​​NEW YORK—Standing before a crowd of millennials, Gen Xers, and baby boomers, members of Generation Z announced at a press conference Wednesday that actress Julie Andrews was problematic, but they refused to explain why. “You know what she did—you just don’t want to admit it,” said Gen Z spokesperson Taylor Collaco,…
  • rwhitisissle@lemy.lolEnglish
    1220·
    9 months ago

    The original novel had a racist element to the chimney sweeps. The film departs from that, but its source material is about as racist for what you would expect of a novel from that time period. There was some minor controversy where some English professor accused the film of racism: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mary-poppins-racist/

    That said, I refuse to ever say anything that might be construed as defending racism in any form, and suggesting that a work of art exists as a cultural artifact of often contested ideological beliefs of the time and place it was created, possessing creative merits independent of its source material or even particular one-off attributes that may have aged poorly when viewed in the light of contemporary discourse, comes dangerously close to outright apologia in the eyes of your more insufferable pearl clutchers on the internet.

    So, yeah, Mary Poppins is definitely racist. Why? Well, it’s not my job to educate you, that’s why.

    • LilB0kChoy@midwest.socialEnglish
      13·
      9 months ago

      Do you realize the whole second paragraph of your comment is one sentence…

      (the extra . are in case you need them)

          • rwhitisissle@lemy.lolEnglish
            25·
            9 months ago

            No, but he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1998 and his writing style emphasizes famously long sentences, some of them stretching for pages.

              • rwhitisissle@lemy.lolEnglish
                27·
                9 months ago

                Eh, you’ll probably like him once you read him. They teach his books a lot in high school English, so you’ll maybe get some exposure in…I’m gonna guess 5 years or so.

                • LilB0kChoy@midwest.socialEnglish
                  7·
                  9 months ago

                  Passive aggressiveness, nice!

                  I won’t be reading his works, mostly because I prefer authors that use proper English grammar.

                  Buck up kiddo, you’ll get ‘em next time!

                  • rwhitisissle@lemy.lolEnglish
                    25·
                    9 months ago

                    Passive aggressiveness, nice!

                    That’s not passive aggressiveness; it’s condescension. Passive aggressiveness would be like hiding a spouse’s favorite condiments after an argument or intentionally being late to a meeting with someone you don’t like. It’s being indirectly mean or hurtful. I’m very direct, by comparison.

                    I won’t be reading his works, mostly because I prefer authors that use proper English grammar.

                    A truly fascinating hill to die on. I’m gonna bet you’re a BIG Brandon Sanderson and J. K. Rowling fan. Maybe a little Stephen King if you want to be adventurous.