# Is 'Song of the South' racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 28, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-song-of-the-south-racist/617006 "2012-03-28T01:41:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-song-of-the-south-racist/617006/21 "2012-03-29T13:02:22Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > While this is true I think it can, and has, been argued that post-Civil War sharecropping was slavery, just by another name. By idiots. No doubt to someone sitting in a nice office, hardscrabble ag work for barely enough to live sounds “like” slavery. Heck, the term has even been given to those working in those nice offices or have you not heard 'wage-slave"? Work was similar, yes. But Master couldn’t beat you, rape your daughters, or sell your sons. Free and poor is a LOT better than slave and poor. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-song-of-the-south-racist/617006/22 "2012-03-29T13:41:19Z")
In some ways I actually found _The Help_ more racist. Hattie McDaniel played a mammy character in _Song of the South_, a surprisingly small role for somebody who had won an Oscar playing a similar (though much better written) character several years before. Octavia Spencer won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing another sassy rotund black domestic last month. While I wasn’t wild about the movie and _hated_ the book I am a huge fan of Octavia Spencer’s and don’t dispute she’s an Oscar worthy talent at all, but the role itself I found very ironic. And poor Cicely Tyson: she’s a mega talented actress (though she has a “hard to work with” reputation), but she must be so damned sick and tired of playing maids. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-song-of-the-south-racist/617006/23 "2012-03-29T15:41:47Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > In some ways I actually found _The Help_ more racist. > > Hattie McDaniel played a mammy character in _Song of the South_, a surprisingly small role for somebody who had won an Oscar playing a similar (though much better written) character several years before. Octavia Spencer won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing another sassy rotund black domestic last month. While I wasn’t wild about the movie and _hated_ the book I am a huge fan of Octavia Spencer’s and don’t dispute she’s an Oscar worthy talent at all, but the role itself I found very ironic. > > And poor Cicely Tyson: she’s a mega talented actress (though she has a “hard to work with” reputation), but she must be so damned sick and tired of playing maids. Of course, Hattie herself always said “Playing a maid sure pays a lot better than BEING one.” ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-song-of-the-south-racist/617006/24 "2012-03-29T16:10:29Z")
I find it kind of odd and interesting that Disney would chose characters (albeit non-controversial characters from the animated portion) from _Song of the South_ to be the main themeing for it’s _Splash Mountain_ ride at it’s themeparks. Usually they want a tight marketing link between ride themes, movies, and merchandise. How did they manage to theme a multi-million dollar ride based on characters from a film that they won’t let anyone see? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-song-of-the-south-racist/617006/25 "2012-03-29T19:45:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > By idiots. [Here are several of those idiots.](http://www.slaverybyanothername.com/pbs-film/) Some other idiots discussed the idea over [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=642064) > [@Hampshire](#): > > ``` > I find it kind of odd and interesting that Disney would chose characters (albeit non-controversial characters from the animated portion) from Song of the South to be the main themeing for it's Splash Mountain ride at it's themeparks. > > ``` > > Usually they want a tight marketing link between ride themes, movies, and merchandise. How did they manage to theme a multi-million dollar ride based on characters from a film that they won’t let anyone see? At the time the ride was unveiled, _Song of the South_ hadn’t been locked away in the vaults. In fact, the opening of Splash Mountain was timed to coincide with re-release of the film (as it happened, the last re-release) in 1986. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-song-of-the-south-racist/617006/26 "2012-03-29T19:55:33Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [Here are several of those idiots.](http://www.slaverybyanothername.com/pbs-film/) Those “idiots” were talking about convict labor, not share cropping. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-song-of-the-south-racist/617006/27 "2012-03-29T20:09:08Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Those “idiots” were talking about convict labor, not share cropping. I was thinking of it more in term of “treatment of blacks after the Civil War,” but the distinction is noted. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-song-of-the-south-racist/617006/28 "2012-03-29T20:45:43Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I was thinking of it more in term of “treatment of blacks after the Civil War,” but the distinction is noted. OK. And just to be especially clear, this is the original claim that **DrDeth** was responding to: > [@](#): > > While this is true I think it can, and has, been argued that post-Civil War sharecropping was slavery, just by another name. Emphasis added. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-song-of-the-south-racist/617006/29 "2012-03-29T23:32:29Z")
Okay, okay - you’re right, the snark was misplaced. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-song-of-the-south-racist/617006.md?page=1)