@niallsmom – I hear what you’re saying, too – and I admit, in that case, I probably wouldn’t feel bad. Why? Well, in part, because the little white girl has choices – most companies make white female dolls that she can play with – so that she knows that fairy tale heroines can look like her, too. Being white in America comes with privileges we don’t realize at all, if we’re white folks. That little girl with her backpack made me feel bad because I knew that she didn’t have the option of a herione who looked like her from Disney – only white heroines. If she had a choice – and if it was an equal choice – it wouldn’t have bothered me.

Have you ever seen the study, recently repeated, where black children of all ages and all financial backgrounds were given two dolls, a white and a black? When asked to pick a “nice” doll, a “good” doll, and a “doll you want to play with” 90% of these children picked the white doll. Because that’s what our culture tells them – white is good, white is nice – white is a princess, and black can’t be. When asked to pick the “doll that looks like you?” they all picked the black doll. The doll that was the “bad” doll, the “ugly” doll, the “mean” doll.

That video is a very useful tool to help see and experience the effect of white privilege in America – something that many of us white people really can’t and don’t see, and so we discredit its effects. But when a six year old knows that the doll that looks like her is the bad doll, I think that’s pretty undeniable.

(You can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybDa0gSuAcg)

As much as I’m not a fan of disney, they do have employment standards that they are free to set. If a prospective employee doesn’t meet all of them, or what they view to be the most important ones, they are free to hire someone else.

My friend works for a highend hotel chain in Canada and even though she never sees guests she has to abide by their appearance rules. One ring per hand, one small earing per ear, only one colour in your hair (and it can’t be wild, if you naturally have jet black hair, fine, otherwise no go) one watch or one bracelet, nylons with everything (even under pants). Their company, their rules.

This kind of behaviour doesn’t surprise me coming from Disney. (just disappoints) Apparently they are real tyrants when it comes to theme park employees. It reminds me of another story written by an ex-employee of his experiences.

http://www.lamag.com/featuredarticle.aspx?id=7016

If Disney’s reasons were indeed because of his facial hair (which is possible, because I know they have a rule against facial hair–even in their animated characters, they try to avoid it). However, Cassie’s rationale is culturally insensitive, if not racist, as are most of her posts on other topics.

I have to go with Disney on this, companies should be allowed to dictate appearance to a certain extent. They did not refuse to hire the man on question because of his skin color, it was because of his attire and personal grooming. That is not racist or dicriminatory.

Cassie, kudos to you for having the courage to stand up to the lemmings.

If a dumb redneck looking for ‘terrorists’ can’t even tell the difference between a Sikh and a Muslim, should we therefore keep anyone out of Disney who isn’t lily white in order to protect them? What a bizarre argument

“That Greek guy, hes a little dark… someone might think he’s Al Quaeda! Better not hire him for his own safety.”

Cassie is a black woman with two adopted daughter from China, one racial birth daughter and one adopted son from Thailand. My husband is caucasian so I guess that makes me racist.

Well, Disney has a right to have a dress code. I am not sure, but I think they have a rule about facial hair, or at least they do at the Disneyland in Tokyo which is the one I am most familiar with. Was the guy willing to shave off his beard, like the other men working there, and leave his turban at home? If so, then Disney is at fault for discrimination. If he refused to do that then they don’t have to hire someone that won’t follow their rules, however overly strict and maybe stupid other people think those rules are.

right on sahra.

leahsmom, what about a little blond straight haired girl toting a back pack with at browned skinned curly haired doll?

but, i hear what you are saying.

Cassie – it’s an interesting point you make. I suppose that having someone who is a Sikh could promote negative, even violent behavior on the part of overtly racist nutjobs – and that’s not something anyone wants.

However, I do question where that reasoning would lead us. For example, should Disney not hire any black people because that could make an overtly racist white person violent? That doesn’t sound as comfortable, does it? I don’t think that’s entirely what you’re saying, but it could follow from that.

I think if it were me, I’d rather take the risk and hire the guy – because people are going to have to learn to keep their nastiness to themselves in public, for one. I’d rather make a public statement that idiots who’d respond negatively aren’t welcome in the first place – than the statement that you have to be white and clean shaven and all to work for Disney.

But who am I kidding? It broke my heart yesterday to see a little girl with dark skin and a Disney backpack – featuring three princesses with long, straight hair, peach colored skin, not to mention impossible body shapes. Disney can’t feature any other races in their movies, I can’t expect them to do so in real life, now can I?

I agree with Disney on this. Their first concern is to keep the families happy and safe. You knwo some drunk redneck would have seen that turban and decided that dude was a terrorist and start shooting! Seriously, people are that stupid. Why dangle the carrot?