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Is Mary Poppins a Racist Movie? Critical New York Times Op-Ed Sparks Heated Debate
The essay by Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, an English professor at Linfield college, argues that the original book written by P. L. Travers has a history of racism, which is carried through in the first movie and also subtly in 2018’s sequel, starring Emily Blunt.
“One of the more indelible images from the 1964 film is of Mary Poppins blacking up,” Pollack-Pelzner writes in The Times. “When the magical nanny accompanies her young charges, Michael and Jane Banks, up their chimney, her face gets covered in soot, but instead of wiping it off, she gamely powders her nose and cheeks even blacker. Then she leads the children on a dancing exploration of London rooftops with Dick Van Dyke’s sooty chimney sweep, Bert.”
The writer claims that Travers’ novels “associate chimney sweeps’ blackened faces with racial caricature.”
-- It's fine to point out any racial undertones in the book - but she and the kids literally climbed up a chimney and got soot on their faces.
The essay by Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, an English professor at Linfield college, argues that the original book written by P. L. Travers has a history of racism, which is carried through in the first movie and also subtly in 2018’s sequel, starring Emily Blunt.
“One of the more indelible images from the 1964 film is of Mary Poppins blacking up,” Pollack-Pelzner writes in The Times. “When the magical nanny accompanies her young charges, Michael and Jane Banks, up their chimney, her face gets covered in soot, but instead of wiping it off, she gamely powders her nose and cheeks even blacker. Then she leads the children on a dancing exploration of London rooftops with Dick Van Dyke’s sooty chimney sweep, Bert.”
The writer claims that Travers’ novels “associate chimney sweeps’ blackened faces with racial caricature.”
-- It's fine to point out any racial undertones in the book - but she and the kids literally climbed up a chimney and got soot on their faces.
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Posted 6 y ago
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It's soot dumb ass, anyone who has ever cleaned a chimney gets covered in soot. If it's on your hands it ends up on your face, clothes and everything you touch. They are white folks portraying predominantly white folks whose trade is chimney cleaning with soot on their face.
Blackface is an old offensive comedic genre in which folks of color are played by whites and portrayed in an uncomplimentary manner.
The professor is incorrect both historically and contextually.
Blackface is an old offensive comedic genre in which folks of color are played by whites and portrayed in an uncomplimentary manner.
The professor is incorrect both historically and contextually.
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That is no different than I read an article last week which had a picture of underground miners coming out of a mine in West Virginia, of course they are covered in coal dust and the article claimed this group was offended by their black covered faces. It is racist to hold a job in the coal mines now.
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This is all totally insane talk; if I may say so. Mary Poppins is a family movie. Period. SFC Kelly Fuerhoff I am in No way racist; by the way.
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SFC Kelly Fuerhoff
Well a lot of "family" movies in the past were actually inherently racist. I'm not saying that there aren't any - but the point they're using is that the soot is "blackface" when it's not.
Also - usually people don't have to clarify they aren't a racist. I had no assumptions that you were so it's odd to have to point it out.
Also - usually people don't have to clarify they aren't a racist. I had no assumptions that you were so it's odd to have to point it out.
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