is not worth it. There are plenty of ways that Rapunzel can be remade to be any number of ethnicities (as you said), but in this movie, she was a white European. And although I'm sure you did a lot of research to find that tumblr source, there were actually barely any POC in Germany in the 1800s. Slave trading, the main way cultures would move across oceans, was not something Germany participated in. In fact, the principalities that were Germany back then were shut out of the trade by France and were more concerned with building empires than trading people from other countries. Also, lantern festivals can be found all over the world, INCLUDING Germany. Do your research before making videos this inane.

  4. I've watched some of your videos and I think as a white person, you speak on the behalf of people of color way too often. I'm sorry but bringing the chameleon- A small animal side kick- into your argument is a little bit silly. I'm not saying Disney includes people of color enough in their movies but I think you could come up with better arguments when talking about this topic.

  5. It's not creative to put black people in your movie. It's not an issue, but it in no way represents creativity.

  6. so first tumbler is not a source, if you look at the actually hitoric record europe was mostly what for most of it's history. your the racist bitch

  7. There are Vikings in the bar and the soup that the evil mother offers is a Scandinavian soup. And wasn’t Rapunzel (how ever you spell it) based off in Sweden?

  8. Corona is located somewhere in Germany, possibly Britain, before the colonial period. Up until then, the Europeans didn't even know Africa was a thing, much less that blacks existed. Your 'entirely populated by white people' argument instantly falls apart.

  9. Also Pascal was just a cute animal companion like the mice in Cinderella, the pig in Moana and Sven in Frozen.

  10. I'm very offended that there were only asian people in Mulan too. This was very racist! We need more diversity. We need people of color in the new live action version. And more caucasians too. Otherwise I as a caucasian might get offended.
    – doesn't sound righ, does it?

  11. Ok… here’s my view on Mother Gothel:
    She looks very Turkish to me. And I am from Germany where you have a lot of Turkish people, who you guessed it, are portrayed in a bad light. I’m half German, half Turkish and have never seen any representation of that. But when Tangled came out I just found it cringeworthy, especially since it is a German fairytale. Idk if that makes sense but it just brings up some very negative emotions about that kind of identity…

  12. I will go to my grave saying this: cultural appropriation doesn’t exist. White people (who apparently don’t have culture according to most liberals) are more upset about “cultural appropriation” than those who are being “appropriated” bc they LIKE when people outside of their culture enjoy their customs or food or clothing or hairstyles
    Why don’t we start loving each other and celebrating our cultures by sharing it with others??

  13. I don't want my info to be on tumblr I prefer actual historians! There weren't black people in Europe during the middle ages! Also if I wanna fucking use a lantern I will it's not approbation ALSO FUN FACT racial coding isn't real your putting it there your the racists also you have to think of the fact that this was a grims tale ALSO ANOTHER THINGGGGGG princess and the frog was 2d not 3d that's why it flopped NO ONE WATCHES THEM ANY MORE please stop being stupid! And think about what you say! Your a idiot and you are seeing things as racist because your the real racist

  14. A girl wears a Chinese dress one time and the Internet EXPLODES with rage and "cultural appropriation" . A woman talks about her own opinion on what she thinks is racist towards other races as a white person . Internet explodes – because she is "white trash " and "a dumb white feminist" . Like seriously

  15. I'm black, very pro black and many have even said racist and I do not think Tangled needed to have black representation. White people are allowed to have white things. I know you are from a very diverse place but don't think that everywhere has always been so diverse. I'm Jamaican and have gone years without ever seeing a white person. Diversity isn't so common

  16. What a lack luster video. It’s not cultural appropriation just because you use an element that just so happens to be from another culture. Guess what? Cultures can overlap. Take me for example. I’m a very culturally diverse person. I’m white. But my family has lived in Africa for hundreds of years. My culture is made up of various African and European elements.

    For ex. I speak with an African but British sounding accent. The everyday language I use is made up of bits of Afrikaans, zulu and English. In fact my family is from various parts of Africa. Africa is my culture even though I’m white. When I go over seas go to places like America. There is a huge culture shock between my family and the white Americans. Why? Because I grew up in an African culture.

    So would you tell me what I was stealing ethic culture just because I’m white. Even though those ethic elements are blended into my culture as it is? In the real world cultures blend and overlap into each other it doesn’t make it stealing or whatever. If you tried this argument with anyone in real life. Especially in Africa. You’d be punched in the face.

    Honstly world culture isn’t as cut and dry as you may think. There isn’t this divide between cultures. Cultures overlap and mix and bred new hybrid cultures.

    And just for the record. I don’t care what colour the led of the movie is. Because that’s called racism.

  17. Are you telling me that my German town is not allowed to have it's yearly Lantern Fest because it's cultural appropriation? It's a festival that has been done in my town for a long time. But here we go again with an American telling other cultures what is appropriate for them to do or not. Geez you must love Trump.

  18. God damnit another sjw I thought this was a good gonna be a conspiracy theory not a girl whining about a movie being racist like come on.

  19. Yeah well she's evil. It's not racist to give a villian those features, it's a literary device. Because Rapunzel is the hero, the physical contrast between her and Gothel contributes to the story. Pale skin is also a literary device used to depict coldness. It doesn't have to mean anything more than that. Heros don't have to look like Rapunzel, and villains don't have to look like Gothel. Heck, Gothel could just as easkly be white. And her traits don't make her the villian she is in her movie. She does that herself. This is just one example of Disney using these stereotypes to get the idea across quickly. It may be lazy of them, but that's all it is. Go find another way to get offended plz

  20. The asian looking guy? You mean the fat bald dude with the rosy cheeks? He's a viking. I figured that out by observing that he's surrounded by other vikings.

  21. I subscribed for your harry potter video, didn’t realize you made this kind of content.

  22. Bullshit God so many of your videos are just searching to be offended by things that aren't even happening.

  23. Hmm, I've seen videos with horrible like to dislike ratios, but a complete 50/50 split is pretty rare…

  24. … Wasn't Gothel drawn to look like Cher? And she's not ugly, even if you take things like personal preference when it comes to looks in the film the whole reason WHY she has Rapunzel is so she can stay young and beautiful.

  25. Wow I’ve always thought Tangled was set in Spain, Then I think that if they wanted to portray Germany they did a terrible job

  26. It's set in medieval Germany. Not every movie has to fit an agenda. There's no conspiracy behind it. Get over it.

  27. Hey, so Tangled has a TV show, and in that TV show there's actually a diverse cast and explanations to some traits that are/aren't specific to Coronians. For example: in one of the shorts for the show Rapunzel talks about her freckles and why she loves them, and one of the reasons is freckles are an uncommon trait in Corona. Which tells us a lot. The fact that they don't have freckles, and most of the backround characters that are native to Corona are pale, could tell us that the climate is significantly colder. This would also make sense because throughout the series, there's wind blowing a lot, lack of sweating, and deathly cold blizzards. Infact, I don't think we actually see a character sweat due to heat until AFTER leaving Corona. Which means the likely hood of coloured people naturally being there would be little to none. Of course this doesn't mean there aren't ANY coloured people, it just wouldn't be natural due to their climate, meaning they'd have to move there. Which is a normal thing! 🙂 Like, Lance for example. It's revealed that Eugene had a partner in crime when he was younger named Lance who is dark skinned. There's also a blacksmith, a sheriff, as well as some guards who a darker skinned. (I don't wanna over load you with too many names XD) As well as many other characters that (some of which interact with the main cast more than once and have episodes surrounding them) could be considered many other ethnicities, one of which Asian. Rapunzel's hair colour being blonde actually also makes a lot of sense XD. If you look at the size of her mother when she drinks the flower and compare that to another pregnant woman, she's around the same size when baby's hair begins to form. So with the flower being magical, it only seems natural that her hair could be used as a way to channel it because she was still FORMING. A cool thing about Mother Gothel is the dress she wears throughout the film. It's a dress from the Renaissance. Taking context clues from the movie, she's probably a woman from that time era and kept herself alive for many, many years. So that could explain why her hair is the way it is, as well as her physical features. Because hair like that was common back then. Sorry, I'm a Tangled nut XD and I just felt this would give a further explanation that could hopefully play a part next time you do an analysis on this film. Because while it could be as you said, I don't really see it that way. But everyone has their own opinions :3. It's not our place to judge them, I just wanted to give some insight I have on this. Although for all I know you could've watched the show XD

  28. As a black guy stfu stop calling us people of color 2 like you said it’s a movie I don’t care who’s in it 3 Laterns are from multiple place then you stereotype and say it’s a Asian thing 4 the “Asian guy” name the last fat Asian you saw how is he a stereotype you sound dumb white light with dark hair racist stfu I hate white people get off other cultures dick is not about what’s right to whites like you you just wanna virtue signal to all your white friends your like the kid in school who knew a lot about one thing so if anyone spoke on that thing youd have to but in and correct them

  29. Okay, I am just seeing this video now. I watched part two as well, but didn't finish, because just the beginning concerned me. I am unsure if all that 'support' you were talking about is referred to this video, but if, I see non of it. No lie, 100% of the comments I read are calling bullshit on your nitpicking with facts. While your 'arguments' seem weak. It feels like you haven't done a good job on research, which is essential if you wanna criticize a movie for cultural appropriation.

  30. goes into comments section of my fifth feminists' video today to tell her she's looking for reasons to be offended

  31. Fuck shoe horned representation. Give me a movie set in a place and time where there were no white people. Then do Indian then Eskimo then Mongolian then go back to white fairy tales for a bit.

  32. I was born with curly hair (very curly) and olive skin, and yet I'm white. XD. Germans and other Europeans can look different; there's no one look, really. Blond hair and blue eyes may be common, but my German heritage gave me curly/thick hair and brown eyes XD. Also I don't agree with your racial coding thing. POCs weren't in Germany at the time, either. Hon, I don't think Tumblr is the best source.

  33. it's medieval Germany how can you nitpick this much

    there is actual racism in media, how do you have the energy to fixate on this harmless bullshit???? you really risk turning people away from legitimate social justice concerns.

  34. I've never seen Gothel as any particular race as it doesn't matter, I always thought she was a beautiful but horrible person.

  35. I understand what you're saying about the dichotomy between beautiful, white featured Rapunzel vs. evil, ethnically featured Gothel. However, I would like to say that I, too, noticed Gothel looked different, and I distinctly remember thinking, Wow, she's so beautiful, what a chilling villain. I also remember thinking about how her thick hair and high cheekbones made me love her almost unconsciously, because those features are similar to the features of women who have been mother figures to me. If Gothel had been just another white villain, I don't think I would have appreciated her as much. Also, she would have been, like, just another white villain. We don't really need more of those.

  36. You do realize that Europe was originally ethnically white right? That's why when you come to Poland or any other country that believes in their tradition, rather then cultural suicide you'll mostly see, oh shock! white people. We always were there, and unlike you, we didn't steal our lands from anybody. This made up a country is placed in medieval Europe, you dumbass.

  37. Whilst I do agree ‘ambiguous oriental’ villains are a problem, let’s not neglect the villains that have exaggerated white features – ei a piggy nose, no lips(on women) a chubby face and bulging eyes – ei Krewella, Ezma, Queen of hearts, Ursula And that guy from Pokehuntas..

    And let’s not forget about beautiful characters with ‘non aryan’ features – Esmeralda, Pokehuntas, Jasmin, Tiana, Meg and Mulan. And that chick from treasure planet. Even Lilos sister is considered hot but fans. Even some white princesses have features that arnt that typical aryan – Auroras nose and Meridas round face.

    The deeper problem might be having our villains be ugly and our protagonists be pretty. Could be argued that villains look more interesting because they are more interesting characters so it gives the artists more material to work with. Pixar characters have diverse main character designs because the villain is usually within the main character.

    also search ‘Looks theory’ and mouth breather syndrome – this apples to ALL RACES – a women that has correct breathing will have a defined jaw line and a turned up facial profile – even if they have a large nose genetically from being a certain race, their face will still be turned up and aesthetically pleasing – e.g how jazmine, Pokahuntss and Esmerald look from a side angle.

    Suffering from mouth breather syndrome can cause facial anomaly’s – causing the jaw to recess, the forehead to petrude and nose to be hooked. This occurs across all races – sometimes they have long face syndrome – they typically have a longer and hooked nose (like Jaffa’s) or they have a recessed small jaw and a ‘piggy’ nose (like the step sisters). You can look this up it’s an actual orthodontic syndrome.

    It is problematic when people with atypical facial profiles due to mouth breathing (what society calls ugly) are depicted as the villains and those with orthodontically correct jaws are considered good.

  38. Look, I’ll be frank, I don’t see why a movie with a mostly or all white cast of characters is all that bad. I mean, black panther has a large black cast of characters, but you don’t see people saying that it’s racism. Also if you pay attention, the world of repunzel looks pretty European. The whole issue with movies and not having enough diversity in them is just dumb to me. Now I’m not trying to say that movies can’t have a racially diverse cast, but if I made a movie about mid evil Europe and put a black man in there, unless it was a fantasy movie, would not make a whole lot of sense. Also, that man you called Asian, was it because of the eyes? Because if it was then you too are racially profiling that man. Who’s to say that some white guys have eyes like that, also he had big cheeks soooo, yea. Now look, I’m not trying to be mean or say that your opinion is wrong, I’m just pointing some things out and giving my own opinion. This is the internet, where we are all free to say what we want ( within reason ). Anyway, if anyone reads this, thank you, and please know that everyone is equal and please keep a open mind to both sids of an argument.

  39. My take-away from this video: The American idea of "white" as presented in this video is FAR narrower than what we think of as white here in Europe. You're referring to "white" as specifically Germanic and/or Nordic here. That's very very narrow. Gothel looks white from my European perspective. She's just done as a fairytale witch.

  40. imagine someone trying to educate you on how pc a movie is when they cant even get the year it was released correct

  41. Ok so I'd mother gothel is supposed to Jewish (based on presumptions of looks alone) are we dismissing Flynn rider- or as his real name is Eugene Fitserburt.. I dont think there are any antisemitic ideas. Gothel just happens to have dark hair.

  42. All these people ripping on you for using Tumblr as a source failing to refute you with their own source. Hmmmm.

    This video was really intriguing, keep it up. Even when i feel like you may get stuff wrong, these are still very interesting poignant things to bring up. Thank you.

  43. Folks are really pissy in the comments of this video…clearly a nerve was struck here

  44. I'm happy to see your update in the description. It's alright, I believed the stuff about Gothel for a while too. I do agree that there should have been more characters of colour, you're still right on that one. It would be interesting if you revisited this film in the future! It's one of my favourite Disney films.

  45. I know I must be ridiculously over-simplifying this, as you're far cleverer than me. I did hear that Walt Disney himself was quite the antisemite.

  46. I always though Corona seemed to draw slightly from some later romantic era imagery of Albion and Camelot, but I may be projecting as a Celtic kid. But of course Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Arabian Peninsula were so intertwined politically and economically since at least the time of the Roman Empire, the idea of an all white medival Europe is laughable, even for somewhere as geographically isolated as the British isles. Its obvious we’ve always be a multicultral world. I find it especially interesting when you look into things like comparative mythology and folklore and see just how far spread fairytails like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast are, how many countries have their own versions, and how that spread must have been created by human migration

  47. No Arendale is based on Norway in the 18th century and Corona is based on Germany and Poland in the 18th Century. So given that why are people complaining that its so white?
    Cultral Apporeation (I am Dslyexic Yes I under the irony if that is misspelled) is bunk. I live in New York City the ulitimate melting pot of melting pots. If there is no cultral apperiation I could not have the pizza I had for lunch today as I am not Italian.
    Wait Rupunzel is part of Grimms Fairy tales that as German as you can get why would we set rupunzel in Thailand?
    You are complaing about Cultral Aproperation in a kids movie is nothing off limits from the appartent sin of actually partating in something outside of your own culture.
    Wait Gothel is anti semtic as a Jew I want to hear this cause her clothes and name just came from Gothic Age. Then again it is rupunzel What the ideal Ayran girl looks like before the hair cut.

  48. I have a question. In different cultures, there are traditional ways of depicting a heroine as beautiful. Since I live in Europe and I am a bit familiar with Asian cultures (Japanese most of the time), often it's: fair, pale, white, rosy cheeks… How much do we know about the cultures where this isn't a beauty standard or even how an average young woman might look? Btw, I think that Gothel looks very interesting and beautiful. Some people even believe that she's Meg after Hercules. xD

  49. Edit: I really like your Videos but I feel like you didn't educate yourself well enough on the original fairy tale / German & Austrian culture before making this video.

    In germany and austria we have St Martins … a lantern festival.
    While they don't float (children carry them around town) I think it's not wrong to maybe see it as a spinn on that (of course influenced by other cultures).
    It's quite a big deal for children especially and when I saw the movie, that's what I thought of.

    As a black/mixed person in Austria I am aware that we've been around for a long time (ever since the romans)
    But in very small numbers, it's not comparable to the US.

    Setting the story in Thailand would have had much more of a representation problem.
    Rapunzel is the german name of a type of lettuce and it's a big part of the original story.
    Why would it be fine to take an entire german story and set it in Thailand, but not to take an aspect of thai culture and add it to this movie while set in germany?
    (This is a rhethorical question. I know that cultural dominance plays it's part in this)

    Now; about Gothel.
    She looks a lot like my own white, austrian mother.
    With hair that I've seen on white teachers and classmates (Especially people with italian roots. And yes italians are "white")

    This video seems poorly researched and very closed minded.

    Also i'm confused about your definition of white….?

  50. How many muscles did you pull with this reach? Gothel was attractive & when I first saw the movie, I thought of Cher. Actually, if you google information about the movie/character, this was a common comparison among viewers & the people who worked on the movie actually said that Cher was a big influence for her looks as well as Donna Murphy's (voice of Gothel) facial expressions & gestures. White saviors can be just as irritating as bigots.

  51. I agree with your point about needing more diversity in Disney movies. All your other points in this video are kind of garbage. There is nothing racially charged about Tangled. It's a fairy tale with no political agenda. White guilt benefits no one.

  52. I don't really know why, but I used to make paper lanterns like those in elementary school and I live in Norway

  53. Tangled the series takes steps to correct the overwhelming whiteness of the movie, there's a mainstay black character named Lance and several other little cameo roles, and in the second season there's an Asian character who i love.

  54. White people talking about racism. Talk about it when it is actually happening. I've watched a good number of your videos and when sometime it's not bullshit, sometimes it actually is. Are you just doing it for the views? If you're not doing it for the views, I suggest thinking about your arguments a little harder first before putting this out into the world. It is lazy and irresponsible to just say something so blatantly untrue.

  55. Didn't the reason for "Tangled" was, because "The Princess and the Frog" was a 2D animation and not a computer generated one…?
    I really doubt that the title was a genuine issue here…

  56. 1. gothel looks pretty white to me & there are white people with curly hair?? + its so curly bc its meant to be a aontrast to rapunzels straight hair 2. im germany and honestly, even now i rarely see people of color anywhere & I've moved a lot so ive lived in huge cities and small towns but so far I've only gotten to know a single asian girl and a single black girl and a few turkish people. & i dont really think a tumbr blog is an accurate source for anything ever. corona is, despite being a fictional kingdom, meant to be in germany and there just really werent many poc around. the island in moana is also fictional and no ones questioning where its supposed to be, or complaining that there werent enough white people
    3. this isnt hate at all though & i realize this video is pretty old so like, im just stating my opinions & i usually love your channel & all your videos but this seems like a bit of a stretch to me

  57. Is it any wonder this video has a nearly equal ratio of like and dislike? I have no kids, none are on the way, and people like you make me even less inclined to populate this world. I wouldn't ever want to give life to anyone if there is the slightest possibility they may be exposed to the likes of you. I'm glad I could listen to your rambles, and find them a hoot. And your opinions amuse me tremendously.

    Post statement, I say this on grounds of an Aspie. I think deep thoughts, but once in a while I like to turn my brain off and get lost in music, lost in paintings, lost in my own dreams. There's simply no way to win, is there?

  58. Gothel’s name is German though so she’s still totally white in my book.
    Luckily the TV spin off has a pretty diverse cast, including having a black character become one of the most prominent supporting cast members.
    Now if only Disney Channel would stop neglecting its airtime…

  59. Ok..

    That Jewish erasure video? About Corpse Bride and the other by the same Director?

    Agreed. That one had merit.


    No. Really not.

    Yeah, Mother Gothel was probably A Jewish Witch- Mach'Shefa.


    We are talking mid ages Germany here.

    Most people have no Idea that Gypsies were already a thing.

    That Said Gypsies originated in India.. among places.

    People don't know that merchants to and from Africa were a thing.

    They do know..

    That Jews were a minority that was portrayed as the faces of Witches

    Blood plots? Started in Germany.

    So *In A German Fairytale the Witch was Jewish.. SHOCKER!!*😐

    She looks like Susan Serendon.

    Her voice.

    So.. yeah.

    So much bullshit here.

  60. She says "It would have been cool if this was set in Thailand" as though if it had been set in Thailand she wouldn't have just been sat her complaining that it was set in Thailand lollllll Thank you, next.

  61. It might be because in my country (Brazil) there is no established stereotype of Jewish appearence, but while watching Tangled, I always kind of assumed mother Gothel's features looked kinda Arabic, or Gypsy .

  62. geez, i’m cool with social justice and stuff but you’re reaching far too hard girl. being critical of media is great, but with this film it ain’t that deep.

  63. Esmeralda, a forgotten Disney Princess, has those features. She is stunning and I’ll always remember her and The Hunchback of Notre Dam.

  64. Just read the description and yeah,

    Sorry Tangled, guess you're racist even if you don't intend to be.

  65. Here in Brasil, Flyn Rider was voiced for a TV host caled Luciano Hulk, who constantly afirms the pride for being jew (unfornately he is a suporter of the political righ wing of our country).
    Sadly, it was a case of casting a celebrity only as a cheap form of marketing, and his performance is therrible.
    It would been soooo much better if they casted an actual actor to voice Flynn, and Brasil have a lot of famous jewish actor, so we wouldn't have an excuse for lack of representation. And the other tragedy of this is that are racists who will blame the fact of casting a jew for the failure in the voice acting, instead of considering that a TV host without acting talent was cast.

  66. Being Jewish does not make you a person of colour, Judaism is a religion and not a race, while there are stereotypical phenotypes (keyword STERYOTYPICAL) associated with Jewish people. This is partially due to the FALSE belief that Judaism is a racial group, an idea that was used to oppress Jewish people. While many anti-semitic steryotypical depictions have been incorporated in antagonistic archetypes, this does not mean that these anti-semitic ideas are true because they have been detached from their roots and very few people know the origin. This is the result of ignorance and not "racism", when offensive stereotypes are applied to those outside of its target they meant to compare someone to the target in a negative way this is a reflection of the attitude towards the group rather than the implication that the person is in the group.

  67. Wow, good on you for dealing with the amount of bs in the comments. Just so many people misinterpreting what you’re saying and ignoring context and making thoughtless, hypocritical counter-arguments, just… why, people, why?

Leave a Reply
