When we watched the Cab Calloway clip in class I thought immediately of the scene "I want to be like you" from the Jungle book.
Now I'm the king of the swingers
Oh, the jungle VIP
I've reached the top and had to stop
And that's what botherin' me
I wanna be a man, mancub
And stroll right into town
And be just like the other men
I'm tired of monkeyin' around!
Oh, oobee doo
I wanna be like you
I wanna walk like you
Talk like you, too
You'll see it's true
An ape like me
Can learn to be human too
Gee, cousin Louie
You're doin' real good
Now here's your part of the deal, cuz
Lay the secret on me of man's red fire
But I don't know how to make fire
Now don't try to kid me, mancub
I made a deal with you
What I desire is man's red fire
To make my dream come true
Give me the secret, mancub
Clue me what to do
Give me the power of man's red flower
So I can be like you
You!
I wanna be like you
I wanna talk like you
Walk like you, too
You'll see it's true
Someone like me
Can learn to be
Like someone like me
Can learn to be
Like someone like you
Can learn to be
Like someone like me!
It's pretty clear that Lindy Hop dancing and Jazz from the Zoot Suit era inspired this scene. In fact, the voice of King Louie is Louis Prima.
However, considering what we read in The Power of Zoot, Disney has, of course, taken the message and completely flipped it on it's head. For Alvarez, the power of Zoot to those who wore it was in subversion of: war-time consumer values, anti-miscegenation sentiments, notions of sexual modesty, and general racism (as it gave the wearer a reclaimed sense of dignity). For Disney, the music, scatting and dance all contribute to the "monkiness" of the monkeys, who are clearly meant to be Blacks. All of the other characters in the movie speak in "proper english" while the monkeys seemingly talk in jibberish (scat). The Lindy Hop dancing is portrayed in such a way that it increases their "monkiness" rather than anthropomorphizing the monkeys. And to top it all, King Louie is saying "I wanna be like you, I wanna walk like you, Talk like you, too." He wants to "be just like the other men, I'm tired of monkeyin' around!" It's pretty clear that Disney has taken the rebellious and anti-white/pro-POC Zoot culture and turned it into the exact opposite. In the Jungle Book, it serves as a reminder that Black men are "not real men" BUT that they want to be. So whites should help them be white. Which, when considered with Rudyard Kipling's 'white man's burden', was probably not a far off interpretation of the original book on Disney's part.
So I guess I am wondering if people see any consistencies between Disney's read on Zoot Suit culture with historical interpretations. Obviously, those outside of Zoot Culture did not necessarily read it the same way as those within (and those within didn't necessarily agree either, as we discussed in class,) but it seems to me that the desiring of whiteness was absent from Zoot culture with the exception of the conk.... thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
First of all, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Jungle Book, and this clip is much more problematic than I ever fathomed it would be! I think your interpretation of Disney’s choice of music, language, and dance as representations of Black culture is spot on. And the covert message clearly is that Black men are subhuman and have an unconscious desire to assimilate to white culture. Reflecting on your question about the absence of a “white aspiration” in Zoot culture, I think that the connection may be less direct. Perhaps it is the consumerist nature and great attention to physical appearance of Zoot fashion that assimilate to a mass white culture. I’m not quite sure how to articulate it, but I think there is some connection between using one’s appearance to convey meaning and assertions of power that is inextricable from some component of whiteness. What fascinates me most about Zoot culture is the machismo factor and the emphasis on performing in costume on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, although certain components of the sexual dynamics in Zoot culture were subversive, others (hypermasculinity) perpetuated normative gender politics, which also has ties to white culture. In sum, I would be inclined to say it’s very very complicated, and I thought your question was an important one.
Post a Comment