Disney Demonizes Cleft Lips

So, the latest Lone Ranger movie tries to do justice to the oft stereotyped Tonto.

It may succeed, but I haven’t seen the movie since the trailers depict it as another violent action movie geared for young people. But therein lies the rub. Disney has created a cleft-lipped villain who is bound to influence children and youth for a generation (DVDs last a long time).

The Lego Corporation is guilty, too, as it has created a figure for the villain. As the Lego ads say, “Butch Cavendish is a ruthless outlaw… .Cavendish has wicked plans of his own that may outdo all of his past misdeeds combined.” See ad at http://www.lego.com/en-us/theloneranger/characters/butch-cavendish

In promos for its movie, Disney says Cavendish is a villain “whose terribly scarred face is a perfect reflection of the bottomless pit that passes for his soul.”

Evidently, Disney learned nothing from recent critics who accuse Shakespeare of  unfair demonization of deformed Richard III in the play of the same name. The Lone Ranger   stars Armie Hammer as the heroic masked man and Johnny Depp as Tonto.

Disney completely undercut it’s credibility by creating Cavendish while crafting it’s otherwise admirable storyline: “Native American spirit warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice—taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.”

Your thoughts?

My latest book, PRIVILEGED KILLERS, is a true story about a half-dozen Dark Triad people in my everyday life - narcissists, manipulators, and psychopaths. Three of 'em murdered people, and one came after my wife and me. Print and e-book versions of this (and CLEFT HEART) available at Amazon and elsewhere online. Also at your local bookstore.