I know that the entire plot is supposed to be a metaphor for race relations/white privilege/police misconduct (at least according to everyone on my social media feed), but I'm not sure I agree. Does anyone agree with the above theory? What do you think the movie represents?
shareI do think that the movie had many themes of anti prejudice, which of course could include race relations. However, there's very little evidence that the film tackles police misconduct and certainly nothing against the nonexistent nonsense known as white privilege. I wouldn't think too deeply into this one, it can work as a overall broad message against racism and the like, but any attempts at more direct metaphors are poor at best.
"If life is getting you down and needs uplifting, then please come dance with me!"
nonexistent nonsense known as white privilege
white privilege is nonexistent nonsense?? wow. I am sad just reading that. I'm an able-bodied middle aged white heterosexual cis-gender woman...and I live with so many privileges that many of them are practically invisible to me.
here's an example. I work with people, and I have to drive a lot for work. One night, I was driving with one of my clients in my car, a young black man who wasn't even 16 yet (though he was quite tall so he looked pretty mature). I got pulled over for speeding (and yes, I was guilty of that) and when the officer came to the window, my passenger turned to him and said "officer, I really don't think she was speeding. She's a good driver!" And the officer immediately tensed up and unsnapped the latch on his gun belt in case he needed to draw his weapon. He said to the kid in a loud, tense voice "put your hands on the dashboard and don't move!" Meanwhile *I* was freaking out that my client might be harmed, and MY hands were flailing all over the place, reaching behind my seat for my purse, pulling out my wallet to get my driver's license and to find my employee ID that showed I was a foster care social worker. The cop didn't even comment on MY behavior, just accepted my license and registration when I got it out of my purse and glove box. Thank god I didn't get that kid killed. I really acted stupid that night.
Do you really think it would have gone that way if I was not white? One of the privileges that i live with every day is that cops look at me and assume I'm just some soccer mom who's not likely to do anything worse than maybe speed or roll through a stop sign. The same is NOT true for my client, sadly. He was guilty of being a young black man who talked back to a police officer. :(
I'm a white straight male and I was treated like that as well once when I was pulled over. And I was being compliant and friendly.
Guess my white privilege was expired.
Well, like I said, I live with many privileges. Being white is just one of them. Being a woman, educated, able-bodied (and average looking), and having some financial stability are others. All other things being equal, a middle aged woman is far less likely to have tense interactions than the police than a man in the US. I'm not surprised to hear that you were treated worse than I was, in spite of your being white and heterosexual and compliant. And of course all situations differ.
If you had a tense interaction with the police in spite of being compliant and friendly, imagine how much worse it might have gone if you were black. And then add to that the fact that many black men already feel unsafe when dealing with the police based on past experiences, scenes of violence toward innocent black men that are all over the media, and the history of racism in the US, and I can hardly blame them if a black man ISN'T "friendly and compliant" when interacting with the police. I have a male friend who is educated, well employed, extremely law abiding, and black. He is regularly pulled over while driving because he "matches the description" of a man who committed a crime in the area. He's 6 feet tall and black. No one has ever pulled ME over because I match the description of a criminal.
Zootopia certainly has messages about discrimination and racism on a broad scale but some messages that people think are overly direct don't fully work when held against "human" historical evidence. This video might be of value to you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaJXXSaFziU
Be aware that some foul language is used so viewer discretion is strongly advised.
"Eat your vegetables." Smith ~ 'Shoot 'Em Up' (2007)
Zootopia didn't invent talking animals, Disney didn't invent them. Talking animals were used for storytelling for a long time in fables. Usually, a certain species represents a certain human characteristic, e.g. the fox is smart, the lion is strong and brave, the snake is cunning, the mouse is weak but smart. Using such a long tradition makes it easier to tell a story which can be understood by everyone, and Disney was always very successful in using such traditions.
Zootopia is still a fable and part of this tradition. Right from the beginning we are introduced to predator and prey animals. That's presenting species of animals in a traditional way.
But Zootopia is also an anti-fable. Right from the beginning the tradition of predator and prey animals is presented by children as history long gone, we learn that the animal society has overcome such opposites. Is it true? Minutes later we see a little fox beating a little bunny.
So, the storytelling of Zootopia has two legs. One leg is the traditional way of telling an animal fable, the other leg is trying to leave that tradition behind. Zootopia uses both legs to make the story progress.
Like a classic fable Zootopia even has a "moral of the story" presented at the end. But unlike a classic fable, the moral of the story is very general, it says only that we should always try to make the world a better place and "life's a bit more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker" -- that's almost saying: life's more complicated than a little animal fable with its "moral of the story".
Now, answering your question: is the plot a metaphor for xy?
In my opinion Zootopia is more than a metaphor. A metaphor, that would be a clear message wrapped into colorful paper. But as soon as you put the paper away the gift turns into a boring message -- not a gift at all. Some commentators obviously see Zootopia exactly this way. For them Zootopia is like a lame bunny hopping along on its one leg, trying to distract the predator audience from its weakness.
But if you look closer, you can see that Zootopia is more. There is fun in how the story develops in unexpected ways, there is fun in how the story moves along with its two legs -- like a bunny which is always a little bit faster than its predator audience, because with two legs it can move in unpredictable directions.
The thing that keeps this movie loved is that the metaphors for the most part do not stick well. If you wanted to look at it as a metaphor it would have to be a red pill mentality metaphor. For example we know white people world wide are a minority number wise who have a shady history. We know nonwhite people have for a long time want to move to Europe etc. The gypsies and Jews just happened to be first. You might say the predators in movie kind of carry guilt of the past. In the Song of the South there is no denying brer fox symbolizes a oppressive white man while brer rabbit would be the black man persevering. Because of this I can see why they were afraid of the tame collar version. You can also get the message not to just hate on men. Judy and Mrs Belweather symbolize women and that almost every predator is male could be able the fear of men being sexually aggressive etc. But the predators are not going after the prey public. Take it what you will.
shareIt's a general message about prejudice and not assigning traits to entire groups of people because life is not that simple. Easy enough message but sadly a lot of people need a kids movie to remind them of it and make it a talking point.
shareI agree with that, but it is not only about dismissing prejudice, it is more.
When Judy meets Nick the first time, her experience with Gideon Grey and the anxious warnings from her parents make her suspicious. Then she sees cute Finnick, dismisses her bad feelings as prejudice and helps Nick selflessly, maybe because of a guilty conscience.
Turns out: Nick really is a sly fox, he lied to her and betrayed her, she shouldn't have trusted him so easily.
So the message is not: it's so easy, throw away your prejudices and the world will be a better place.
The message is: there is no simple message what to do. Try to be open, be aware that you have prejudices and always will have, society is complicated and people can change.
That's a bit much for a kids movie, but the good thing is: if the audience must always be aware of prejudice and can't easily look through the characters, then the movie is fun to watch. And that's why Zootopia is a good movie for kids as well as grownups.
What do you think this story represents?
shareI know that the entire plot is supposed to be a metaphor for race relations/white privilege/police misconduct (at least according to everyone on my social media feed), but I'm not sure I agree.
The metaphors are everywhere, I don't see how people don't see them. But Judy literally said as she was quitting her job that police are supposed to help people, and she hurt them instead (by making her speech that reinforced prejudice and fear in the public's minds).
share