The other week, I saw the new Disney animated movie, "Moana," and one instance reminded why diversity is needed in our society, but also why it is something that makes human beings really nice. I know that sounds like a strange way to put things, but it’s true. The fact that everyone comes from completely different backgrounds while also being a part of one species is so amazing to me. Every culture on this planet has its own history and stories, which is so fantastic.
Taking "Moana" as an example: through this one film, I have become enticed in learning about the history that enriches the Hawaiian islands. First off, the environment is absolutely breathtaking, and "Moana" did an amazing job at capturing it in the animation. One thing you should know is I am not a film major. I do not have an extensive knowledge in film, but I am a sucker for killer animation which is something that the creators of Moana have down to an art (so to speak). There is also the history of the islands which is amazing. Comparing the culture then and now is absolutely fascinating. Seeing how much it changed and adapted to the rest of the world is amazing.
Looking away from Moana, diversity is something that some people see as wrong, weird, or uncomfortable. No matter what, I always look at diversity as something beautiful. Her hair looks incredibly realistic and stunning in its own way. It isn’t like mine (straight, no volume, nothing too special) but hers has volume and it is curly and overall it just looks so beautiful! There are some people who are just beautiful and some of their traits come from where their heritage traces back to and that is something that just blows my mind.
There is also the fact that there is music, food, cultural traditions, religions, and the list goes on and on of so many different things that come with every single culture that inhabits Earth. This is something that I think needs to be celebrated more rather than looked at as something that is different and bad. We as a people, as a species, need to stop equating different with bad. Just because a group of people in Africa live differently from people in Europe it doesn’t make one group of people worse than the other. Just because people in America live differently from those in Asia it doesn’t make one bad as opposed to the other.
Different isn’t bad. Different should be celebrated. Instead of shutting ourselves in our own cultures and isolating ourselves, we should be open to learning about other people’s cultures. I know that there are some people who are actually so scared to learn about the way that other people live that they turn to anger and violence as a way of dealing with differences. Diversity is an important part of what makes us human and as a people, we should celebrate it.
"Moana" does an amazing job of introducing Polynesian culture into media which is something that is so important considering this is a culture that does not get the limelight that often. This is not Disney’s first time introducing diversity into their movies. "Princess and The Frog" showed the culture of New Orleans in the 1920s, which was predominantly black and played a huge part in the golden jazz age, which had an extremely positive impact on black culture in America. In Disney’s Mulan, it took an amazing look at Imperial China and what that culture was like at the time. It showed the rigerous lives of Chinese women and what they were forced to go through when looking for a husband.
Of course, most of the movies that include this diversity are watered down a bit because it is Disney, but it gives kids a look at a culture that isn’t their own. Diversity is so important and we need to stop looking at it as a bad thing, but rather as something that makes human beings different from anything else that life has to offer.
