Disney apologizes for cheer routine

[dcassetta]

They had to know this would not go over well...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/d...e-scalp-em-routine-at-disney-world/ar-AAVfs7i

 

[robinb]

I’m not sure what you would expect them to do when the school changed their routine from their audition tape.

 

[RedAngie]

Disney’s mistake was inviting a group called the “Indianettes” to perform. Right off the bat they shooda known there’d be something offensive, starting with the name.

 

[DisneyOma]

Disney’s mistake was inviting a group called the “Indianettes” to perform. Right off the bat they shooda known there’d be something offensive, starting with the name.

Except they slipped by with an audition tape that did not reflect what they actually planned to do - pretty sneaky on the school's part. I'd love it if they never got invited back to WDW because of that sly trick.

 

[RedAngie]

Except they slipped by with an audition tape that did not reflect what they actually planned to do - pretty sneaky on the school's part. I'd love it if they never got invited back to WDW because of that sly trick.

I understand that, but their name alone should have raised red flags with Disney and not been invited.

Even without the offensive chant, some would have taken offense with the group. Best to avoid potential problems.

 

[nw6675]

I understand that, but their name alone should have raised red flags with Disney and not been invited.

Even without the offensive chant, some would have taken offense with the group. Best to avoid potential problems.

This and that someone at Disney asked them to remove their headdresses before performing.

 

[goofyernmost]

I understand that, but their name alone should have raised red flags with Disney and not been invited.

Even without the offensive chant, some would have taken offense with the group. Best to avoid potential problems.

Hell, someone would take offense of anything. Not everything is offensive it depends on the context. Indians are a very badly treated culture and part of this country and now we don't even want the name mentioned because we think there is something wrong with being Indian (defined as native Americans) or we just don't want to be reminded of the way they were robbed of the their land, persecuted and slaughtered by the righteous. The problem came from the chanting not the name, and in many cases they have a legitimate right to be angry. Disney cannot control that nor do they necessarily have a right too.

 

[Jangles]

Hell, someone would take offense of anything. Not everything is offensive it depends on the context. Indians are a very badly treated culture and part of this country and now we don't even want the name mentioned because we think there is something wrong with being Indian (defined as native Americans) or we just don't want to be reminded of the way they were robbed of the their land, persecuted and slaughtered by the righteous. The problem came from the chanting not the name, and in many cases they have a legitimate right to be angry. Disney cannot control that nor do they necessarily have a right too.

Did you watch the video until the end?

 

[RedAngie]

Hell, someone would take offense of anything. Not everything is offensive it depends on the context. Indians are a very badly treated culture and part of this country and now we don't even want the name mentioned because we think there is something wrong with being Indian (defined as native Americans) or we just don't want to be reminded of the way they were robbed of the their land, persecuted and slaughtered by the righteous. The problem came from the chanting not the name, and in many cases they have a legitimate right to be angry. Disney cannot control that nor do they necessarily have a right too.

Disney asked them not to wear their feathered headpieces. They foresaw that there would be a problem with this group.

Big mistake in inviting them to begin with.

 

[cjlong88]

Hell, someone would take offense of anything. Not everything is offensive it depends on the context. Indians are a very badly treated culture and part of this country and now we don't even want the name mentioned because we think there is something wrong with being Indian (defined as native Americans) or we just don't want to be reminded of the way they were robbed of the their land, persecuted and slaughtered by the righteous. The problem came from the chanting not the name, and in many cases they have a legitimate right to be angry. Disney cannot control that nor do they necessarily have a right too.

We shouldn’t name school and athletic team mascots after a race or group of people. And if a school is still clinging to the name, they are still clinging to the school song, attire, and cheers that belong to that culture.

I taught at a school with this exact same problem, and it was horrible how so many were A-Okay allowing us to continue to call ourselves the Indians and use all of those stereotypical elements that white people tie to the culture of indigenous peoples. The name isn’t some standalone thing with zero context attached to it.

 

[goofyernmost]

I admit it was inappropriate to have chanted what was chanted and what I am saying is that the last time I looked Disney didn't have a mind reader on staff. My remarks were directed at the fact that the name Indianette's should have been an alarm that something like that would happen. It is just a name of the band and not meant to be offensive to anything by itself and thinking that they should have not been invited because something with Indian in the name would be automatically ready to offend. That is also racism and an attempt to deny the existence of that culture no matter what it is named.

 

[Jangles]

I admit it was inappropriate to have chanted what was chanted and what I am saying is that the last time I looked Disney didn't have a mind reader on staff. My remarks were directed at the fact that the name Indianette's should have been an alarm that something like that would happen. It is just a name of the band and not meant to be offensive to anything by itself and thinking that they should have not been invited because something with Indian in the name would be automatically ready to offend. That is also racism and an attempt to deny the existence of that culture no matter what it is named.

I understand what you are saying now. Thank you for explaining.

 

[goofyernmost]

Did you watch the video until the end?

Yes, and as I said the actions were inappropriate and just plain wrong. I do not approve of that at all, but I also wasn't addressing that, I was addressing the racist idea that they shouldn't have been invited because of the name or even the headdress, as far as that goes. If the show itself was high quality and didn't have that last part it would have been a tribute to a culture to be connected with it. However, they went rouge and somehow people think that Disney should have known. That part is garbage.

I know, I went to a school in the north that were nicknamed "the Rebels". Hell, we even had a confederate flag as part of the decoration. Because in those days the same logic was used to ignore the civil war out of shame, therefore we really didn't connect it to slavery. We didn't know what it really meant. The only reason we even had that name was because the city we were in started with "south" in the name and we all thought it was clever to connect it with what we thought was an innocent tradition of the south not the civil war and slavery. The very act of the "elders" at the time to prevent us from knowing about the real cause of the war made us now have to feel the shame of what was so innocently created. The same demand to block knowledge that seems to be what is being tried even today. It comes from ignorance and bigotry. Had we been aware that our use of that name and symbol would have been hurtful to people I don't think we would ever have done that. The is the importance of real knowledge.

Disney has stated that they have taken steps to insure that the embarrassment doesn't happen again. I assume that means that the band will not be back. It is just mind boggling to me that so many feel that Disney "should have known" to assume the worst because of a name. Like I said, that also is racist.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

We shouldn’t name school and athletic team mascots after a race or group of people. And if a school is still clinging to the name, they are still clinging to the school song, attire, and cheers that belong to that culture.

I taught at a school with this exact same problem, and it was horrible how so many were A-Okay allowing us to continue to call ourselves the Indians and use all of those stereotypical elements that white people tie to the culture of indigenous peoples. The name isn’t some standalone thing with zero context attached to it.

I remember... many years ago visiting a school (for some competition) that had a mascot "The Indians". They had one of those old "cigar store Indians" in the cafeteria I pray to goodness they have removed that thing by now.

This was a small school in central Illinois.

 

[monsterkitty]

Disney could have and should have removed them from the parade after the first time they got to the offensive chant.

I never had my groups audition for a Disney performance because I know the students could never afford to go and fund raisers don't go well when you teach in a very low socioeconomic area. However, I can guarantee there is a clause about appropriate performances and consequences. Heck, we even had this clause in our "contract" for the school talent show.

 

[ashley0139]

I’m not sure what you would expect them to do when the school changed their routine from their audition tape.

Disney knew what they were about. This is a video of them performing at Disney in 2016. They didn't need to be mind readers.

 

[RedAngie]

It’s usually those who are OK with offensive stereotypes who call others racist for raising concerns about the name of a group.

They absolutely should have been banned with a name like Indianettes.

Stuff that in your pipe and smoke it.

 

[serenitynow]

And the school should be banned from any further appearances

 

[DisneyOma]

It’s usually those who are OK with offensive stereotypes who call others racist for raising concerns about the name of a group.

They absolutely should have been banned with a name like Indianettes.

Stuff that in your pipe and smoke it.

Hopefully this isn't directed at me, since I was an active member of our community that managed to get our own stereotype mascot (also a Native American reference) removed from our local high school. From what others have posted, which I didn't know about, Disney should have indeed been refusing to let them march. I don't think Disney can be the ones to state all Native American references need to be appropriate until they deal with scenes in Peter Pan first, though, as that would be a double standard, don't you think?

 

[robinb]

Disney knew what they were about. This is a video of them performing at Disney in 2016. They didn't need to be mind readers.

There was no chants or over exaggerated and stereotypical "indian" moves in that video. At worst, they were guilty of cultural appropriation.

What they did at WDW this week went WAY beyond those cringy fringe outfits and headdresses they were asked to remove. What they did was disgusting. They should be ashamed of themselves, but they probably are not. And THAT makes me saddest of all.