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Mulan vs. the Diversity-Mongers
Townhall.com ^ | September 14, 2016 | Michelle Malkin

Posted on 09/14/2016 4:57:59 AM PDT by Kaslin

Let's get down to business. The casting kerfuffle over Disney's live-action remake of the 1998 animated hit "Mulan" brings honor to none. It's a politically correct tempest in a Chinese teapot.

More than 90,000 angry activists have now signed a petition "to tell Disney that we demand to see them cast an Asian Mulan." The lead instigator, Michigan children's librarian Natalie Molnar, vented against the practice of "whitewashing" -- that is, employing "white Caucasian actors and actresses in roles originally meant to be characters of color."

Extreme racial and ethnic bean-counting is necessary, even in the remake of a cartoon, the petitioners argue, because "children benefit from finding themselves represented in fiction."

Skin color-based casting entitlements and quotas: "for the children." Of course.

Once again, privileged progressives demonstrate how arbitrary, capricious and ridiculous militant identity politics can be. Last year, Asian-American leftists attacked director Cameron Crowe for casting Emma Stone as a mixed-race character in the romantic comedy "Aloha." It didn't matter whether Stone pulled off the role. The protesters were too busy administering racial and ethnic litmus tests for employment in the entertainment industry.

This year, grievance-mongers moaned about the casting of mixed-race actress Zoe Saldana as black jazz legend Nina Simone and white actress Scarlett Johansson as a Japanese Manga cartoon figure.

In social justice land, movie-making isn't about casting the most talented actors, regardless of race or ethnicity. Movie-making isn't about entertaining customers or making money. Nope.

Movie-making is a never-ending exercise in radical multiculturalism and identity apartheid.

The diversity cops maintain that only the right kind of mixed-race stars should play mixed-race characters. Only the right kind of black actresses should win black roles. And only Asians should be cast in "Mulan" to maintain ethnic realism.

But there's no rhyme, reason or logic in their demands for authenticity. Take "Mulan." The original movie was riddled with historical inaccuracies. Based on the legend of teenage warrior Hua Mulan popularized in an ancient Chinese ballad, the heroine disguises herself as a man to take the place of her elderly father in battle -- "to defeat the Huns," as the song from the movie goes.

But the Huns were thousands of miles away sacking Rome and Western Europe. The "Huns" who attacked the legendary Mulan in 6th-century China were mostly likely related to the central Asian Xiongnu tribe in what became Mongolia, which warred with the Han dynasty in the 3rd century. Movie historian Alex von Tunzelmann notes "that was at least a couple [of] hundred of years before Mulan's time, and in any case the link between the Xiongnu and the Huns is in dispute."

Unfortunately for social justice warriors, "Let's get down to business/to defeat the nomadic tribe that was possibly the Xiongnu in the region of Mongolia before it was known as Mongolia" just doesn't have the same ring as the Disney tune that's still stuck in my head after 18 years.

Weirdly, the Asian-American liberal entertainment lobby didn't have a problem with Filipina musical theater star/actress Lea Salonga singing Chinese Mulan's parts in the original movie. Which raises my still-unanswered question in these well-worn casting wars:

Why is it that the self-appointed Definers of racial and ethnic Authenticity get to pick and choose which historical inaccuracies and inconsistencies to protest or ignore?

Strangely, some of the minority actors and actresses in the "People of Color" tribe that the Demand-y Demanders want to cast in "Mulan" are as authentically Asian as Mulan's Eddie Murphy-voiced annoying dragon sidekick, Mu Shu.

Oliver S. Wang, an L.A.-based culture writer, tweeted that "The Rock" (Canadian-American actor Dwayne Johnson of Samoan and Black Nova Scotian heritage) should play the "Mongol villain."

How do you say "Huh???" in Chinese?

Heidi Yeung, editor for a South China Morning Post-owned website, is pushing for Korean-American Daniel Dae Kim to play the villainous role of Shan Yu -- in part because he has "almost identical cheekbones to the animated character." Diversity!

Additionally, she wants Japanese-American George Takei to play the Chinese Emperor and another Korean American, Margaret Cho, to play the Chinese matchmaker.

So because the diversity-mongers' choices look more vaguely Asian-ish, never mind the vast differences between their nationalities and heritages, they trump other non-Asian actors and actresses who must all step aside and bow down to the gods of ethnic faux-thenticity.

If "whitewash" is the problem, why is fake yellow wash the solution?


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
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1 posted on 09/14/2016 4:57:59 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Just ignore these people and they will go away.


2 posted on 09/14/2016 5:05:14 AM PDT by Arm_Bears (Rope. Tree. Politician/Journalist. Some assembly required.)
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To: Arm_Bears

We tried that. They took over the country.


3 posted on 09/14/2016 5:09:52 AM PDT by PghBaldy (12/14 - 930am -rampage begins... 12/15 - 1030am - Obama's advance team scouts photo-op locations.)
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To: Kaslin

“This year, grievance-mongers moaned about the casting of mixed-race actress Zoe Saldana as black jazz legend Nina Simone”

isn’t saldana an extreme left winger who marched for BLM and other far left wing causes?


4 posted on 09/14/2016 5:09:53 AM PDT by God luvs America (63.5 million pay no income tax and vote for DemoKrats...)
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To: Arm_Bears

I didn’t watch the first movie, and I am not going to watch this one either.


5 posted on 09/14/2016 5:10:09 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Arm_Bears
Just ignore these people and they will go away.

No, they will not. They must be shown to be imbeciles and ridiculed before they will fade.

6 posted on 09/14/2016 5:10:44 AM PDT by raybbr (That progressive bumper sticker on your car might just as well say, "Yes, I'm THAT stupid!")
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To: Kaslin
Additionally, she wants Japanese-American George Takei to play the Chinese Emperor and another Korean American, Margaret Cho, to play the Chinese matchmaker.

A hate-filled homosexual and a hate-filled lesbian - that casting would seem to ensure a box office disaster.

7 posted on 09/14/2016 5:11:35 AM PDT by Rummyfan (Let us now try liberty.)
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To: Arm_Bears

They won’t let us ignore them. We are being made to care, to accept, to endorse.


8 posted on 09/14/2016 5:12:37 AM PDT by Rummyfan (Let us now try liberty.)
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To: Rummyfan
George Takei voiced Mulan's Ancestor Ghost in the 1998 Film anyway.

The Late, Great Pat Morita voiced The Emperor in the '98 film.

9 posted on 09/14/2016 5:18:11 AM PDT by KC_Lion (Never Killary!)
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To: Arm_Bears
Well if "whitewashing" is so wrong, can someone explain the casting of Hamilton to me?
10 posted on 09/14/2016 5:18:34 AM PDT by carolinablonde
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To: Kaslin
Also, thank you for posting.

Love Michelle Malkin

11 posted on 09/14/2016 5:18:42 AM PDT by KC_Lion (Never Killary!)
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To: Kaslin

Grievance mongering. Their motto, in the immortal words of Mickey Rooney: “Miss Gorightly I protest! You disturba me!”


12 posted on 09/14/2016 5:21:07 AM PDT by Buttons12
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To: Rummyfan
We are being made to care, to accept, to endorse

There was a time, not so long ago, when I personally took a "live and let live" policy towards activists, gay activists in particular. They called for "tolerance" and I was tolerant. Mostly because I didn't care about their causes.

Now, as you point out, they're calling for forced acceptance, even forced celebration of their causes. "Do this, or I will ruin you. Because I can." is approximately their position. So, now I'm being forced to pay attention, to care.

I may be wrong, but I think that activists - gay activists, specifically - won't like it when conservatives start to pay attention, to care about their causes. I suspect that they'll want to dial the clock back 20 years to the laissez-faire attitude that I, and many others, held.

Because it won't end well, for anyone.

13 posted on 09/14/2016 5:22:04 AM PDT by wbill
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To: KC_Lion

You’re welcome. She’s great.


14 posted on 09/14/2016 5:28:30 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Actually, Mulan was one of my favorite Disney movies. As a parent of young mixed race children it was nice seeing an asian female lead in a family movie. And the movie is as accurate as most Disney adapted movies. Even movies like Cinderella and Snow White are not exact retelling of the Fairy Tales. I am no left wing kook, but i do appreciate diversity in movies. Sadly, most whites do just see yellow skin as close enough in roles.


15 posted on 09/14/2016 5:34:28 AM PDT by PattyinMD
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To: Kaslin

I’m afraid I’ll have to take the side of the whiners in this one. IMO, historical characters should be played by someone who looks as much like them as possible. Thus, Mulan should be played by an Asian actress, Martin Luther King should be played by a black actor, and Hamilton should be played by a white actor. To do otherwise is to degrade historical accuracy.

Fictional characters, on the other hand, should be played by whoever — unless a specific race or gender is specifically called for.


16 posted on 09/14/2016 5:35:09 AM PDT by bus man (Loose Lips Sink Ships)
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To: Arm_Bears; PghBaldy
Just ignore these people and they will go away.

We tried that. They took over the country.

And that sums things up nicely.

17 posted on 09/14/2016 5:36:39 AM PDT by Prospero (Lex est rex)
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To: Kaslin

Hmmmmmmmmmmm

a black guy sang the parts for Aladdin...

better not do that again...


18 posted on 09/14/2016 5:37:56 AM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: wbill

Well, one thing is certain, they have convinced you to use their language. There is nothing gay about any of these perverts. They are sodomites, little changed from thousands of years ago when they were kicked to the closet.


19 posted on 09/14/2016 5:39:46 AM PDT by Neoliberalnot (Marxism works well only with the uneducated and the unarm)
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To: bus man

I agree with your points


20 posted on 09/14/2016 5:41:15 AM PDT by Kaslin
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