It starts with the bears. But this will escalate to other animals.
Do we want to live in a country where a horse can’t walk into a bar? A grasshopper? A duck? A baby seal?
It would be a humorless society indeed.
Given the article linked in the OP was pretty bogus, I’m wondering if Disney at any point seriously claimed that the slut slur was ever used against alcoholics, because that would be a truly weak claim. Of course it’s an anti-Black slur, and of course Disney is not going to be too worried about what the Alcoholic-American Community thinks in any case. I’m just shocked that a character by that name existed in the Year Of Our Lord 2024; first I’d heard of it. Good riddance.
Now, I have heard of an old Disney character whose name really was a slur against alcoholics as well as the Irish – “Blossom-Nose Murphy,” from America Sings, which closed down in the 80s.
Judging by the Country Bear-related merchandise available over the years, yes, Liver Lips was one of the more popular and well-known characters in the show. Only Big Al, who sang “Blood on the Saddle,” would have been more popular, I’d guess. Liver Lips sang a Tex Ritter song: “My Woman Ain’t Pretty (But She Don’t Swear None)”.
Liver Lips was not, by appearance or vocal qualities, ‘coded black’. None of the characters in the show were, which is, sadly, vintage Disney.
Anyway, this thread has educated me about racist slang–pretty horrifying, but knowing is better than not knowing.
Apparently he used to be a McGraw instead of a McGrowl.
And could this be his politely-spoken woman in the blue shirt?
That does seem to be what the 2003 recording said.
(The person wearing the bear costume in the second clip did a great job–very chipper and expressive despite what had to be extreme heat inside that costume!)