Wolfenstein

In Rapunzel, the Jew-coded antagonist kidnaps a blond, green-eyed child from her caring parents, to use for her own selfish purposes. While of course, this message was not the intention of Rapunzel's

creators, most evil witch-like characters stem from anti-semetic caricatures, with dark hair and hooked noses. In Peter Pan (1953), Tiger Lily and the other native Americans featured in the film speak gibberish, smoke tobacco and sing songs such as “what made the red man red”. While longtime Disney fans may excuse many of Disney’s worse offences citing their old age and the American beliefs and ideals at the time of their release, the fact of the matter is Disney still makes mistakes even now. For example, the 2015 live-action remake of Peter Pan, while featuring the very same tribe of hurtful stereotypical Native Americans, didn’t even cast a Native American actress to portray Tiger Lily, instead giving the role to American Caucasian, Rooney Mara. A phenomenon commonly referred to as whitewashing, casting a white actor in the role of a person of colour.

While racial representation seems to be a cause of conversation in the last few decades, sparking films featuring people of colour and foreign cultures, such as Moana, or Soul, other representation such as queer representation, seems non-existent. Characters accepted as queer are side characters with little screen time or have love interests not prominent in the movie added only as afterthoughts. Characters such as Lefou (Beauty and the Beast) or Oaken (Frozen) are never implicitly stated to be gay, and allow much of their respective relationships to be very open to interpretation. This lack of support from Disney promotes, intentionally or not, both the habit of queer baiting as well as the idea that LGBTQA+ is ‘unsuitable’ for children and morally wrong. Finally, the faces of Disney princesses are extremely recognisable, the button noses, the clear skin, the beautiful hair; ever since Disney’s first feature film in 1937 (Snow White and the seven dwarfs) each Disney princess has been typically beautiful. These princesses all have tiny waists and small hands, while representing the ‘good’ and ‘just’ in each fairytale. Their counterparts, the villains, are often ugly and stupid; the men large lumbering oafs while the women witches and evil stepmothers.

The idea that children understand from watching such power dynamics is that ugly equals evil, while beauty clearly means good. In a climate where the percentage of children with anorexia is rising and with many lacking significant confidence in themselves and their abilities, children should be aware that Disney movies can perpetuate harmful body standards.

The unhappy truth of representation in movies is that not everybody will be able to relate to every character. That is not to say that diversity and inclusivity don’t benefit us as a whole, because they certainly do, and children who often are unable to see themselves represented in movies are able to have princesses and heroines to relate to. But instead to be aware when watching Disney movies that there isn’t one ‘perfect’ ideal, or body type, or personality. Holding yourself to the standards set in movies is hurtful and unrealistic, and in the long run, these standards might damage your selflove and respect.

CULTURE

RAFAEL - WRITER VEDANGINI & DANIEL - EDITORS

After experiencing a year of both separation and isolation, I decided to revisit one of the most creative and thrilling video game franchises of recent years, Wolfenstein. This video game epic takes place in a post-world war dystopia, where the Nazi party has siezed control of the globe. You play as William J. Blazkowicz: an American of Polish and Jewish descent, and Nazi Killing Machine. Raised by an abusive father, this character abandoned his home to join the military at a young age. From then on he befriended operatives from around the world and fought off the oppression with ferocity and might.

In the first game, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Nazis deploy advanced technologies, which enables them to turn the tide against the Allies. In July 1946, you, accompanied by pilot Fergus Reid and Private Probst Wyatt III, take part in a massive Allied air raid against a fortress and weapons laboratory run by his nemesis, SS-OberstGruppenführer: Wilhelm "Deathshead" Straße. By the end of the game, after numerous triumphs against evil, Deathshead is killed and you return to your people, but this time a broken man. In this dark world, the Nazi command employs futuristic, neo-warfare and super soldier technology. It is fitting that your character, a Subhuman in their eyes, manages to dismantle parts of their global regime alone.

The following game, The New Colossus, picks up right after where you left off. You are saved from Deathshead’s crumbling fortress at the last minute and succumbs to a 5-month long coma. As you fade back to consciousness, you learn that the home base of your revolutionaries is captured by the sadistic general: Irene Engel. You allow yourself to be captured, and awaken in Nazi capture. For the first mission, you play in a wheelchair but still massacre Nazi soldiers with sheer willpower and a formidable arsenal of arms. After you liberate the Homebase, you travel not only the globe but other planets, all in the name of Justice. Following a long and hard campaign, you achieve justice, find love and even liberate America from Nazi control. The game ends on a sombre note which leaves the player satisfied, as the Blazkowicz story comes to an end.