We’ve had this discussion many times. Despite what one book you like says, it’s really fucking racist. It’s set during the the Reconstruction. They might not be slaves but at best they are sharecroppers on the plantation where they were slaves. And they are so gosh darn happy to be working for their “former” masters. Every black person in the film exists to make the white people happier. I hate to use the word but they have no agency. Every black character oozes subservience to white people. Remus (who undoubtedly was a former slave) was subservient to a little kid because he was white.
Then there was the introduction right before Zippity *Do Dah. “*Now, this here tale didn’t happen just yesterday, nor the day before. 'Twas a long time ago. And in them days, everything was mighty satisfactual. The critters, they was closer to the folks, and the folks, they was closer to the critters, and if you’ll excuse me for saying so, 'twas better all around.” Yep things are looking pretty rosey during the Reconstruction but things were better all around before. Said no black people ever.
It’s not like it’s only racist looking back with 2025 eyes. It was called racist at the time by the people it affected.
Slight hijack: I watched “Dukes of Hazard” when I was young, and painted right on the hood of the “General Lee” is the stars and bars, yet even recall circa 1990 my friend taping the “stars and bars” to his cars antenna (this is in New York) and there was no secessionist or racism meant, and IIRC none was taken. Do that now and it’s exactly what you mean.
In the UK, Nationalists have co-opted the flag of England (a very simple red cross). It used to be some representation of England the country, now it’s hatred of immigration (and anything else the extreme right don’t like).
< / hijack> (Yet there was a Dukes of Hazard movie that might apply?)
When the series portrayed the origins of the General Lee, the car immediately showcased its iconic design. In the opening of the film, the design of the General is rather different, with a crudely styled 01 on the doors and missing the Confederate flag and name above the windows. When Cooter restores the General after it is vandalized by Boss Hogg’s associates, the classic design is applied.
eta: and to be accurate, The term “Confederate flag” most commonly refers to the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, a rectangular design with a red background, blue saltire, and white stars
Anatomy of a Murder: solid bit of true crime courtroom drama, but ruined by the female lead (to the extent she could be called a lead) being a victim of rape who is re-victimized by her abusive husband, and yet written and portrayed as a dimwitted floozy and a harlot who either literally asked for it… or was totally asking for it.
I’ll try again, as it seems I didn’t make myself clear:
• You say that women where “taught ‘to play hards to get’” in gthe mid century
• I say that this wasn’t the case. They were told by there mothers that they shouldn’t be “easy.”
• I then say that ‘playing hard to get’ gives off connotations of women as prick teasers etc. as used by incels the past few decades (since the term didn’t exsist back in the 1930’-50’s; the sentiment probably did, albeit not brought into the public discourse
Or, in other words - using the phrase “playing hard to get” is and was problematic. And it was not something women were taught; being taught to not “put out” is certainly different from being taught “playing hard to get.” The latter implies that the way to catch the desirable man, a woman has to resort to playing games.
So, in short, I am actually criticising your usage of the term.
ETA: Dang, I should’ve dug out my reading glasses. Typo-typhoon.
One persons experiences does not mean another persons experiences are wrong.
Sure, which is why it is no longer used, and hasnt been for well over 50 years. There are terms that were in common usage in the 1950s that are no longer used.
I agree- that term is now a thing of the past and shouldnt be used anymore, except in a historical context.
Mary Poppins still has the problem that the mother’s silly little distraction that keeps her from taking proper care of her family is women’s suffrage!
Well, too much of anything at the expense of the children is not a good thing. Too much work or too much of a crusade- even if both were for a good cause.
And there is a serious movie about that, called A World Apart, which manages not to make light of the “good cause.”
There’s even a song in Mary Poppins where Mrs. Banks says it was a “good day,” because Mrs. Pankhurst got herself locked in irons, which of course, misses the whole point of the Suffragette movement, albeit, it does make it clear that Mrs. Banks is a Suffragette, the most militant of those seeking women’s suffrage in England (and therefore one who will be the most occupied by this “hobby”).
I don’t see that as a “woke” issue. But in truth I’m only picking that up in order to make this boast: I have a very unusual surname - if you share my name you are almost certainly related to me. On that basis I hereby claim to be related to one of the most important figures in women’s suffrage.
It’s not a “woke” issue because it’s old and considered settled, but there are MAGATs who have talked about repealing the 19th amendment, and it’s hard to know whether they are kidding.
And unless your name is Pankhurst, I can’t guess who you are related to. The women in US suffrage all had pretty ordinary names. Stanton, Catt, Paul, Lee, Addams, Keller, Shaw, Walker, Smith-- they all had remarkably unremarkable names, except Ruza Wenclawska, a Polish immigrant, whose name may be common in Poland for all I know, and maybe Celeste Claflin, but she’s not very well-known. Inez Milholland?
I’m still going with Pankhurst, even though Google says that not all Pankhursts are related to Emmeline Pankhurst.
I’m willing to cut the Sherman Brothers some slack, seeing as they were forced to write the lyrics to “Sister Suffragette” over a single lunch break after Walt Disney assured the actress playing Mrs. Banks that they’d already written her a solo number.