Disney? Didn't hire Jews for decades. Disney? Met with Leni Riefenstahl after Triumph of the Will when no one else would. Disney? Per The Straight Dope attended pro-Nazi meetings in the 30's. Straight Dope also notes: "While no one can specifically attribute bias to Disney himself, Jewish people were ready fodder for animators' gags and Disney approved every scene in every short the studio made."
OK then, down the rabbit hole we go: Disney didn't hire Jews for decades: You may be right. I just don't see any evidence of that.
Disney attended pro-Nazi meetings: When the US declared war against the Axis powers Disney CLOSED HIS STUDIO DOWN TO MAKE PROPAGANDA FOR THE WAR. For the entire time the US fought the nazis the ONLY thing Disney produced were educational films for soldiers and ads for war bonds for the home front. It would be like if Marvel stopped printing after 9/11 and only made war manuals until Osama Bin Laden was killed. So yeah, not exactly pro-Nazi.
Disney created ant-semitic imagery in his cartoons: Again, you may be right. But I have yet to see any imagery that confirms your assertion. Let alone "ready fodder" the way, say, Peter Pan dealt with Native Americans or Song of the South was with blacks.
Disney was a member of an anti-semitic club: Yes, Disney was an ancillary member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. Yes, the club was anti-semitic. Mostly however, it was anti-labor and anti-communist (hating Jews was kind of a side thing), and Disney distanced himself from the group during the 1950s. Further, if we're going to start labeling everyone who joined a club/group/foundation with anti-semitic leanings as a Jew-hater, we're basically going to have to smear every non-Jew who lived from 1920-1960 because just about every group did. They also excluded the Irish, the blacks, and the gays. It was a dark time for this country.
Importantly, none of Disney's biographers concluded he was an antisemite. He was B'nai Brith's man of the year in 1955. He gave money to Yeshiva University! This was a hater of Jews?
No evidence of hiring practices? Read the credits. Read the credits. After Pearl Harbor everything changed. And again after the death camps were liberated. Don't label everyone an anti-Semite, but look reality in the face.
On the OTHER hand, lots of the Jews in Hollywood--particularly in those days--were self-hating immigrants who changed their names and married Shiksas. So it becomes even harder to say. --Penny
Walt Disney was anti-Semitic. Anonymous 1 is right! (Unfortunatley) One need only to type in Proof that Walt Disney was anti-semitic and many other people in Disney's studio harbored anti-Semitic feelings as well. Yes, yes I've heard the rumours that he was allegedlly anti-Semitic or that he had anti-Semitic feelings. But these rumours unfortunatley are true. Disney was in these anti-Communist and anti-Unionist groups/clubs/foundations too (Unfortunatley) But that doesn't disregard the fact that he WAS an anti-Semite. Unfortunate but TRUE! Don't defend Disney! I mean I love Disney's cartoons and movies the classic one's (that is) But that doesn't deter from the fact that he was Anti-Semitic! i HATE Walt Disney for being anti-Semitic! But I loved his cartoons! Maybe you should do a profile on Disney and in the verdict put: Not an Anti-Semitic and see what you come up with! I'm pretty sure 98% of the readers would disagree with you.
I don't want to go too far into this (I know, I've probably already gone too far). We're JewOrNotJew, not Anti-SemiteOrNotAnti-Semite. Suffice to say that, again, all you're talking about are rumors. Disney was absolutely anti-Communist (a lot of people were in those days) and anti-labor (like a lot of big CEOs). Neither of these things mean he hated Jews. I've yet to see anyone refute the fact that he DID give money to Jewish organizations, he WAS respected by them in his lifetime and he WAS virulently anti-Nazi. I find it hard to square those things with, "gee, the Internet says he hated Jews and none of the names in the credits of his movies sound Jew-y enough for me..." Compare that to, say, Henry Ford who really did come out and support the Nazi party and openly hate Jews or Roald Dahl who did come out and openly say anti-semitic things and I have a hard time making a monster of this man because well...maybe? Even though everyone who knew him or really studied him says no? I don't need to be right on this, I just have yet to see anyone post here who has proven what I've said wrong.
Oh, Roald Dahl was anti-Semitic there's no doubt about that! Maurice Sendak said something along the lines of (I'm not quoting him by the way, just an interpretation of my own words) "I'm glad that anti-Semitic bastard is dead!" (Oh please, don't quote me on that.) But I'm sure what he meant to say is right and true! As for Disney... Well... Okay... I know it's true, but if you don't well... We'll let sleeping dogs lie, hey?
Just a comment on names. There is absolutely no way you can tell whether someone is Jewish by name, certainly not in the years preceding WW11. Hell , I went to camp in the 50s with the Smith brothers, who were most definitely Jewish. In fact, there are a fair number of boxers named Smith who were, you guessed it Jewish. How many Cohens who played baseball changed their names? At least 4 of them, we know about. In my family alone, two of my father's brothers changed their names (Cole and Roberts) to accommodate their life choices, usually work opportunities. My dad didn't, but he would advise anyone seeking employment with the federal government in the 30's and 40s to mask their Jewish identities, Roosevelt's Jewish advisors notwithstanding.
Disney? Didn't hire Jews for decades. Disney? Met with Leni Riefenstahl after Triumph of the Will when no one else would. Disney? Per The Straight Dope attended pro-Nazi meetings in the 30's. Straight Dope also notes:
ReplyDelete"While no one can specifically attribute bias to Disney himself, Jewish people were ready fodder for animators' gags and Disney approved every scene in every short the studio made."
OK then, down the rabbit hole we go:
ReplyDeleteDisney didn't hire Jews for decades: You may be right. I just don't see any evidence of that.
Disney attended pro-Nazi meetings: When the US declared war against the Axis powers Disney CLOSED HIS STUDIO DOWN TO MAKE PROPAGANDA FOR THE WAR. For the entire time the US fought the nazis the ONLY thing Disney produced were educational films for soldiers and ads for war bonds for the home front. It would be like if Marvel stopped printing after 9/11 and only made war manuals until Osama Bin Laden was killed. So yeah, not exactly pro-Nazi.
Disney created ant-semitic imagery in his cartoons: Again, you may be right. But I have yet to see any imagery that confirms your assertion. Let alone "ready fodder" the way, say, Peter Pan dealt with Native Americans or Song of the South was with blacks.
Disney was a member of an anti-semitic club: Yes, Disney was an ancillary member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. Yes, the club was anti-semitic. Mostly however, it was anti-labor and anti-communist (hating Jews was kind of a side thing), and Disney distanced himself from the group during the 1950s. Further, if we're going to start labeling everyone who joined a club/group/foundation with anti-semitic leanings as a Jew-hater, we're basically going to have to smear every non-Jew who lived from 1920-1960 because just about every group did. They also excluded the Irish, the blacks, and the gays. It was a dark time for this country.
Importantly, none of Disney's biographers concluded he was an antisemite. He was B'nai Brith's man of the year in 1955. He gave money to Yeshiva University! This was a hater of Jews?
No evidence of hiring practices? Read the credits. Read the credits.
ReplyDeleteAfter Pearl Harbor everything changed. And again after the death camps were liberated.
Don't label everyone an anti-Semite, but look reality in the face.
On the OTHER hand, lots of the Jews in Hollywood--particularly in those days--were self-hating immigrants who changed their names and married Shiksas. So it becomes even harder to say.
ReplyDelete--Penny
Walt Disney was anti-Semitic. Anonymous 1 is right! (Unfortunatley) One need only to type in Proof that Walt Disney was anti-semitic and many other people in Disney's studio harbored anti-Semitic feelings as well. Yes, yes I've heard the rumours that he was allegedlly anti-Semitic or that he had anti-Semitic feelings. But these rumours unfortunatley are true. Disney was in these anti-Communist and anti-Unionist groups/clubs/foundations too (Unfortunatley) But that doesn't disregard the fact that he WAS an anti-Semite. Unfortunate but TRUE! Don't defend Disney! I mean I love Disney's cartoons and movies the classic one's (that is) But that doesn't deter from the fact that he was Anti-Semitic! i HATE Walt Disney for being anti-Semitic! But I loved his cartoons! Maybe you should do a profile on Disney and in the verdict put: Not an Anti-Semitic and see what you come up with! I'm pretty sure 98% of the readers would disagree with you.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to go too far into this (I know, I've probably already gone too far). We're JewOrNotJew, not Anti-SemiteOrNotAnti-Semite. Suffice to say that, again, all you're talking about are rumors. Disney was absolutely anti-Communist (a lot of people were in those days) and anti-labor (like a lot of big CEOs). Neither of these things mean he hated Jews.
ReplyDeleteI've yet to see anyone refute the fact that he DID give money to Jewish organizations, he WAS respected by them in his lifetime and he WAS virulently anti-Nazi. I find it hard to square those things with, "gee, the Internet says he hated Jews and none of the names in the credits of his movies sound Jew-y enough for me..."
Compare that to, say, Henry Ford who really did come out and support the Nazi party and openly hate Jews or Roald Dahl who did come out and openly say anti-semitic things and I have a hard time making a monster of this man because well...maybe? Even though everyone who knew him or really studied him says no?
I don't need to be right on this, I just have yet to see anyone post here who has proven what I've said wrong.
Oh, Roald Dahl was anti-Semitic there's no doubt about that! Maurice Sendak said something along the lines of (I'm not quoting him by the way, just an interpretation of my own words) "I'm glad that anti-Semitic bastard is dead!" (Oh please, don't quote me on that.) But I'm sure what he meant to say is right and true! As for Disney... Well... Okay... I know it's true, but if you don't well... We'll let sleeping dogs lie, hey?
ReplyDeleteJust a comment on names. There is absolutely no way you can tell whether someone is Jewish by name, certainly not in the years preceding WW11. Hell , I went to camp in the 50s with the Smith brothers, who were most definitely Jewish. In fact, there are a fair number of boxers named Smith who were, you guessed it Jewish. How many Cohens who played baseball changed their names? At least 4 of them, we know about. In my family alone, two of my father's brothers changed their names (Cole and Roberts) to accommodate their life choices, usually work opportunities. My dad didn't, but he would advise anyone seeking employment with the federal government in the 30's and 40s to mask their Jewish identities, Roosevelt's Jewish advisors notwithstanding.
ReplyDeleteYour point?
ReplyDelete