Why is it that people expect Disney cartoons to advance whatever agenda they personally have, despite the fact that it’s impossible to advance every ideology in a single film?
The latest blow-up is over the upcoming film Moana.
In the film, the Polynesian demi-god Maui is a significant character. Voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, he boasts powerful arms, a thick neck, and carries a massive weapon resembling a fish hook (which makes sense considering the mythology surrounding Maui).
What he lacks is six-pack abs and 10 percent body fat. And that has some people bent out of shape:
The depiction of a Polynesian character in a Disney film has prompted anger across the Pacific islands, with one New Zealand MP saying the portrayal of the god Maui as obese was “not acceptable”.
Jenny Salesa, who is of Tongan heritage, shared a picture on her Facebook account which said Disney’s rendering of Maui in the film Moana resembled a creature that was “half pig, half hippo”.
“When we look at photos of Polynesian men & women from the last 100-200 years, most of our people were not overweight and this negative stereotype of Maui is just not acceptable — No thanks to Disney,” Salesa wrote.
According to 2014 data from the World Health Organisation nine of the ten most obese nations in the world are Pacific Islands.
Samoan professional rugby player Eliota Fuimanono Sapolu also expressed his disgust at Disney’s portrayal of Maui, writing on Facebook that “Maui looking like after he fished up the Islands, he deep fried em and ate em”.
Oh, for crying out loud. Seriously?
First, let’s think about the fact that while this may not be the most flattering portrayal of Polynesian culture, it’s also not insulting when the WHO points out the heaviest nations tend to be Polynesian. The reality is many Polynesian men are actually built like this. Yes — this includes strong, powerful people.
Plus, isn’t “fat shaming” always supposed to be bad, lefties? A somewhat hefty, powerful minority like Maui should be a Social Justice Warrior’s dream character. Yes, he’s male. But he’s the sidekick to the more svelte Polynesian title character.
Between the two of them, they check off all the boxes on the equal opportunity character checklist.
Don’t they?
Which really points out the important thing here. You can never make SJWs happy.
Some group is going to be bent out of shape about how you try to tell your story, however you tell it. So don’t sweat it.
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