Affad Shaikh

Used Karma – Jessie

Disney has never been known for being “culturally sensitive”- look at some of the portrayals of various ethnicities in Disney cartoons and movies, you get the sense that instead of challenging stereotypes, Disney celebrates racism. As a kid I remember watching Aladdin and Jungle Book. (I admit, guilty pleasure, Disney is entertaining…but positive criticism will always result in better products, and I believe Disney, over the years, has strived to do just that- recent Disney cartoon portraying the first Black Disney Princess. I hope by starting a conversation and presenting Disney with an opportunity to hear back about their other programing blunders, and possibly seeing if others also feel the way I did when I stumbled on a Disney program.)

You would think that that sort of stuff doesn’t matter at a young age, but the thing is we are socialized to understand cultures and peoples around us in a particular way. I mean you think about why your parents aren’t going to let you marry a “khaalo” (black person?), it’s a prevalent South Asian (Desi) racist norm. The few inter racial marriages that have occurred happen on a hierarchy- the whiter the Desi the better, than a white person, Arabs over most others, the bottom of the pole are your Black folks and Mexicans are an absolute no.

These same perceptions influence a child on a much more intimate level. When kids are told that long shiny hair is nice, or that wearing make up makes a girl attractive, all these things are influencing their perception of who they are and what they should strive for. In the same way when kids see only negative images or idea’s associated with being Muslim they will pick up an inferiority complex when it comes to being “Muslim” and associating with “Islam”. There is a sense of shame, guilt and self-hate that builds up. Images and the media matter. We spend so much time watching TV and we are told by the TV folk what to like, how to be, what to hate, what to eat, where to vacation, what sport to play, what is normal and what is abnormal- so how will that not influence children on their self-image?

Disney is the leading perpetrator when it comes to this image impression. Being that Mickey is the most recognizable brand to kids, Disney movies and shows are gateways to various age transitions for kids- toddler to adolescent to “tweens” and on to teens. So that’s why this clip from Disney Channel’s show Jessie is so problematic.

The kid that stars as the “Indian” is Karan Brar, he’s pretty much been type casted as the immigrant son (information on him suggests he’s fluent in Punjabi, props to him!). He’s played a similar character in Diaries of a Wimpy Kid. What’s hilarious is that Karan is so talented that originally the role of Ravi in Jessie, was supposed to be a Hispanic kid but was changed because the casting directors were so impressed with Brar during the audition process, recreating the role just for his special characteristics.

The show is replete with stereotypical references to Ganesh and Indians. Worse, Ravi’s character is the typical portrayal of foreign characters, except here, it’s the kid. Remember Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’s Short Round, Indiana’s eleven-year old Chinese sidekick? Well Ravi is a reincarnation of Short Round mixed in with a modern watered down racism and Disney-friendly-distortions of South Asian culture and specifically Hinduism.

When South Asians are seeing a rise in the number of folks making it in business, politics and the arts- its hard not to wonder why such stereotyping can go unchallenged. Jessie itself is a fairly new show, it just debut this past September, but the fact that it hasn’t gotten an outcry over the Ravi character in the past four months is sad.

But I want to point out that Ravi alone is not the only problem. Emma Ross is the Black girl portrayed as a bubbly precocious 11-year old, who has some significantly over emphasized Black characteristics. The thing is I am a 28 year old male, who’s pretty politicized, so maybe I might be turning something into a mountain when really its not even a mole hill. But if a 15 year old tells you this show’s racist, what does that say about the show and Disney?