Disney Asked To Re-Theme Splash Mountain Due To It's Racist Past
One of Disney's most-loved rides is based on a movie that's widely considered to be the studio's most racist. Splash Mountain stars the animated characters from Song Of The South, the 1946 movie that has been criticized forever for it's stereotypes of "spiritual" black men. Fans want to keep the ride, but they're asking Disney to get rid of all mention of the movie. The most widely shared suggestion proposes retooling the ride for The Princess and the Frog, the first Disney film to introduce a black princess. Some of them have turned into Change.org petitions. Disney already decided not include Song Of The South on Disney+.
Grammys Changing 'Urban Contempory' To 'Progressive R&B' Category
The Recording Academy is making some changes. They announced that the “Best Urban Contemporary Album” category will now be called “Best Progressive R&B Album,” saying that the new title should “highlight albums that include the more progressive elements of R&B and may include samples and elements of hip-hop, rap, dance, and electronic music.” For some time now, black executives have noted that the word 'urban' is outdated and inappropriate. Another change is that the restrictions for the Best New Artist category have been loosened and each person invited to sit on a Nominations Review Committee will now have to disclose any conflicts of interest and sit out if they have any. What's interesting is that these changes address concerns made by the former CEO, Deborah Dugan. She was recently fired and accused the Academy of having “a culture of misogyny, discrimination, sexual harassment, corruption and conflicts of interest.”