More proof that radical minorities won’t be satisfied, re: The Little Mermaid

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The Little Mermaid” is being criticized by a prominent diversity advocate for its erasure of slavery in the Caribbean.

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Marcus Ryder, an influential British campaigner and chair of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, applauded the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel — but took issue with how the movie showcased racial harmony.

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However, in the blog, titled “Disney’s the Little Mermaid, Caribbean Slavery, and Telling the Truth to Children,” Ryder points out that the movie appears to take place in the Caribbean in the 18th century during a time of African chattel slavery — yet the islanders depicted in the film seem to live in a world free of this inhumanity.

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In this setting, I do not think we do our children any favors by pretending that slavery didn’t exist,” he wrote. “For me Disney’s preference to try and wish the inconvenient truth away says more about the adult creatives than it does about children’s ability to work through it.”

Though he acknowledged that the movie is a fantasy and doesn’t necessarily need to be historically accurate, he said that Disney shouldn’t be “encouraging historical amnesia.”

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