The Little Mermaid sends a worse message than conformity. Ariel falls in love with Eric, and no one can convince her to give up her dream. After her father refuses to help her, she makes a deal with Ursula the Sea-Witch to give her legs so that she can be with her man--but at a price. She has to get the guy to kiss her, and she can't talk. Or something really bad will happen, I forget what.

Here's the message:

1) You need a man to be happy,

2) To get your man, you have to change who you are and meet him on his terms,

3) No price is too high to get your man, including running away, alienating your parents, or making a deal with a witch you know is no good, and finally,

4) Shut up!!!! No man wants to hear what you have to say, just look good in your sea-shell bikini and keep quiet.

This is the lesson that the new and modernized Disney sends to our daughters and sisters. Thanks a lot!!!

Of course, Disney also brought us classics like The Lion King, which they say was based on "African Fables". This is along the same lines of what I said earlier (see June 24, 2001), about how pretentious blowhards always cite nameless "Tribes in Africa" to make their point and seem intelligent. It also helps Disney because they can seem so multicultural and ethnically diverse. I guess it is possible that The Lion King is based on African fables. But only if those African fables are based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, because The Lion King is a total rip-off of Shakespeare.

1) King is killed,

2) Prince, made to feel guilty and ashamed by the King's scheming brother, flees,

3) King's brother takes over and screws everything up,

4) King's ghost appears to Prince, Prince learns a mystical lesson, and returns to set things right,

5) African fables my ass.