[imagesource: Disney]

The lines have been clearly drawn in the sand.

Since the internet has gone absolutely haywire about the new The Little Mermaid casting a black Ariel, it is impossible to remain neutral.

The backlash that has come from black actor and singer Halle Bailey starring as Ariel is “shameful, ridiculous—and all too predictable” according to AV Club.

It’s “as silly as it is predictable” via The Independent, and undeserving according to The Guardian, which mentions how the racist vitriol has come “with an inevitability that could crush your bones to dust”.

And yet, here we are:

I don’t know, Ariel, maybe you’re better off staying in the sea as a fictional human-fish hybrid creature as opposed to “part of that world”.

Then again, clearly, people think there’s a right and wrong way to be a made-up character:

“ariel cant be black because mermaids live in the deep ocean and they wouldnt get sun!” ??? this is from 30 years ago. just say you are racist and move on pic.twitter.com/Z7zqdizKk2

— audrea (@audsrea) September 14, 2022

That’s a huge part of the sickening silliness of this whole situation, according to AV Club:

Let’s really put a fine point on this: These characters are fictional! They live in worlds that aren’t our own! There’s this magical thing called the suspension of disbelief: we do it whenever we sit down to watch a movie or TV series or stage show about shit that’s made up. And The Little Mermaid is suspending disbelief of the highest order.

Another argument is that without the race of the character causing havoc, The Little Mermaid is not even all that exciting to watch:

And this is The Little Mermaid, for crying out loud. If the previous live action Disney remakes are any indication, then it will barely even qualify as a film. It’ll be a rote, loveless exercise in maintaining an existing IP, which won’t hold a candle to the original.

When was the last time you felt excited about seeing Guy Richie’s Aladdin remake? Or Tim Burton’s Dumbo? A new live action Pinocchio just dropped on Disney+ and I’ve yet to meet a single person able to summon even an atom of energy to watch it.

Plus, and most critically, there’s the consideration of representation, as The Independent notes:

A viral thread of videos filmed in the wake of The Little Mermaid’s trailer release has shown dozens of children – and mostly Black girls – reacting with glee upon seeing Bailey. “I think she’s brown,” one girl says in a clip. It’s hard not to feel touched by the happiness it brings her.

Any child psychologist will tell you that the messages a young person receives is formative to their self-esteem. For many Black children, years of watching Black people being sidelined in pop culture reinforces ideas that they’re not “part of the world”. It’s a wrong-headed lesson that can take years to unlearn.

Have a look-see:

pic.twitter.com/BnVSAkLG7U

— @portalcxh | Mídias (@pcxhmidia) September 12, 2022

It is bizarre in the face of this fact that a black Ariel is offending so many people.

black mermaids? what’s next, black PEOPLE?!

— Queen Kitten 👑 (@ElaniKitten) September 14, 2022

Watching The Little Mermaid is now not so much about enjoying an old Disney classic reimagined as it is a political hotrod.

When the movie comes out in May next year, I’ll see you in theatres out of sheer, sparkling principle.

[sources:guardian&avclub&independent]